VZCZCXRO9572
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0181 0371551
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061551Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6048
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000181 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO US SU
SUBJECT:  Darfur:  Pres. Bashir Reiterates Rejection of UN 
Peacekeeping Operation; Denies Chinese Pressure 
 
Ref:  Khartoum 00171 
 
¶1. (U) During a February 5 address at the National Records Authority 
in Khartoum, President Bashir clearly reiterated Sudan's opposition 
to a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur, stating that the Sudanese 
were the children and grandchildren of those revolutionaries who 
killed Major General Charles Gordon and that Sudan would not hand 
over itself to the greedy.  The account, carried by Omdurman Sudan 
Television, the Sudan News Agency, Al-Jazirah, and Al-Sahafah, an 
Arabic daily, cited Bashir as stating, "International troops were 
not and will never be deployed in Darfur.  The African troop mandate 
in the region will never be changed into a UN one."  He added, in 
reference to the U.S. and the UK, that "If you want to invade our 
country, then come, we will teach you a lesson you will never 
forget." 
 
¶2. (U) In a February 5 interview with Al-Sudani, an Arabic daily, 
President Bashir denied that the recent visit by Chinese President 
Hu to Khartoum (reftel) had carried any demands from the U.S. 
regarding Darfur.  He said rather that the Chinese demand was 
limited to Sudan's moving forward in the enforcement of the Abuja 
Agreement and improving the situation on the ground.   Bashir said 
President Hu reiterated China's commitment to providing full support 
to Sudan in implementing its declared program in Darfur.  Bashir 
expressed surprise at suggestions that the Chinese president carried 
U.S. demands to Khartoum on the issue of international forces, and 
said that China had not served as a conduit for U.S. pressure on 
Sudan.  He added that President Hu was more concerned with listening 
to Sudan's vision of dealing with the crisis, and that he had 
responded positively to Sudan's explanation regarding all aspects of 
the situation in Darfur. 
 
¶3. (U) President Bashir's remarks were echoed on January 31 in El 
Fasher, Darfur, by Assistant to the President Nafie Ali Nafie, who 
told a rally that the Sudanese government rejected foreign 
interference in Darfur.  The account, carried by Omdurman Sudan 
Television, was similar to that of Al-Rai Al-Aam, an Arabic daily, 
which stated that Nafie confirmed the government's refusal to permit 
the deployment of hybrid or joint forces in Darfur.  Nafie 
criticized unnamed neighboring countries, calling on them not to 
participate in plots against Sudan or to become a "cat's paw" for 
its colonization. 
 
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