VZCZCXRO6950
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1354 1951442
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 141442Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3192
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 1338

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001354 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ELA, AF/SPG 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/13/2019 
TAGS: PREL SU EG
SUBJECT: MUBARAK-BASHIR MEETING; EGYPTIAN EFFORTS WITH 
DARFURI GROUPS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Margaret Scobey for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1.(C) Key Points: -- A presidential advisor told Ambassador that President Mubarak used his July 12 meeting with Sudanese President Bashir to press him on normalizing relations with Chad facilitating the work of humanitarian NGOs. -- The Government of Egypt (GoE) is meeting with a group of Darfuri militia leaders on July 13-15 to push them toward a "unity of vision." A second round of talks is planned for August. -- GoE officials remain reluctant to support Doha talks, which they claim favors JEM interests over the other groups.

2.(C) Comment: Egypt's continued, active engagement on Sudan is driven by both genuine interests in Sudan's stability and concern that a Doha-led process will proceed at Egypt's expense. Still, some GoE officials admit privately that the Qatari efforts could succeed in the short-term. Our contacts in the local Sudanese community dismissed most of the Darfuri leaders at the talks as irrelevant. The two exceptions were Abdallah Yahya and Abu Garda. However, Darfur militia leaders over the past 2-3 months have clamored for a comprehensive Darfur Dialogue and the Egyptian Initiative is a step toward this end. End Comment. ---------------------- Mubarak-Bashir Meeting ----------------------

3.(C) Ambassador spoke to Egyptian presidential advisor and spokesman Ambassador Soliman Awad on July 13 for a readout of President Mubarak's meeting the previous day with Sudanese President Bashir. Soliman summarized the meeting as &business as usual.8 He said that as in his previous meeting with Bashir after the ICC's issuance of an arrest warrant, President Mubarak tried to &strike reason8 with him. The two main Egyptian focal points were Darfur and the CPA. On Darfur, Mubarak pressed Bashir to normalize his relations with Chad and to avoid escalation of problems with the West but assuring that humanitarian NGOs can operate in Darfur without interference. Mubarak said that regardless of the outcome of the arbitration process related to Abyei expected on the 23rd or 24th of July, Bashir should do everything possible to avoid clashes with the two main tribes involved (Misseriya and Dinka). Awad said that Bashir tried repeatedly to justify himself to Mubarak, but Mubarak kept telling him that his actions were not feasible and that time was running out. --------------------------------- Darfuri Groups in Cairo for Talks ---------------------------------

4.(C) Concurrent with the Bashir visit, the leaders of six Darfuri militia groups are meeting with GoE officials in Cairo July 13-15 in talks aimed at achieving a "unity of vision." Muhammad El Mullah, Egyptian MFA Cabinet Advisor on African Affairs, told us that the GoE was not trying to unite the groups, but only establish a common vision. (Note: Egyptian Press stated that the leaders were Bahr Idriss Abu Garda (United Resistance Front), Abdallah Yahya (SLM-Unity), Mohammed Saleh Harba (SLM-Unity Juba wing), Heidar Adam (SLM-Public Line), Abdel Aziz Abu Namousha (Popular Front for Justice and Democracy), and Ibrahim El Zebeidy (Revolutionary Forces Front) End Note). El Mullah said that these leaders represent all the tribes in Darfur, possess military power, and have the support of the Darfuri population. The Egyptian plan was to facilitate three days of discussions in which the Darfuri leaders would express their ideas for a solution to the Darfur crisis. In the last days of the July meetings, the GoE will share its ideas and call for a second round of meetings in August to arrive at an agreement. -------------------------------------------- Initiative Supports Libyan Efforts, Not Doha --------------------------------------------

5.(C) El Mullah told us that the GoE believes these discussions can support and build upon Libyan initiatives on Darfur. However, he said that the Egyptian initiative would not support the Doha talks. El Mullah stated that the Doha talks were designed for only JEM, which has become "arrogant" because of its preferred treatment. SCOBEY