VZCZCXRO7816
OO RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1304/01 1561055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 051055Z JUN 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3011
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KHARTOUM 001304 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL EAID PGOV AU SU
SUBJECT:  Sudan/Darfur - Ibok and Kingibe Describe 
Declaration of Accession for late adherents to the DPA; 
Troika partners still want to court Abdul Wahid 
 
¶1.  Summary:  AU's Ibok and Kingibe discussed with Embassy 
further steps related to DPA implementation, including 
support for the "peace secretariats."   There will be a 
"signing ceremony" Wednesday in Addis for 40-60 individuals 
for whom Declarations of Accession to the DPA have been 
especially drafted. Those who sign will have a legal and 
political status less than that of the original signatories, 
but the AU has determined this is a way of encouraging 
broader support.  Plans for the Darfur-Darfur dialogue are 
proceeding.  There seems to be some sympathy for continued 
courting of Abdul Wahid among some of our Troika partners: 
see para. 7 for recommendation.   End Summary. 
 
¶2.  On June 4, Charge Steinfeld, USAID Director Almquist and 
USAID/OTI Officer Briggs met with AU Ambassadors Sam Ibok 
and Baba Gana Kingibe to advance USG support for DPA 
implementation.  This was the first opportunity for us to 
brief Ibok, newly arrived in Khartoum to head the AU's 
Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) Implementation Team, on USG 
support.  Ibok warmly welcomed USG assistance in 
establishing offices in Khartoum and El Fasher to support 
the AU's DPA implementation efforts and provide a base of 
operations for DPA signatories.  He also requested 
suggestions of Darfur experts who already know the situation 
and the players on the ground to support the AU and help 
shore up SLM-Minawi in implementation.  Several names were 
discussed in this regard, and Ibok encouraged the USG to 
pursue two of them who would be immediately acceptable to 
the AU and to the SLM.  USAID is following up. 
 
The DPA is closed; but association is possible 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶3.  Ibok was very clear that Minawi is the only official 
partner with the Government in the DPA, and therefore every 
effort must be made to increase his capacity to follow 
through on implementation.  The AU has firmly considered the 
document closed for signature since May 31.  The only 
remaining option is signature of a Declaration of Accession 
(see para. 8), expressing association with and support for 
the DPA.  The AU Peace and Security Council may meet on 
Tuesday, according to Ibok and Kingibe, although they were 
not certain where the discussion would come out with respect 
to consequences for non-signers, other than that the DPA is 
closed to further signatories.  Debate going into the 
meeting appears to center on whether simply not signing the 
agreement is sufficient reason to sanction individuals or 
otherwise impose penalties on them.  The position of the AU 
seems to be that this alone is not enough, but that any 
evidence of concrete action to undermine the DPA would 
warrant a strong response, possibly through travel bans and 
asset freezes or other actions.  All noted this would be 
consistent with UNSC Resolution 1591.  (Ibok and Kingibe 
thought it would not be legally tenable to sanction 
individuals simply for not signing an agreement; they noted, 
however, that some of African leaders were taking a harder 
line.) 
 
"Signing ceremony" planned 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4.   Ibok and Kingibe described plans for "dissident" 
representatives of SLM-Abdul Wahid and JEM-South Darfur to 
sign Declarations of Accession to the DPA in a ceremony in 
Addis on Wednesday, June 7.  Kingibe extolled the idea of 
the ceremony as a way to signify increased support for the 
beleaguered agreement.  The Government's chief negotiator on 
Darfur, Maghzoub Khalifa, is expected to participate in the 
ceremony and is reportedly extremely eager for it to take 
place.  Kingibe wondered whether it might not also be 
appropriate for Minni Minawi to be there as well, and for 
both to witness the Declarations.  Charge and USAID Director 
discouraged this idea as elevating the signing too much, 
when others have already associated themselves with the 
agreement without this formality, and noted that the 
official signing ceremony had already taken place in Abuja. 
Almquist reported that Minawi is increasingly concerned 
about the delays in implementation of the DPA, particularly 
the security arrangements, and another signing ceremony 
would only reinforce to his commanders that the original 
ceremony was not meaningful.  Ibok speculated that Khalifa's 
intense eagerness for the ceremony to take place belies a 
desire by the Government both to replace Abdul Wahid, and to 
weaken Minni.  Wahid's chief negotiatior, Dr. Abdurrahman 
Mussa, and senior political advisor, Ibrahim Maddibo, are 
among the forty to sixty individuals reportedly already in 
Addis prepared to sign.  Mussa and Maddibo have requested 
that the AU recognize them as the official leadership of SLM- 
AW, but the AU is declining, arguing that it is not their 
 
KHARTOUM 00001304  002 OF 003 
 
 
place to "anoint" new leadership for the SLM, that this can 
only be done through a process of popular consultation in 
Darfur.  Leaders of JEM-South Darfur are also due to sign a 
Declaration of Accession on Wednesday. 
 
