VZCZCXRO2353
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0053 0151229
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151229Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9705
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF A/S FRAZER, AF/SPG, S/E WILLIAMSON 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AU UN SU
 
SUBJECT: DSRSG ZERIHOUN ON ABYEI, DARFUR POLITICAL PROCESS 
 
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FOCUS ON CPA, BOUNDARIES 
------------------------ 
 
¶1. (SBU) Meeting with DCM Powers and SPG Director Lauren Landis on 
January 13, the UN's Deputy Special Representative for the 
Secretary-General Taye Zerihoun urged all parties to maintain focus 
 
SIPDIS 
on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) as it enters the third 
year of its six year transition period. In this midstream period, 
critical issues such as the census, elections, redeployment of 
forces and boundaries remain paramount and largely unresolved. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The 1956 demarcation line was a "legal fiction," Zerihoun 
said. The looming issue of Abyei should be demystified, he 
continued, and focus on the boundaries could help accomplish that. 
Later in the conversation, Zerihoun said that the SPLM was willing 
to give Missiriya citizenship rights on an individual basis, but not 
blanket tribal rights to lands. Not all boundary issues needed to be 
fully resolved, he suggested, citing Sudanese-Ethiopian border 
arrangements as examples. 
 
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NOT YET TIME FOR FORMAL NEGOTIATIONS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Talking about the latest iteration in the Darfur peace 
process, begun in Sirte, Zerihoun said that the negotiating teams 
now had three problems to solve: the issue of participation, the 
venue and the substance of the next round of talks. The DPA would be 
the basis of any negotiation, he said, but which parts? The recently 
formed SLA-Unity and United Resistance Front (groupings from the 
recent consultations in Juba and Umm Rai respectively) should come 
together and possibly form a leadership committee, he thought. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Zerihoun said that the formal political process was still 
some way off; the AU and UN were currently developing plans for 
focused workshops to take place at a regional meeting some time in 
February. Zerihoun predicted that security protocols would be a 
focal point during these workshops. Recognizing that Libya was an 
unpopular host, Zerihoun said, "We will not sacrifice talks to the 
venue." He added that the AU and UN were attempting to create 
precedents for having talks in various venues (though likely not in 
Juba). He himself was hoping to step down very soon from his 
negotiator role, and said that a new negotiator could be announced 
at the upcoming AU summit. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Turning to Abdul Wahid Nur, still ensconced in Paris, 
Zerihoun felt that he might become more "approachable," as the 
French government supposedly set this as condition for extending his 
visa. Abdul Wahid didn't need to physically attend the talks, 
Zerihoun said, but simply to sanction them. 
 
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UPCOMING AU SUMMIT 
------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) Landis pointed out that the upcoming summit provided an 
opportunity to follow up on the Secretary's December ministerial 
meetings in Addis Ababa, and to push IGAD on CPA issues. She also 
assured Zerihoun that the new U.S. special envoy's brief would 
certainly emphasize the CPA, and also to convey and reinforce 
coordinated, non-ambiguous policy messages to the Sudanese 
government. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment: The AU and UN have agreed that a single, joint 
negotiator must be appointed, which is welcome news. U.S. 
participation at the AU summit presents another opportunity to press 
this issue, but we must also strongly advocate that this negotiator 
be confirmed as quickly as possible in order to effectively lead 
consultations and talks, whenever they do occur. As witnessed in 
Juba, bringing movement representatives together for consultations 
requires tremendous logistical planning, but should be encouraged. 
 
¶8. (U) SPG Director Landis did not have time to clear this cable 
before departing Khartoum. 
 
FERNANDEZ