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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NDJAMENA 000343 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF/S AND S/USSES NSC FOR GAVIN LONDON FOR POL - LORD PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PREF, PHUM, SU, LY, FR, UN, CD SUBJECT: LIBYA INTENSIFIES ITS SUPPORT TO CHAD AND ITS EFFORTS TO NORMALIZE CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS REF: (A) STATE 342, (B) NDJAMENA 311, (C) NDJAMENA 306 ------- SUMMARY ------- 1. (SBU) LIBYAN AMBASSADOR GREEN SALEH GREEN DESCRIBED TO AMBASSADOR ON AUGUST 6 HOW LIBYA HAD INTENSIFIED BOTH ITS BILATERAL SUPPORT FOR CHAD AND ITS EFFORTS TO NORMALIZE CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS SINCE HIS RETURN TO NDJAMENA AS COM. LIBYA IS INVESTING HEAVILY IN CHAD'S ECONOMY -- BUDGET SUPPORT, TRANSPORT, TRADE AND INVESTMENT, INCLUDING MASSIVELY IN AGRICULTURE -- TO PREVENT IT FROM BECOMING AN UNSTABLE NEIGHBOR AND TO CHECK ILLEGAL IMMIGATION AND BLACK-MARKET COMMERCE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES AND UNDERMINE SOURCES OF TERRORISM. QADHAFI HAD SIGNED "CONVENTIONS" WITH BOTH DEBY AND BASHIR AIMED AT A "FINAL ACCORD" TO BE CINCHED BY A DEBY-BASHIR MEETING IN TRIPOLI AUGUST 31. 2. (SBU) GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA WAS PRESSING BOTH CHADIAN AND SUDANESE TO RECONCILE WITH THEIR GOVERNMENTS. HE TOOK CREDIT FOR SOUBIANE'S RECENT DEFECTION; PREDICTED THAT MACKAYE WOULD BE NEXT; SAID THAT LIBYA WOULD FIND HOMES FOR CHAD REBEL CHIEFS UNABLE OR UNWILLING TO RETURN TO CHAD; AND REVEALED THAT SALAH GHOSH WAS ASSISTING LIBYA WITH CHAD REBELS. LIBYA HAD ALSO BEEN PRESSING KHALIL IBRAHIM TO LEAVE CHAD AND TO TALK SERIOUSLY TO KHARTOUM, WHILE PRESSING DEBY TO STOP AIDING JEM, WHICH WAS AIDED HEAVILY BY ERITREA. 3. (SBU) AMBASSADOR RESPONDED THAT WE WELCOMED LIBYA'S ACTIVISM IN SEEKING REGIONAL SOLUTIONS TO REGIONAL PROBLEMS, ESPECIALLY BY ENDING THE PROXY WAR, NORMALIZING CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS, AND FINDING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE DARFUR CRISIS TO ENSURE FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CPA. THE USG WAS READY TO WORK WITH TRIPOLI ON COUNTER-TERRORISM BECAUSE WE TOO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT TERRORISM IN THE SAHEL. END SUMMARY. ---------------------- LIBYAN SUPPORT TO CHAD ---------------------- 4. (SBU) LIBYAN AMBASSADOR GREEN SALEH GREEN DESCRIBED TO AMBASSADOR ON AUGUST 6 HOW LIBYA HAD INTENSIFIED BOTH ITS BILATERAL SUPPORT FOR CHAD AND ITS EFFORTS TO NORMALIZE CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS SINCE HIS RETURN TO NDJAMENA AS COM. GREEN CLAIMED THAT HIS OWN CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH QADHAFI DEMONSTRATED LIBYA'S COMMITMENT TO THESE REGIONAL EFFORTS AND ENHANCED HIS CHANCES FOR SUCCEESS, CITING HIS MEMBERSHIP IN THE GUIDE'S CLAN. GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA WAS TRYING TO REINFORCE CHAD'S STABILITY, TO PREVENT IT BECOMING AN UNSTABLE NEIGHBOR AND TO CHECK ILLEGAL IMMIGATION AND BLACK-MARKET COMMERCE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. LIBYA HAD DELIVERED GENERATORS WITH 21 MEGAWATT CAPACITY, ALONG WITH TECHNICIANS TO INSTALL THEM, TO RELIEVE THE CAPITAL'S GNAWING AND DEBILITATING POWER SHORTAGE. TRIOLI WAS NEGOTIATED A USD 600 MILLION LOAN TO CHAD AND WAS IMPROVING THE BENGHAZI-NDJAMENA ROAD CORRIDOR, INCLUDING SURFACING 1,000 KILOMETERS THAT REMAIN UNIMPROVED. 