VZCZCXRO9048
OO RUEHGI RUEHTRO
DE RUEHNJ #0254/01 1761612
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251612Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7033
INFO RUEHUJA/AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 1463
RUEHOR/AMEMBASSY GABORONE PRIORITY 0011
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 0054
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 0391
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0789
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 1155
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI PRIORITY 0623
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0541
RUEHGI/AMEMBASSY BANGUI PRIORITY 1575
RUEHYD/AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE PRIORITY 1757
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1809
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 2372
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 1033
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NDJAMENA 000254 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF, AF/C, S/USSES, G/TIP AND DRL 
NSC FOR GAVIN 
LONDON FOR POL -- LORD 
PARIS FOR POL -- KANEDA 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC OTRA PREL PGOV PHUM ELA KWMN AU CD
SUBJECT: GOC INFORMED OF USG PRIORITIES AT AU SUMMIT; 
PRELIMINARY EXCHANGES ON G/TIP ACTION PLAN AND CURBING 
GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 
 
REF: A. STATE 65744 
     ¶B. STATE 65389 
     ¶C. STATE 64939 
     ¶D. STATE 58996 
     ¶E. N'DJAMENA 251 
     ¶F. N'DJAMENA 247 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  With FM Moussa Faki Mahamat Faki and most of the 
Chadian delegation to the AU Summit preparing to depart for 
Tripoli later today, June 25, Charge d'affaires approached 
Chadian Ambassador to the U.S. Mahamoud Adam Bechir (who 
remains in Chad to assist with the June 27-29 visit of S/E 
Scott Gration) to pass along U.S. goals for the AU Summit, as 
described in Ref A.  Bechir made clear that Chad welcomed USG 
efforts in areas such as promoting democratization, good 
governance, human rights, peace and security, economic growth 
and development, food security and curbs on gender-based 
violence. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Bechir, who is working on scheduling a meeting 
between President Deby and S/E Gration in N'Djamena June 29, 
indicated that Deby was also prepared to meet with A/S 
Johnnie Carson in Tripoli on the margins of the AU Summit. 
Bechir made clear that he would communicate our goals for the 
AU Summit, and our desire for a bilateral meeting in Tripoli 
involving A/S Carson, to FM Faki before the latter's 
departure for Tripoli.  Bechir recalled that Faki was heading 
Chad's advance team to the AU Summit and would be responsible 
for scheduling arrangements there.  Bechir suggested that 
Washington-based travelers and U.S. control officers for the 
AU Summit reach out directly to Faki on June 26 or later, as 
flight arrangements to Tripoli would make Faki hard to reach 
beginning the afternoon of June 25. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Given the emphasis that the U.S. has placed on 
human rights and humanitarian issues for the AU Summit, we 
took the opportunity of our discussion with Bechir to share 
the Tier III G/TIP Action Plan in Ref B, as well as U.S. 
interest in curbing gender-based violence (Ref C) and 
promoting food security (Ref D).  (We have appointments in 
the coming days to discuss TIP and gender-based violence in 
more detail with the GoC's human rights experts, and will 
provide their reactions when available.  Our conversation 
with the Minister of Agriculture on food security is reported 
in Ref E.)  Bechir thanked the U.S. for the range of new 
initiatives in Africa, noted that he would make the G/TIP 
Action Plan a personal priority, given the August 15 suspense 
date for taking new steps to avoid sanctions, and added that 
Chad was interested in all of the USG's projects for the AU 
Summit and beyond, as part of a full and friendly bilateral 
relationship with the U.S.  Bechir also commented on 
Chad-Sudan relations, on Chad's expectations for the AU 
Summit, and on activities of Sudan and Chad rebels.  End 
Summary. 
 
