O R 242321Z MAR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE 
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS STATE 028317 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO PREF PHUM SU
SUBJECT: SUDAN ) DEMARCHE ON DEALING WITH SUDANESE 
PRESIDENT BASHIR DURING HIS VISIT TO CAIRO 
 
REF: DOHA 193 KHARTOUM 401; KHARTOUM 408; AND KHARTOUM 409 
 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request. Please see instructions in 
paragraph 3 and the talking points that follow. 
 
BACKGROUND 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In advance of the March 30-31 Arab League Summit in 
Doha,  President President Omar al-Bashir, for whom the 
International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued an arrest 
warrant, is disregarding the warrant and continues to travel 
in the region, including a March 23 trip to Eritrea and one 
planned to Egypt for March 25.  While there are indications 
Bashir is rethinking his attendance at the Arab League summit 
and may send a replacement (reftel), we need to look beyond 
the summit and instead focus on how best to engage Arab 
League member states to avert humanitarian disaster in 
Darfur.  This demarche seeks to sensitize Egypt to the fate 
of Darfuri, almost all of whom are Muslim, as a result of 
Bashir's March 4/5 expulsion orders, and help the Government 
realize that it is not in Egypt's best interest to be 
implicated in Bashir's unsavory humanitarian choices.  We 
also seek to reiterate that Arab League leaders should 
refrain from making an Article 16 deferral of ICC action 
against Bashir a primary focu 
s of the upcoming summit. 
 
¶3.    (SBU) ACTION REQUEST EMBASSY CAIRO: Post is instructed 
to draw from points outlined below for delivery to 
appropriate officials as soon as possible. 
 
-- The USG appreciates Egypt's commitment to peace in Sudan, 
especially as exemplified by Egypt's contribution to 
peacekeeping in Darfur ((infantry battalion and an 
engineering companion). 
 
-- The US believes Egypt is an influential regional partner, 
and has the potential to be a useful force on the Darfur 
peace process.  Egypt should should seize this opportunity to 
demonstrate leadership by urging Sudan to take positive 
actions that will bring peace to the sub region. 
 
-- However, the US is strongly concerned about President 
Bashir's visit to Egypt. Welcoming Bashir in Egypt so soon 
after the ICC decision sends a bad signal. Egypt now joins 
the ranks of Eritrea - the only other country he has visited 
to date. 
 
-- We urge Egypt to use this opportunity to focus on how to 
urgently remedy the deteriorating humanitarian situation in 
Darfur where millions of innocent people (Muslims) are at 
risk. 
 
-- As a sovereign nation, Sudan must be responsible for its 
decisions. The expelled groups represent as much as 60 
percent of the humanitarian relief efforts in Darfur.  Their 
expulsion jeopardizes life saving assistance to over a million 
vulnerable Darfuris in sectors such as water, health care, and 
food aid. It also places 40,000 people at risk for lack of food 
assistance in Abyei, for example. 
 
-- A joint UN-GOS  assessment of the affected areas in Darfur 
has been done and preliminary results show that the expulsion 
has left significant gaps in basic assistance that, if not 
addressed successfully , will cause disastrous humanitarian 
conditions in the next few months, or even weeks in the case 
of water. (NOTE: Bashir has been making special efforts to 
woo Arab and Islamic NGOs to fill the gaps created by the 
expulsion. END NOTE) 
 
-- We do not accept any justification for tying the denial of 
urgent humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable victims of 
violence in Darfur to the ICC decision issuing an arrest 
warrant for President Bashir or discussions of Article 16 as 
a quid pro quo. 
 
-- We do not seek to escalate this crisis; however, unless 
and until the Sudanese Government demonstrates its 
willingness to shoulder the responsibility for the situation 
it has created, the United States is fully prepared to pursue 
a more robust international response.  We hope to avoid this 
outcome. 
 
-- The US looks forward to continuing to collaborate with 
Egypt in these critical objectives of providing civilian 
protection and stability in the Darfur region. 
 
End Points. 
 
REPORTING DEADLINE & POINT OF CONTACT 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Post may convey demarche responses by March 26 to 
AF/SPG Olukemi Yai via phone or e-mail.  Please contact 
either for additional information, as needed. 
 
CLINTON