VZCZCXRO5014
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0741 1361042
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 151042Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0824
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000741 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, AF SE WILLIAMSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: SPLM PROPOSES FM ALOR VISIT PARIS TO DISCUSS JEM/CHAD, SPLA 
MAY SEND TROOPS TO KHARTOUM 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) GNU Foreign Minister Deng Alor told poloffs in Juba May 14 
that President Bashir may send him to Paris possibly as soon as next 
week to discuss Chad and its support for JEM with the French.  Alor 
asked poloffs to "pass this information to your people in Khartoum 
and Washington."  FM Alor plans to return to Khartoum during the May 
16 pause in the SPLM National Convention to discuss details with 
President Bashir.  Alor said the initiative derived from discussions 
between the NISS Chief Salah Ghosh and his Southerner Deputy Majok 
following a meeting between Bashir, Presidential Advisor Nafie Ali 
Nafie, Defense Minister Hussein, and Ghosh, in which the NCP 
leadership had reportedly determined to "take the battle to Chad." 
According to Alor, during Ghosh's post-meeting readout NISS Deputy 
Majok counseled against such a direct course of action, citing 
repeat invitations from Paris to the SPLM Foreign Minister, and 
suggested a joint Sudanese/French effort to pressure Chad.  Ghosh 
reportedly has endorsed the suggestion and plans to propose it to 
President Bashir, according to Deng. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The plan would be for Alor to meet with his French 
counterpart to see what pressure the French are willing to put on 
Chad to negotiate with the Chadian rebels and to cut off their 
support to JEM.  Alor said that the Sudanese are aware that if the 
Chadian rebels attack Ndjamena again, they likely will encounter 
French troops and/or the French Air Force.  Alor said he believes 
Khartoum does actually prefer to negotiate rather than have another 
round of fighting.  However, he noted ominously that the Chadian 
rebels are prepared to fight again, according to what he has heard 
from NISS Deputy Majok. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Alor said that the SPLA may send 5000 troops to reinforce 
the SAF in Khartoum and other locations in the North, although 
President Bashir was currently reconsidering his May 11 request for 
SPLA support. (NOTE: Although Kiir initially refused SPLA or 
SPLA/JIU assistance, he agreed to Bashir's later request of 3,000 
troops, and offered unsolicited an additional 2,000. End note.) 
President Bashir was extremely impressed that First Vice President 
Kiir and FM Alor traveled to Khartoum despite the insecurity in the 
capital, according to Alor.  "You risked your lives to come here," 
President Bashir reportedly said appreciatively.  President Kiir 
will likely send the troops in the interest of supporting the 
national defense, said Alor, but he wryly noted that the situation 
must be extremely bad in the North if President Bashir cannot trust 
his own military and prefers southern soldiers.  Alor noted that 
many in the SAF are from Darfur and Kordofan, and therefore cannot 
be trusted to fight against the Darfur rebels.  These SPLA plans may 
change because of events in Abyei. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Comment: Alor was obviously hoping for US support of the 
proposal for his own intervention with the French.  If Khartoum acts 
on the SPLM's proposal for FM Alor to visit his counterpart in 
Paris, France could take advantage of this opportunity to press the 
GNU to stop funding Chadian rebels, and offer to engage with Chad 
regarding JEM in return.  Rejecting such a visit by the GNU Foreign 
Minister would be a missed opportunity for Paris to engage on the 
Darfur/Chad portfolio, if the visit actually moves forward. 
Moreover, the visit would enhance the profile and prestige of the 
SPLM-member ForU{wQpnrom Khalil Ibrahim, their 
NIF nemesis, but in Sudan the needs of the moment often make for 
strange bedfellows.  President Bashir reportedly has not made a 
final determination. 
 
FERNANDEZ