VZCZCXRO3683
RR RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #2020/01 3511445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171445Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9591
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0024

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 002020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ROME PLS PASS TO IPF DELEGATION 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KSCA OTRA EAID CDC SU
SUBJECT: AEC COORDINATORS TO PUSH UK CANDIDATE WITH WARY SPLM 
 
REF: KHARTOUM 1974 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: UK and Norwegian Ambassadors briefed other 
Assessment and Evaluation Commission (AEC) coordinators December 16 
on their presentation of the UK candidate for the now vacant AEC 
chairmanship.  While the NCP has been non-committal, SPLM 
representatives have expressed concerns about the candidate's 
"Arabist" credentials, implying that he might not be impartial. 
Coordinators agreed to lobby the SPLM for the candidate.  On the 
issue of a reported SPLM/NCP deal that would allow the SPLM to 
return to the Government (GNU), the Ambassadors said First Vice 
President Salva Kiir feels he must first obtain the approval of the 
SPLM leadership in Juba before the agreement can be formally 
announced as a "done deal" and that Abyei still remains a potential 
stumbling block.  End Summary 
 
UK CANDIDATE PRESENTED TO MIXED REVIEWS 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) AEC Coordinators met December 16 to discuss current state 
of play on the UK's candidate for AEC chairmanship, former UK 
Ambassador to Cairo Sir Derek Plumley.  The Norwegian and UK 
Ambassadors have presented the candidacy to the two Comprehensive 
Peace Agreement (CPA) parties, the SPLM and the NCP.  The UK 
Ambassador said she had spoken with Presidential Advisor Sayed el 
Khatib and Vice President Ali Osman Taha.  Kamal Obeid, head of the 
NCP foreign relations department, welcomed the UK initiative, but 
said there were indications that unspecified "other countries" would 
also present candidates.  He promised to get back to the UK on the 
candidacy "in a few days," but so far there has been no reply. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The reaction of the SPLM was even more negative, however, 
and surprised both the UK and Norwegian Ambassadors.   The SPLM 
expressed reservations about the candidate's "Arabist" background, 
implying that he would not be impartial.  First Vice President Salva 
Kiir went so far as to encourage the UK to offer several candidates 
for the chairmanship, and allow the two parties to choose their 
favorite. 
 
PLAN OF ACTION: REASSURE SPLM ON CANDIDATE 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (SBU) After discussing the situation, the Coordinators agreed to 
lobby the SPLM for the UK candidate, assuring them that Plumley is a 
professional diplomat, with training and experience in conflict 
resolution, and would be strictly impartial in his role as chairman. 
 The Coordinators also proposed to the UK Ambassador that Amb. 
Plumley be invited to Khartoum to meet personally with the two 
parties on behalf of his candidacy. 
 
¶5. (SBU) As to what "other countries" might be presenting a 
candidate, the Norwegian Ambassador said his indications are that 
Kenya is not interested in the job, whereas the SPLM would probably 
not accept an Ethiopian.  Those are the only other two countries 
represented on the AEC.  In the interim, the UK and Norwegian 
Ambassadors will call on the new Kenyan Ambassador to ascertain 
whether he wants to serve as the acting AEC Chairman until a new 
Chairman is approved.  If he does not, the Norwegian Ambassador will 
act in that capacity, as outlined in the Norwegian Diplomatic Note 
(see Reftel).  CDA Fernandez warned that accepting the Kenyan 
Ambassador as acting AEC chair could be risky, as the NCP might 
decide they like the situation and then stall indefinitely on naming 
a replacement for Amb Vraalsen. 
 
NCP/SPLM - STATE OF PLAY ON GOVERNMENT CRISIS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The UK Ambassador said she had recently spoken to Salva 
Kiir on the ongoing SPLM/NCP talks on CPA implementation.  She said 
Kiir told her he must go to Juba to seek approval from the SPLM 
leadership on the deal he concluded with President Bashir on 
December 11, particularly on the list of new ministers. 
Coordinators agreed that an announcement and a swearing in ceremony 
would come only after the Eid holiday, perhaps around Christmas, if 
not later. 
 
¶7. (SBU) On the key Abyei issue, Kiir told the UK Ambassador that he 
had not spoken to Bashir about this yet.  Kiir said the SPLM has 
been exploring with the NCP an "oil for land" proposal.  However, 
after initially expressing interest and pushing for a 2020 cutoff 
for the revenue sharing (which the SPLM was ready to accept) the NCP 
reportedly reneged.  It began insisting on reducing the size of the 
Abyei special administrative area "to the size of a football pitch," 
according to Kiir, which was clearly unacceptable to the SPLM. 
(Note: There is a meeting at the Presidency on the Abyei issue today 
with Al-Bashir, Kiir and Taha. End note.) 
 
¶8. (SBU) On the issue of security arrangements, Salva is reportedly 
waiting to see if there is any actual redeployment progress on the 
 
KHARTOUM 00002020  002 OF 002 
 
 
ground.  He believes the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) should 
proceed to move into the oil fields and just learn on the job rather 
than waiting for every detail to be in place and risk further 
delaying deployment. 
 
OTHER AEC NEWS 
-------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) In other AEC news, the Norwegian Ambassador said the 
Germans have announced they have a candidate to succeed legal expert 
Markus Boeckenfoerde, who leaves December 18.  The Italian CDA 
announced Italy is ready to contribute 450,000 Euros for AEC 
expenses. 
 
ROME PREPARATORY MEETING 
------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Italian CDA also briefed on the December 17 meeting in 
Rome.  A concept paper has been circulated, outlining that this 
should serve as a brainstorming session to see what results might be 
expected from a January IPF (IGAD Partners Forum) meeting.  A 
meeting of the Sudan Consortium, purely a donors' conference, is 
also being planned, perhaps for the end of March 2008.  CDA 
Fernandez noted that, for the December 17 meeting, a major question 
will be what to do next if the NCP blocks an IGAD conference. It is 
not enough to just accept the NCP's diktat.  Rome has said an IPF 
meeting makes no sense unless both parties are present. 
 
¶11. (SBU) COMMENT: The AEC Coordinators are united in continuing to 
push the UK candidacy for the AEC chair by reassuring the SPLM at 
every opportunity.  We will be doing what we can in that regard both 
in Khartoum and in Juba.  The Coordinator countries need to move 
swiftly on this issue so that the lack of a permanent chair does not 
continue to limit the effectiveness of the AEC. 
 
FERNANDEZ