UK (and Norway) a bit wobbly 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.   The meeting was then joined by UK Ambassador Ian Cliff 
and DCM Hugh Evans, and further discussion ensued on the 
issue of non- or late signatories.  UK pushed for some real 
benefits for latecomers, like assurances of positions in the 
various governmental structures to be set up.  Ibok and 
Kingibe argued that signing these Declarations does not 
equate to rights to directly participate in implementation 
of the DPA.  The UK ambassador felt that signers of 
Declarations of Accession would expect to be formally 
integrated into the process of implementation, and that this 
could be helpful in isolating Wahid while bringing his 
supporters into the deal.  Charge and USAID Director offered 
this would diminish Minawi and would not be in keeping with 
the DPA, but agreed with the goal of increasing support for 
the DPA among the Fur and other communities.   Charge 
commented that Minni should be encouraged to be inclusive of 
all those agreeing to the DPA (even if they did so late, and 
particularly non-Zaghawa), but it seemed appropriate that 
the Declaration of Accession did not explicitly promise them 
political positions (UK seemed to disagree).  Kingibe noted 
with concern that Magzoub Khalifa has already stated that 
SLM-Minawi should only get one-third of the seats and 
"votes" in implementation allocated for the Movements since 
he does not represent the other two partners meant to sign - 
- SLM-AW or JEM.  The AU will not accept this 
interpretation.   (Note:  In another meeting where the 
Norwegian ambassador was present, he, too, took a more 
conciliatory line towards Abdul Wahid than ours.) 
 
Darfur- Darfur dialogue 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6.  Ibok highlighted the importance of the Darfur-Darfur 
Dialogue as an important mechanism to create "buy-in" to the 
DPA from a broader base of Darfurians.  While affirming the 
details outlined in the DPA, he noted that it will be 
important to see this as a process, and not just two 
discrete meetings (prepcom and conference).  Ibok hopes that 
a series of smaller consultations across Darfur, possibly 
both before and after the prepcom, will provide an outlet 
for discussion and consensus among the people of Darfur and 
lead to the selection of representatives who could then 
attend the formal conference, perhaps obviating the need for 
800-1000 individuals to gather for a month or more as 
currently conceptualized (note: Ibok refers to this concept 
of the conference as a "jamboree" and something to be 
avoided).  The AU is still considering names, including some 
Sudanese, for the eminent person to chair the conference, 
but will proceed with planning and organizing the initial 
prepcom and other preparatory consultations in the meantime. 
USG and UK emphasized strong support to move the process 
forward quickly. 
 
Comment 
----------- 
 
¶7.    It is clear from this meeting and earlier discussions 
in the day with other donors that the AU's position on no 
further formal signatures and the alternative of signing a 
declaration of accession is not yet widely understood, as 
there are still some sentiments to continue to attempt to 
pull Wahid, or at least his supporters, formally into the 
deal.  Post recommends that Department reconcile positions 
in capitals at least among the Troika-Plus.  The degree of 
isolation of Wahid and JEM is a recurrent question in all 
manners of DPA implementation, ranging from presence in the 
Darfur JAM Core Coordinating Group (CCG) to how 
participation in the Joint Commission (JC) and Ceasefire 
Commission (CFC) should be modified post-Abuja.  A balance 
between giving erstwhile supporters of SLM-AW and JEM 
reasons to support the DPA and respect its terms (e.g. 
security arrangements) while at the same time not rewarding 
the leaders of these movements must be found.  The AU has 
determined that the Declarations of Accession are a way to 
encourage additional adherents without granting them 
automatic rights or undermining Minni. 
 
Declaration of Accession 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  The copy of the declaration we received from the AU is 
 
KHARTOUM 00001304  003 OF 003 
 
 
still in draft.   Introductory paras recall previous 
agreements relating to Darfur.  Relevant para reads: 
 
We, the undersigned, hereby declare that upon signature: 
 
-- We shall be bound by the letter and spirit of the DPA and 
shall assume and implement the relevant obligations arising 
therefrom, especially those related to the Comprehensive 
Ceasefire Agreement and the Arrangements agreed therein. 
 
-- We commit ourselves to ensure that all the Organs, 
Committees and Structures under our control including our 
members, shall comply with the provisions of the DPA. 
 
-- The present Declaration shall be submitted to the 
Chairperson of the Commission of the AU for registration 
with the Secretary General of the UN. 
 
STEINFELD