VZCZCXRO3246
PP RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHDS #2506 2571404
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141404Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2440
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0618

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 002506 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/SPG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU ET
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON UN PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN DARFUR 
 
REF: STATE 151212 
 
¶1. (U) Poloff delivered reftel points on September 13 to Head 
of the MFA's UN Directorate, Counsellor Abdulkadir Risku, and 
to UN Directorate officer Eyob Tekalegn. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Citing the binding nature of UN Security Council 
resolutions on UN member states, Risku said that Sudan would 
not be able to argue successfully to African Union member 
states that they should ignore UNSCR 1706.  Risku said he 
expected Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin to represent Ethiopia 
at the UNGA; Prime Minister Meles Zenawi would represent 
Ethiopia at the NAM Summit. 
 
¶3. (SBU) COMMENT:  We expect Ethiopia to support AMIS 
transition to a UN peacekeeping operation, as one of 15 
members of the African Union's Peace and Security Council 
(PSC), as well as host to both the African Union Commission 
and the UN's regional economic commission for Africa.  On the 
other hand, it will likely not seek to antagonize Sudan, its 
neighbor with whom it has growing economic ties.  In a 
separate briefing to AU partners on September 14, AU Darfur 
Integrated Task Force officials noted that among African 
states, Libya and Egypt opposed transition to the UN, but 
others supported PSC communiques reaffirming transition.  END 
COMMENT. 
WILGUS