------------------------------------- 
DEBY MEETINGS WITH GRATION AND CARSON 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Chadian Ambassador Mahamoud Adam Bechir told 
Charge June 25 that the GoC warmly welcomed the June 27-29 
return visit to N'Djamena of S/E Scott Gration, and that 
President Idriss Deby Itno was "aware of and ready for" a 
meeting, probably on Monday morning, June 29.  "For the first 
 
NDJAMENA 00000254  002 OF 003 
 
 
time, S/E Gration has given us a clear vision of U.S. support 
for Chad," Bechir said.  "We are satisfied that the U.S. is 
willing to be a full partner with Chad."  Bechir confirmed 
that President Deby was looking forward to meeting with AF 
A/S Johnnie Carson on the margins of the AU Summit Libya.  In 
response to our description of U.S. goals for the Summit, 
Bechir stressed that Chad was willing to be a party to the 
range of U.S. humanitarian and human rights goals, and that 
Chad saw itself as a strategic partner for the U.S.  FM Faki, 
who would take off later in the day for Tripoli, anticipated 
working with A/S Carson both to set up a meeting with Deby in 
Libya and in preparation for Faki's own possible visit to the 
U.S. for meetings with Secretary Clinton the week of July 13. 
 
------------ 
BECHIR ON AU 
------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Asked what Chad's goals for the AU Summit were, 
Bechir said that the GoC had only limited trust for the 
organization, and limited expectations for the Summit.  "We 
are fed up with the AU's refusal to condemn Sudan, and with 
the AU's inability to address conflicts and rights 
violations," said Bechir.  "But we will go to the Summit 
anyway,  It is the right thing to do."   "Recently," he 
conceded, "the AU has been doing a good job about Somalia and 
in pointing the finger at Eritrea." 
 
-------------------- 
CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  Asked whether Chad would take the opportunity of 
the Summit to speak with Sudan, Bechir noted that "some 
discussions have been going on -- we'll see."  He thanked the 
U.S. for continuing to insist that the two countries speak, 
and credited U.S. intervention with preventing a complete 
break in Chad-Sudan relations, which some in the GoC had 
advocated in the wake of the Sudan-backed rebel attacks on 
Eastern Chad in May.  N'Djamena would distrust Khartoum until 
the regime there modified its behavior, said Bechir.  "We 
have no interest in that country, but Sudan has its own 
agenda in Chad and wants to destabilize the situation here," 
Bechir continued, attributing Sudan's behavior to a desire to 
divert international attention away from the Darfur 
humanitarian crisis. 
 
--------------- 
SUDANESE REBELS 
--------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Commenting on the presence in Chad of members of 
the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudanese 
Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid faction (SLA/AW), Bechir stressed 
that the GoC had never denied that members of these groups 
sometimes traveled within Chadian territory.  "But unlike 
Sudan, Chad does not use rebels as a proxy force with the aim 
of overthrowing the regime in Khartoum."  Currently, the GoC 
had been advising both the JEM and SLA/AW that they should 
agree on a set of common principles among themselves and with 
other rebel factions prior to attending international 
negotiations, and that the Sudan rebels should consider 
reaching out to the Government of Southern Sudan as well. 
"Chad is not pushing Darfuri rebels to destabilize the 
region," Bechir reiterated. 
 
-------------- 
CHADIAN REBELS 
 
NDJAMENA 00000254  003 OF 003 
 
 
-------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Asked about continuing rumors of Chadian rebel 
movements in Southeastern Chad, Bechir said that the Chadian 
military had information suggesting that Sudan was currently 
helping various forces -- including Arab janjaweed militia 
and GoS-aligned forces of SLA/Minnawi -- to gather in the aim 
of attacking the Darfur town of Umm Jaras.  (Note:  Embassy 
Khartoum advises that UNAMID officials have reported a 
build-up of Sudanese Armed Forces in Karnoi and Umm Barru. 
End note.)  Bechir added that anti-GoC rebels continued to 
operate in the vicinity of Chad's unsecured southeastern 
border with CAR.  The seizure of a cache of weaponry 
apparently being transported by Chadian rebels arrested in 
Salamat Province on June 7 (Ref F) demonstrated that Chadian 
rebels and their supporters in Sudan and CAR intended to 
begin engaging in unconventional attempts to destabilize 
Chad, said Bechir, perhaps through terrorist attacks against 
GoC officials.  (Note:  Embassy Bangui has informed us that 
according to the CAR press, a Chadian rebel chief, Baba Lade, 
turned himself into the MICOPAX contingent at Bangui Airport 
earlier this month for treatment of health conditions, and 
that while in MICOPAX's care, he was visited by the CAR 
Deputy Minister of Defense and Minister of the Interior, as 
well as by the Chadian Military Attache.  End note.) 
BREMNER