VZCZCXRO4264
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #0735 1601340
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091340Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3923
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 000735 
 
DEPT FOR SE GRATION, S/USSES, AF A/S CARSON, AF/C, AF/E 
NSC FOR MGAVIN 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID SOCI ASEC KDEM AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: CDA'S COURTESY CALL ON DUP LEADER AL MIRGHANI 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Mohammed Osman 
al Mirghani complained to Charge Whitehead that the two CPA partners 
are ignoring the concerns of Sudan's other political groups. 
Despite this, Mirgahani seemed unable to articulate a clear strategy 
of how the DUP might compete in the coming elections.  This 
indecision appears common to all of Sudan's opposition parties. 
Only the NCP seems confident it can win through patronage and 
partnerships.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) On June 7, CDA Whitehead paid a courtesy call on DUP 
leader Mirghani at the latter's residence.  Charge Whitehead asked 
for Mirghani's assessment of the current political situation in 
Sudan and the DUP's plans for the scheduled 2010 elections and 
afterwards.  In response, Mirghani expressed disappointment that the 
DUP and other traditional Sudanese parties are not included in 
Sudan's Government of National Unity (GNU).  He complained the DUP 
is largely ignored by both the National Congress Party (NCP) and 
Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).  Sudan "now has two 
masters, one in Khartoum and one in Juba," he stated. 
 
¶3. (SBU) According to Mirghani, the late SPLM leader John Garang had 
consulted with Mirghani during the Naivasha peace negotiations in 
¶2004.  Mirghani said that he had argued for a GNU in which all 
parties equally participated, but that in the end, the Comprehensive 
Peace Agreement (CPA) had been negotiated bilaterally between the 
NCP and SPLM, to the exclusion of the other parities.  Mirghani also 
referred to the inter-party "Framework Agreement" negotiated in 
Cairo in 2005 under the sponsorship of Egypt.  Mirghani complained 
that Egypt failed to follow-up after the Agreement was signed, and 
that it too was never implemented.  Since then, the DUP has been 
ignored by the two CPA partners. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Mirghani is also the hereditary leader of the Khatmiyya 
Sufi order.  Asked about the relationship between the DUP and 
Khatimiyya, Mirghani explained they are separate entities.  He 
emphasized that the Khatimiyya embody "moderate Islam," reflecting 
the Sufi dedication to tolerance and nonviolence.  While reflecting 
these same ideals, the DUP, he maintained, is broader than the 
Khatimiyya order and includes many Sudanese Christians.  Mirghani 
argued that the DUP is the majority party in Sudan, noting that it 
had won the popular vote in every election from Sudan's 1956 
independence until a coup brought the National Islamic Front to 
power in 1989. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Asked by the Charge for his views on the DUP's future 
electoral prospects, Mirghani replied that while the DUP is not 
afraid of the 2010 elections, preparations are starting from the 
wrong point.  The DUP has submitted its recommendations to the 
National Election Commission.  He complained that the rules being 
drafted for the elections will unfairly favor the NCP.  For example, 
he said that many potential voters will be discouraged from voting 
by having to pay for the required identity card.  He added the NCP 
plans to pay the cost of ID cards for its supporters, giving it an 
advantage.  The NCP is unilaterally pushing through rules such as 
this that favor it, he charged.  If they are to be kept honest, all 
of Sudan's parties need to be included in planning the elections. 
He emphasized that the DUP had spurned the NCP's proposal to partner 
with the DUP in the coming elections.  He said that the people of 
Sudan deserve a clear choice of who will govern them, rather than 
having this decided over their heads.  Asked if the DUP would join 
the NCP in a coalition after the election, Mirghani replied that it 
expects to win the elections outright. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Mirghani seemed much more comfortable describing 
the DUP's history and past achievements than in articulating a clear 
vision of its goals or future role.  Based on his responses, the DUP 
appears to lack any clear strategy on how it will compete in the 
national elections, now scheduled for April 2010.  The party instead 
appears stuck in a rut, complaining that it does not have a seat at 
the existing table.  Unfortunately, the DUP is by no means alone in 
this.  Even the SPLM is undecided about whether it will seriously 
contest next year's elections or focus instead on the 2011 
referendum on southern independence.  Only the NCP appears to be 
focused on the elections and confident that it can win, largely by 
controlling constituencies through patronage and partnering with 
elements of the political opposition. 
 
WHITEHEAD