VZCZCXRO7125
RR RUEHJO
DE RUEHDO #0291 1201759
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301759Z APR 09 ZDF
FM AMEMBASSY DOHA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9016
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS DOHA 000291 
 
SIPDIS, SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM SU QA
SUBJECT: QATARI CROWN PRINCE'S MEETING WITH SE GRATION 
 
(SBU) KEY POINTS: 
--  Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration told Shaykh Tamim April 29 
that President Obama is "very pleased" with Qatar's mediation 
efforts in Darfur. 
 
--  SE Gration pledged to help Qatar in its efforts in any way that 
he can. 
 
--  Tamim said maintaining unity and stopping the fighting in Sudan 
are very important and noted that the U.S. is one of Qatar's best 
allies in this regard. 
 
--  SE Gration credited Qatar's efforts on Darfur with allowing him, 
as special envoy for all of Sudan, to focus on other issues, to 
include coming elections in the south. 
 
End Key Points. 
 
¶1. (SBU) Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration thanked Qatar's Heir 
Apparent, Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, April 29 for Qatar's 
contributions to Africa, calling them "phenomenal."  He complimented 
Minister of State Ahmed Al-Mahmoud, who is taking lead on Sudan 
within the GOQ, as speaking "from the head and the heart about 
Sudan." 
 
¶2. (SBU) SE Gration briefed Tamim on the meeting he had with 
President Obama before his visit to Qatar, telling him that the 
President is "very pleased with your efforts."  SE Gration conveyed 
"his gratitude and that of the U.S."  Qatar's efforts on Sudan, like 
those of the U.S., are designed to help this and future generations 
of Sudanese.  Qatar, continued SE Gration, is helping mediate the 
dispute between Chad and Libya and prodding rebel groups to find 
consensus as they work toward power-sharing arrangements with the 
Government of Sudan (GOS). 
 
¶3. (SBU) SE Gration lauded Qatar for listening and creating 
conditions conducive to progress without forcing issues too soon. 
He pledged his "commitment to supporting you anyway I can." 
 
¶4. (SBU) Tamim responded that it is an honor for Qatar to help 
mediate in Sudan, noting that SE Gration had his own admirers, 
sometimes in unlikely places.  For example, Sudan's President Bashir 
told Tamim recently that he was encouraged by what SE Gration is 
trying to accomplish. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Turning to the larger issues, Tamim said maintaining the 
unity of Sudan and stopping the fighting there are very important. 
The United States in this effort is "one of our best and strongest 
allies."  In order to succeed, we need "help, not obstacles" from 
everyone, underscored Tamim. 
 
¶6. (SBU) SE Gration pointed out that he is the envoy for all of 
Sudan, not just Darfur.  That said, what Qatar is doing in Darfur 
gives "me room to work on other issues.  I have an election in nine 
months to prepare in the south of Sudan.  What you are doing helps 
me move us forward on other important issues" such as this.  He 
stressed the need to "get Darfur right and prevent further problems 
associated other regions of Sudan." 
 
¶7. (SBU) SE Gration expressed his pleasure that Qatar and Libya are 
working together as partners in mediating the border issues between 
Chad and Sudan.  This is what is needed:  bringing about a coalition 
of facilitators and mediators. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Tamim said Qatar does not do what it does in search of 
accolades.  Citing the successful mediation that Qatar hosted on 
Lebanon in June, Tamim said it "was not of our making.  We were 
asked to mediate and we succeeded because we had good relations with 
all the players" and formed partnerships with others. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Heir Apparent acknowledged that Qatar would not always 
be successful.  He noted that Qatar's efforts to broker an 
agreement, for example, between the government of Yemen and Huthi 
rebels failed "because not all the parties there were serious." 
 
¶10. (SBU) SE Gration reiterated that the U.S. wants Qatar to be 
successful in Darfur.  There is a sense of urgency in Sudan.  Beyond 
the hard dates for elections, he stressed, there is a need to 
stabilize the situation before the rainy season "so that we can 
ensure food supplies for next year." 
 
¶11. (SBU) Tamim closed by saying that Qatar will do its best.  "We 
will not waste a minute and do not intend to fail." 
 
¶12. (U) At SE Gration's request, this message is being transmitted 
without his clearance. 
 
LEBARON