VZCZCXRO0888
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2120 2480848
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 050848Z SEP 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4407
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002120 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AIDAC 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/SPG, PRM, AND ALSO PASS USAID/W 
USAID FOR DCHA SUDAN TEAM, AFR/SP 
NAIROBI FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA, USAID/REDSO, AND FAS 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
NAIROBI FOR SFO 
NSC FOR JBRAUSE, NSC/AFRICA FOR TSHORTLEY 
USUN FOR TMALY 
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PBTS EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI KAWC SU
SUBJECT:  SUDAN - UPDATE ON THE NORTH-SOUTH TECHNICAL AD HOC BORDER 
COMMITTEE 
 
REF:  KHARTOUM 1900 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) In a meeting on August 16, the Assessment and Evaluation 
Commission's (AEC) Power Sharing Working Group Coordinator reported 
to the group that, according to the National Congress Party (NCP) 
Chair of the Technical Ad hoc Border Committee, the committee has 
made significant progress on the border issue in spite of some 
delays and intends to begin demarcation during the dry season of 
¶2007.  End summary. 
 
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NCP Chair of the Border Committee Comments 
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¶2. (U) In July 2006, the Italian Ambassador and the AEC Power 
Sharing Working Group Coordinator met with the Chair of the 
Technical Ad hoc Border Committee, Mohammed Khair Mohammed Ali, who 
also serves as the Director General of the Sudan Survey Department. 
Khair assured the Power Sharing Working Group Coordinator that the 
work of the Border Committee is proceeding, and there is good 
cooperation among the members.  Khair claimed that the initial delay 
in the Border Committee's activities was caused by the absence of 
members of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).  The 
Border Committee had the first substantial meeting in May and now 
has a work plan for activities that was submitted to the Ministry of 
Finance.  Khair was confident that the Government of National Unity 
(GNU) would fund all of the financial requirements. 
 
¶3. (U) According to the Power Sharing Working Group Coordinator, 
Khair defined the Border Committee as purely technical.  Khair said 
the Border Committee will demarcate the North-South border, from the 
West to the East, including the South Darfur/Northern Bahr El Ghazal 
border.  Khair did not envisage any potential areas for disagreement 
between the parties, as all the maps examined by the Border 
Committee to date, from Sudan and the United Kingdom, are 
"coherent." 
 
¶4. (U) Khair further attested that the current delay in the Border 
Committee's progress is due to technical and logistical reasons, 
such as the rainy season preventing the Border Committee from 
collecting field data.  Khair claimed that the Border Committee will 
conclude the data collection phase of its work by January 2007.  The 
assessment on the ground will take place during the dry season and 
will conclude in late 2007. 
 
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Comment 
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¶5. (SBU) Per reftel, an SPLM member of the committee separately told 
USAID staff that despite repeated requests by the SPLM to convene 
the Border Committee, it has only met three times.  The SPLM noted 
that no decisions have been rendered by the Border Committee 
regarding future activities.  The SPLM member also contended that 
the NCP had altered at least one map it brought to a meeting of the 
Border Committee.  Aside from viewing maps at that meeting, the SPLM 
members of the Border Committee have not been able to travel to the 
United Kingdom to review colonial maps or view them at the Sudan 
Survey Department in Khartoum.  End Comment. 
 
HUME