VZCZCXRO7220
OO RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2288/01 2621056
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 191056Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4626
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002288 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, DRL/IRF FOR CATES, 
DRL/SEA, IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PTER KPAO KPKO UN SU
SUBJECT: VP TAHA UNYIELDING ON UN TROOPS, ANNOUNCES DARFUR 
INTERIM AUTHORITY 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  During a September 18 press conference, 
Vice President Ali Osman Taha maintained the Sudanese 
government's complete rejection of UN intervention in Darfur, 
denied allegations of escalating violence, and announced the 
establishment of a Darfur interim authority.  He also 
criticized US involvement on the issue and accused senior USG 
officials of disingenuous promises to normalize relations 
with Sudan.  Press reports following the conference 
downplayed the announcement of the interim authority.  End 
summary. 
 
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NO UN FORCES BUT NEW INTERIM AUTHORITY 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) In a September 18 press conference at the Council of 
Ministers, Vice President Ali Osman Taha held the line 
against UN intervention in Darfur and said the government 
will work to unify internal opposition to international 
forces.  While denying reports of escalating violence in the 
region, he announced that an interim authority for Darfur 
would be established by constitutional decree next week and 
that funds would be allocated for development.  "I assure you 
that UN forces will not enter Sudan," said Taha.  "The UN has 
never invaded a country that was a UN member."  He said that 
the only solution to the stalemate with the international 
community is for the West to understand that Sudan's position 
is unyielding and that it will not "bargain away its 
sovereignty." 
 
¶3.  (U) Taha called on African leaders to firmly reject UN 
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1706 and warned that 
international forces would lead to chaos because the people 
of Darfur would rise up against them, causing a "second 
Iraq."  He questioned opposition parties' support for UN 
intervention in Darfur, particularly that of the Umma Party, 
in contrast to their previous rejection of international 
forces in Southern Sudan after the Comprehensive Peace 
Agreement (CPA).  When asked by one journalist why the 
Sudanese government opposed UN action in Darfur but had 
accepted a UN presence in Southern Sudan, Taha explained that 
the UN mandate in the South is a monitoring mission while the 
one described in UNSCR 1706 would concentrate on 
peacekeeping, policing, and judicial activities that would 
undermine Sudanese sovereignty.  He also accused the 
international community of being run by the "Zionist lobby." 
 
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US IS NOT GOD 
-------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Taha condemned US interference in the conflict and its 
demands for UN re-hatting, saying "not all US wishes will be 
realized.  It is not a god that has to be obeyed."  Taha 
railed against unfulfilled USG promises to normalize 
relations, remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of 
terrorism, and lift sanctions that he claimed had been made 
by then-Special Envoy John Danforth, then-Deputy Secretary 
Robert Zoellick, and A/S Frazer.  He complained that Sudanese 
officials still have difficulty obtaining visas to the US and 
are limited to a 25-mile radius of Washington and New York 
City.  According to Taha, the Sudanese government had 
requested that sanctions be lifted on Southern Sudan in order 
to solidify the CPA.  USG rejection of this proposal, 
combined with the fact that the international community has 
met only a fraction of its donor pledges in support of the 
CPA, indicates that they are not truly interested in peace. 
He also objected to the Department's recently-released 
International Religious Freedom Report and said that the USG 
had ignored the tremendous progress Sudan had made in the 
last year. 
 
---------------------- 
MEDIA COVERAGE VARIES 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Despite numerous public announcements about the 
press conference beforehand, it was not broadcast live on 
Sudanese radio or television.  Al Jazeera began coverage, but 
the feed was cut after two minutes, reportedly at the 
government's request.  Sudan television later broadcast the 
press conference in its entirety on the evening of September 
¶18.  Press coverage of the event varied on September 19. 
Several Arabic-language papers praised Taha for his hard line 
against UN forces and his criticism of previous USG promises 
as a "mirage."  The English-language newspapers and the 
official Sudanese news agency, SUNA, downplayed Taha's more 
 
KHARTOUM 00002288  002 OF 002 
 
 
inflammatory remarks and emphasized the government's desire 
to find a political solution.  A common refrain quoted Taha 
as saying that "the government does not stand against the 
international community or the UN."  Only one newspaper, the 
pro-DUP "Al Khabr," emphasized the announcement of the Darfur 
interim authority in its headline, though it was mentioned in 
the body of most articles with few substantive details. 
HUME