VZCZCXRO4763
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0535/01 1110652
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210652Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3576
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000535 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A A/S CARTER, AF/C, AF/E 
NSC FOR MGAVIN AND CHUDSON 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC PGOV PREL KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: USG-GNU SIGNED IMPLEMENTATION PROTOCOL FOR IFES ELECTIONS 
ASSISTANCE TO THE NATIONAL ELECTION COMMISSION 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. On April 19 CDA Fernandez, Minister of 
International Cooperation Fidail, Chairman of the National Election 
Commission Alier, USAID Director Hammink and IFES Country Director 
Leyraud signed an Implementation Protocol for the Sudan Election 
Administration Support Program, thus providing the legal basis for 
IFES to work in northern Sudan, as well as providing urgent election 
administration support to the NEC for national elections in support 
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.  IFES is now up and running. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
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PROTOCOL FOR IFES ELECTIONS ASSISTANCE 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (U) Following several weeks of negotiations, a low-key but 
positive signing ceremony was held on April 19 at the new offices of 
the National Election Commission (NEC) in Khartoum.  CDA Fernandez, 
Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Eltigani Saleh Fidail, NEC 
Chairman Abel Alier, USAID Director Hammink and IFES Country 
Director Leyraud signed an Implementation Protocol (IP) for the 
Sudan Election Administration Support Program.  Local print and 
broadcast media attended, and the CDA, Minister and Chairman all 
gave short statements.  The Minister mentioned that this may be the 
first USG-GOS agreement signed, other than for humanitarian 
assistance, in some 20 or more years.  The Minister and Chairman 
committed to free and fair elections and thanked the United States 
Government for this support.  The CDA stated, in Arabic, that the 
agreement is part of the US commitment to free and fair democratic 
national elections in support of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 
(CPA). 
 
¶3. (U) The Implementation Protocol (IP) revives the Agreement on 
Economic and Technical Assistance that was enacted between the two 
countries in 1958.  This IP included the planned project, under 
which USAID will provide approximately $25 million to IFES for 
in-kind assistance to the NEC.  The IP also included planned 
results, objectives and proposed activities, as well as program 
management modalities.  This IP in effect provides the legal basis 
for IFES to now begin work in earnest in northern Sudan under their 
USAID contract for election administration assistance to the NEC to 
support national elections.  An oversight committee comprised of the 
Ministry of International Cooperation (MIC), Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, Ministry of Finance, NEC and USAID will guide and monitor 
IFES activities, including quarterly meetings to approve annual work 
plans and associated budgets.  The IP is not an obligation document, 
but lays out the overall planned project objectives, activities and 
implementation modalities.  Its purpose is to provide a framework 
for the implementing organization, in this case IFES, to work in the 
country when they are here solely to implement a donor-funded 
project. 
 
¶4. (U) The Post election team and IFES will coordinate closely with 
the various UN agencies and other international donors on election 
administration assistance. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶5. (SBU) This is a positive step forward and comes somewhat sooner 
than expected, very likely as a result of recent positive U.S. 
engagement with the GNU during the SE Gration and Codel Kerry 
visits.  The IP will allow the IFES technical advisors to move out 
of their hotel, rent offices and housing, and begin in earnest 
substantial technical and commodity support to the NEC to allow the 
NEC, with other donor, UN and GOS funding, to carry out the many and 
complex tasks ahead to ensure a free and fair election in accordance 
with the CPA, interim constitution and 2008 election law.  MIC will 
be responsible now for ensuring that IFES receives timely visas, 
travel permits, duty free entry of goods, approval to open bank 
accounts and sign leases, and other GOS approvals needed for normal 
project implementation by an implementing organization.  This 
approach offers an alternative to all organizations registering with 
the obstructionist Humanitarian Affairs Commission (HAC) - with 
which U.S. organizations, and the USG, have had so many problems. 
Post will monitor closely MIC administrative and process support to 
IFES to ensure a fast project start up.  Even if the MIC is more 
responsive and cooperative than the HAC, past experience in dealing 
with all GOS entities had demonstrated that continuous follow-up 
 
KHARTOUM 00000535  002 OF 002 
 
 
will be required. 
 
FERNANDEZ