VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKH #2668 3181349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141349Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5222
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 002668 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, AF/RSA, AND S/CRS 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KPKO SOCI AU UN US SU
SUBJECT: DARFUR-DARFUR DIALOGUE AND CONSULTATION OFFICIALLY 
LAUNCHED 
 
¶1. Summary:  The long-awaited Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and 
Consultation (DDDC), mandated by the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement 
(DPA), is finally off the ground.  All participants in its 
inauguration agreed the DDDC was vital to the success of the DPA and 
broader efforts to restore the social fabric of Darfur.  However, 
significant challenges lie in its path.  End summary. 
 
¶2. African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Ambassador Said 
Djinnit formally launched the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the 
Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation in a ceremony on November 9 
at Friendship Hall in Khartoum.  Participants in the event included 
a wide spectrum of representatives from civil society, the AU, UN, 
Government of Sudan, and the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), as 
well as members of the diplomatic corps. 
 
----------------------------- 
DJINNIT: DDDC INTEGRAL TO DPA 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Djinnit hailed the DDDC as an 
integral mechanism with which to broaden the base of support for the 
Darfur Peace Agreement, promote reconciliation, and restore the 
social fabric of Darfur.  Citing the DPA, he said that no agreement, 
by definition a compromise document, was perfect, but that it 
nonetheless represented a starting point.  A resolution to the 
conflict in Darfur was vital not only to Sudan but to Africa 
broadly.  He concluded by calling on Sudan to remain unified, a 
comment which drew wide applause. 
 
-------------------------------- 
PREPCOM CHAIR: AUTONOMY CRITICAL 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. DDDC PrepCom Chair and author of the DDDC portion of the DPA 
Abdul Mohammad said that the DDDC would ensure a comprehensive and 
sustainable peace for the people of Darfur.  However, autonomy, 
independence, and impartiality were critical to its success. 
Furthermore, the DDDC must be inclusive, creative, and flexible. 
The DDDC could not be used for tactical political advantage nor 
could the parties offer mere token participation.  The role of youth 
and women were of particular importance.  The DDDC held the promise 
of restoring the multi-ethnic, multi-religious character of Darfur. 
It was key to revitalizing indigenous institutions and making them 
compatible with modernity.  African unity hinges on Sudan, the 
meeting place of Arab and black, Muslim and Christian. 
 
------------------------- 
GOS: DDDC BACKBONE OF DPA 
------------------------- 
 
¶5. On behalf of the Government of Sudan, Presidential Advisor 
Majzoub al-Khalifa praised the launching of the PrepCom, said the 
DDDC was the backbone of the DPA (a mechanism non-existent in the 
Comprehensive Peace Agreement), and pledged continued support and 
cooperation with the AU.  He cited the rich traditions of conflict 
resolution found within Darfurian society, noting that they were the 
subject of study at eminent educational institutions around the 
world, to include Harvard University.  Khalifa called Sudan the 
melting pot of Africa.  Furthermore, Darfur sits at the very heart 
of the continent, necessitating a resolution of the conflict in the 
name of greater African security.  Khalifa concluded by calling on 
all parties to foreswear violence in order to allow dialogue to 
prosper.  No representative of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Minni 
Minawi faction spoke at the event. 
 
¶6. Comment:  DDDC PrepCom Chair Abdul Mohammad concluded his remarks 
by quoting former South African President Nelson Mandela, who said 
that dialogue was difficult to start, even more difficult to 
sustain, and most difficult to implement.  Herein lies the challenge 
before the parties to the conflict and their partners in the 
international community.  End comment. 
 
HUME