VZCZCXRO1835
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1883 3341034
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301034Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9378
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0005
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0002
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0020
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0015
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001883 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, AF SE NATSIOS, S/CT 
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
DEPT FOR EEB/ESC/ESP - JOHN MARSHALL-KLEIN 
DEPT PASS TREASURY FOR OFAC - L. FARROW 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PTER ECON PGOV PREL AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: ISLAMIC AFRICAN RELIEF AGENCY SEEKS RECONSIDERATION AS 
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION 
 
¶1. (SBU) Representatives from the Islamic African Relief Agency 
(IARA) called on embassy November 27 to discuss their organization's 
designation as a sponsor of terrorism.  The delegation consisted of 
Dr. El Jizouli Dafaal, former Prime Sudanese Minister (in the early 
1980s) and Chairman of the IARA, Dr. Al Saeed Osman Al Sheikh, 
Director General, Dr. Mohamed Ibrhaim Suleiman, former Director, and 
Mr. Awad Abdul-Zahir Hussein, Director of International Relations. 
 
¶2. (U) In designating the IARA as a terrorist organization, the 
Department of Treasury wrote in a statement dated October 13, 2004, 
that "the international offices of IARA were providing direct 
financial support to Usama Bin Laden, al Qaida, Hamas and other 
terrorist groups." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Dr. El Jizouli Dafaal told poloff that IARA is an 
international "apolitical" charity and continues its charitable work 
despite its designation as a U.S. terrorist organization.  He said 
that IARA has programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Palestine, 
Bangladesh, claimed that IARA is one of the chief relief agencies in 
Darfur. "We are even working in the green zone in Iraq." "We appeal 
to the international sense of fair play," said El Jizouli, and asked 
for reconsideration of IARA's designation as a terrorist 
organization by the U.S. Treasury.  He claimed that as a result of 
the U.S. Treasury designation, in 2006 the U.N. removed IARA from 
consultative status, and as a result IARA has found it difficult to 
obtain UN funding for its programs.  "We used to feed 25,000 orphans 
but now can only feed 7,000." 
 
¶4. (SBU) El Jizouli provided documents that it claims disproved 
allegations that it supported al Qaida, Hamas, Usama Bin Laden and 
Maktab Al-Khidamat (MK).  He invited the embassy to visit IARA 
offices and observe its programs, "we believe in transparency and 
have nothing to hide." 
 
¶5. (SBU) Comment:  Embassy accepted the documents but made no 
commitments regarding further actions.  Post would appreciate 
guidance from the Department of the Treasury on who this 
organization may contact if it wishes to plead its case further, or 
if the Department of the Treasury would like copies of the documents 
the IARA provided to us. 
 
FERNANDEZ