VZCZCXRO5524
RR RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0457/01 1561000
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051000Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5341
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000457 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SNSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL HUM CD SU
SUBJECT: CHAD:  PRESIDENT DEBY ON UNFORCE ND DIALOGUE 
 
 ¶1.  Summary:  President Deb, in a meeting with the 
Ambassador June 4, welcoed the announcement by the United 
States of additonal sanctions on Sudan.  He continuedto 
resist the idea of an international force in Chad.  Money for 
such an expensive project, he said, would be better spent 
moving refugee camps further from the border.  No lasting 
progress on Sudanese-Chadian relations or humanitarian issues 
would occur without a reinvigorated Darfur peace process. 
Deby repeated his request for C-130s.  On the internal front, 
he said he would not accept a delay of legislative elections 
beyond the end of 2007.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Ambassador had a much-delayed meeting with President 
Idriss Deby Itno June 4 to cover an issue reported 
separately.  National Security Agency Director General 
Ishmael Chaibo and Minister of State for Infrastructure Adoum 
Younousmi attended; poloff was notetaker. 
 
Help in the East 
---------------- 
 
¶3.  The Ambassador said that he had just returned from a trip 
to eastern Chad with Senator Nelson and he was pleased to see 
that security in the refugee camps and along the border 
seemed to be improving.  Deby said that all of Chad's 
problems were coming from Darfur.  The situation in eastern 
Chad was calm at present but Chad needed greater means to 
cope in the longer term.  He did not exclude the possibility 
that serious "jolts" could be expected from Darfur. The 
Ambassador asked if the present calm could be attributed to 
his efforts to heal relations with Sudan.  Deby acknowledged 
progress in that domain. 
 
¶4.  Deby repeated a request, made earlier in the year, for 
C-130s.  The Ambassador said that a technical expert had 
visited Chad recently and reviewed this request.  The 
Ambassador expected that a team would arrive in the coming 
weeks to do a further review, and he expected to have a 
response soon. 
 
International Force 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  The Ambassador asked Deby's current thinking on an 
international force on the border.  Deby remained adamantly 
negative.  He said that such a force would not address the 
Darfur crisis.  It would be ineffective and hugely expensive, 
given the length of the border.  Removing the refugee camps 
further inside Chad would cost less and address the stated 
goals of protecting refugees and humanitarian workers.  In 
the absence of an effective Darfur peace process and 
international force on the ground in Darfur, there would be 
no lasting resolution of insecurity in Chad. 
 
¶6.  Deby applauded the United States' recent announcement of 
further sanctions against Sudan.  Such concrete dissuasive 
actions against Sudan were necessary to stimulate the peace 
process.  Deby regretted that the peace process had lain 
dormant since the Abuja effort for more than a year.  He said 
that the new French foreign minister's concept of a 
humanitarian corridor might not adequately take into account 
the immensity and compexity of Darfur.  He regretted that the 
crisis was also affecting the Central African Republic, with 
10,000 refugees coming into Chad from CAR in recent days, due 
to attacks on CAR from Sudan. 
 
Internal 
-------- 
 
¶7.  The Ambassador said that he was pleased that there 
appeared to be an ongoing internal political dialogue in Chad 
and some forward movement on electoral reform.  Deby 
acknowledged the utility of dialogue but he said that the 
opposition parties were too demanding.  In particular, they 
insisted on a census and further delay in holding the 
legislative elections until that census was accomplished. 
Minister of State Younousmi pointed out that a census would 
take at least two years, probably meaning further electoral 
delay of three years.  Deby said that he would not accept 
delay of legislative elections beyond the end of 2007.  He 
claimed that his government had taken the necessary steps for 
full transparency. 
 
¶8.  Comment:  President Deby, just returned from another trip 
to Tripoli, had not softened his views opposing a UN force in 
Chad, expressed in his meeting with the Deputy Secretary in 
April.  On the other hand, he used this exchange to 
underscore his support for more pressure on Khartoum, 
including the announcement of additional U.S. sanctions.  He 
is still looking for an answer on the C-130 sale.  On his 
domestic front, his refusal to accept another postponement in 
the legislative and local elections will once again put him 
 
NDJAMENA 00000457  002 OF 002 
 
 
at odds with many in the political opposition. 
WALL