VZCZCXRO2808
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0532/01 3221415
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 171415Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6585
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR PRIORITY 1412
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0516
RUEHLC/AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE PRIORITY 1074
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 0162

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000532 
 
SIPDIS 
 
KINSHASA PASS BRAZZAVILLE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2010 
TAGS: PREL PREF PKO UNAUS AU SU LY CD
SUBJECT: CONTACT GROUP MTG IN NDJAMENA MAINTAINS DAKAR 
ACCORD IMPLEMENTATION MOMENTUM 
 
NDJAMENA 00000532  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
Classified By: adcm regribbin for reasons 1.4 b&d 
 
---THIS MESSAGE REPLACES/SUPERCEDES MRN NDJAMENA 529--- 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) The November 15 Meeting of the Contact Group for 
implementation of the Dakar Accord achieved its core 
objectives of furthering confidence-building between Chad and 
Sudan, and maintaining the CG's deliberate progress toward a 
border monitoring and observation mission. On the ground 
there was no apparent dissonance between the Libyan 
"trilateral" effort and the CG's more general one.  Host 
FORMIN Moussa Faki summed up the GOC's official view by 
stating that "confidence was re-discovered" between Chad and 
Sudan.  The CG continued to develop a calendar for future 
steps, including the setting up of an HQ in Tripoli for the 
border monitoring mission in December; an additional Experts 
meeting in December or January; and the next CG plenum in 
February in Khartoum.  Representation was excellent, with 
Libya's Dr. Ali Trekki, UN/AU Sudan Envoy Bassole, UE Sudan 
Envoy Brylle, and Sudan, Eritrea, and Congo Brazzaville 
FORMINS among the senior delegation  heads. The presence of 
Sudan's newly arrived AMB to Chad underlined the recent 
re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Chad and 
Sudan as exemplified by the exchange of ambassadors, thanks 
to Libyan efforts. The CG group adopted the report by its 
Experts Group (which met NOV 12-14) which detailed the 
process of putting together the border monitoring and 
observation mission and calling for a seventh CG meeting in 
Khartoum, in January or February, with another experts 
meeting in the meantime to permit a final deployment plan to 
be adopted. The problem of financing of the mission was 
raised, with some CG members favoring complete financing by 
CG members, and others favoring the solicitation of donors 
for support. 
 
¶2.  (C)  Anything that reduces the possibility of an early 
resumption of the Chad-Sudan "proxy war" is welcome.  This 
meeting did contribute to that goal.  But much remains to be 
done to build enough real confidence between N'Djamena and 
Khartoum that would lead to a durable peace along their 
common border.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶3. (C) The formal part of the November 15 Contact Group 
meeting was perfunctory and predictable. Praise was bestowed 
on Chad and Sudan for the resumption of diplomatic ties. The 
CG continued to develop a calendar for future steps, 
including the setting up of an HQ in Tripoli for the border 
monitoring "mechanism" in December; an additional Experts 
meeting in December or January; and the next CG plenum in 
February in Khartoum.  Representation was excellent, with 
Libya's Dr. Ali Trekki, UN/AU Sudan Envoy Bassole, UE Sudan 
Envoy Brylle, and Sudan and Congo Brazzaville FORMINs among 
the senior delegation heads. The presence of Sudan's newly 
arrived AMB to Chad underlined the recent re-establishment of 
diplomatic relations between Chad and Sudan as exemplified by 
the exchange of ambassadors, thanks to Libyan efforts. 
Nonetheless, there was a bit of internal back and forth among 
the African members as they considered the experts report on 
establishing the $21 million border monitoring operation. 
There was reluctance to name Libyan Colonel Montaf Al-Idjeili 
outright as "commander" (a name was avoided in the adopted 
report), plus there was an eventual decision to call the 
chief post that of "general coordinator." 
 
¶4. (C) The CG adopted the report by its Experts Group (which 
met NOV 12-14) which detailed the process of putting together 
the border monitoring and observation mission. A the next CG 
meeting in Khartoum next month so as to permit a final 
deployment plan to be adopted. The problem of financing of 
the mission was raised, with some CG members favoring 
complete financing by CG members, and others favoring the 
solicitation of donors for support. Near the end of 
deliberations, the Senegalese ambassador questioned the 
legality of the whole operation suggesting that under the 
2004 N'Djamena Peace Accords, the GOS was forbidden to patrol 
near the frontier. He was talked down and ignored in the end. 
 However, both Senegalese and Gabonese representatives tried 
to duck the usdols four million per member financial 
obligation, suggesting instead that the group approach the 
donor community to request funds.  Eritrea intervened to 
state that it was earlier agreed that members would pay four 
million dollars each and Libya eight million. Libya, Sudan, 
 
NDJAMENA 00000532  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Chad and Congo weighed in support of Asmara. Even so, the 
provision to approach friends for funds was included in the 
final communique. 
 
¶5.  (C)  Host FORMIN Moussa Faki managed the meeting as well 
as could be expected and he summed up the GOC's overall view 
by stating that "confidence was re-discovered" between Chad 
and Sudan.  Most of the talking was done by the Congolese, 
Gabonese and Senegalese representatives under the 
chairmanship of Chadian FORMIN Faki. Libyan representative 
Trekki intervened usefully from time to time to keep matters 
on track, as did the Eritreans.  FORMIN Alor of Sudan was 
noticeably quiet until the very end when he concurred that 
the group ought to endorse the experts' report and move 
ahead. Alor told us privately that actually putting the 
subject monitoring operation in place would be "very 
difficult."  We understand that the Sudanese military 
representatives had been quite vocal and aggressive during 
the experts' talks, so their silence during the plenary - in 
Alor's presence - was noteworthy. 
 
¶6. (U) The following states and IOs were represented in 
Ndjamena:  Chad, Libya (Dr Trekki), Sudan (FORMIN Alor), 
Congo/B (FORMIN Ikouebe)), Eritrea (FORMIN Saleh), Senegal, 
Gabon, United States, France, Canada, the UK, UN (SRSG 
Angelo), AU (Special Envoy Bassole), EU (Special Envoy 
Brylle), the OIC. 
 
¶7. (U) Copies of the documents are being emailed to all 
concerned posts. 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶8. (C) We judge that the meeting achieved its core objectives 
of furthering confidence-building between Chad and Sudan, and 
maintaining the CG's deliberate progress toward a border 
monitoring and observation mission. On the ground there was 
no apparent dissonance between the Libyan "trilateral" effort 
and the CG's more general one.  Host FORMIN Faki summed up 
the GOC's official view by stating that "confidence had been 
re-discovered" between Chad and Sudan.  One key element of 
the meeting was the presence of the newly arrived Sudanese 
AMB to Chad in the Sudanese delegation, underling that the 
successful resumption of diplomatic ties could signal real 
forward progress in the sub-region.  It was important that 
the CG, especially Libya and Sudan, was represented at senior 
levels and that observer countries and international 
organizations were there in force.  Equally important was the 
elaboration of a calendar for future steps, including setting 
up an HQ under a Libyan military officer in Tripoli for the 
border monitoring mission in December; an additional Experts 
meeting in December or January; and the next CG plenum in 
January or February in Khartoum. 
 
¶9. (C)  Anything that reduces the possibility of an early 
resumption of the Chad-Sudan "proxy war" is welcome.  This 
meeting did contribute to that goal.  But much remains to be 
done to build enough real confidence between N'Djamena and 
Khartoum that would lead to a durable peace along their 
common border.  END COMMENT. 
NIGRO