5. (SBU) LIBYA WAS INCREASING ITS SUPPORT TO CHAD IN EDUCATION AND CULTURE AS WELL. TRIPOLI WAS NEGOTIATING A NEW CUSTOMS CONVENTION WITH CHAD TO ENHANCE LIBYAN TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN CHAD. TRIPOLI PLANNED TO INVEST AN EVENTUAL USD 2.2 BILLION TO DEVELOP 20,000 HECTARES OF AGRICULTURAL LAND IN SOUTHERN CHAD IN ORDER TO GROW RICE, CORN AND OTHER GRAIN CROPS NEAR THE SOUTHERN CHADIAN TOWNS OF SARH, BONGOR, AND MOUNDOU. SOME OF THIS WAS PART OF THE QADHAFI AU PRESIDENCY'S "GREEN PROJECT" IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE COMMUNITY OF SAHEL-SAHARAN STATES' (CEN-SAD) 28 COUNTRIES. --------------------- CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS: ENDING A PROXY WAR? --------------------- 6. (SBU) GREEN CLAIMED THAT LIBYA WAS COMMITTED TO ENDING THE PROXY WAR BETWEEN CHAD AND SUDAN AND TO NORMALIZING RELATIONS BETWEEN THE TWO FEUDING NEIGHBORS. GREEN SAID THAT QADHAFI HAD "SIGNED CONVENTIONS" WITH BOTH DEBY AND BASHIR AIMED AT A CHAD-SUDABN "FINAL ACCORD." THE LIBYAN GOVERNMENT HAD SET UP AN INTERNAL "WORKING GROUP" DEDICATED TO BRINGING CHAD AND SUDAN TO THIS "FINAL SOLUTION." GREEN CLAIMED THAT THE GUIDE WANTED TO BRING ABOUT A DEBY-BASHIR MEETING, THE OCCASION FOR WHICH WOULD BE THE AU SPECIAL SESSION IN TRIPOLI ON AUGUST 31. BOTH DEBY AND BASHIR HAD AGREED TO SUCH A MEETING, ACCORDING TO GREEN, WHO SAID THAT LIBYA INSISTED NDJAMENA 00000343 002 OF 002 THAT NOT ONLY BORDER INCIDENTS BUT ALSO "ALL THIS PROPAGANDA" SHOULD STOP. GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA WAS WORKING WITH THE GOC TO RE-OPEN THE SUDANESE SCHOOL IN NDJAMENA: "WE'LL GET IT RE-OPENED," GREEN AFFIRMED. ------------------------- LIBYA AND THE CHAD REBELS ------------------------- 7. (SBU) GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA WAS ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN PRESSING BOTH CHADIAN REBELS IN SUDAN AND SUDANESE REBELS IN CHAD TO RENOUNCE ARMED REBELLION AND RECONCILE WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE GOVERNMENTS. GREEN TOOK CREDIT FOR THE RECENT DEFECTION OF AHMAT SOUBIANE FROM CHAD REBEL RANKS AND SAID THAT THE NEXT LIBYAN TARGET WAS ABDELWAHID ABOUD MACKAYE, LEADER OF FORCES TO ESTABLISH DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM (FIDEL) WHICH IS PART OF DISSIDENT GROUP, UFDD-FONDAMENTALE, WHO WAS IN TRIPOLI OR WAS EXPECTED THERE SOON, TO TAKE THE PATH BLAZED BY SOUBIANE. GREEN SAID THAT THOSE REBEL CHIEFS WHO WERE UNABLE OR REFUSED TO RETURN TO CHAD "COULD BE SETTLED IN A THIRD COUNTRY: WE CAN DO THIS FOR THEM." LIBYA WOULD ALSO TRY TO HELP BOTH SUDAN AND CHAD FINANCIALLY IN THE EFFORT TO WOO REBELS BACK TO CIVILIAN LIFE. GREEN SAID THAT THE SUDANESE REGIME, IN THE PERSON OF NISS CHIEF SALAH GHOSH, WAS ASSISTING LIBYA IN ITS EFFORTS WITH THE CHAD REBELS. ----------------------------- LIBYA AND THE SUDANESE REBELS ----------------------------- 8. (SBU) GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA HAD BEEN TALKING TO JEM LEADER KHALIL IBRAHIM, PRESSING HIM TO LEAVE CHAD AND TO TALK SERIOUSLY TO KHARTOUM. LIBYA HAD ALSO PRESSED DEBY TO STOP AIDING JEM AND TO GET THEM OUT OF CHAD. GREEN SAID THAT ONE OF JEM'S PRINCIPAL SUPPORTERS WAS ERITREA AND THAT LIBYA WAS WORKING THAT ANGLE AS WELL. --------------------- CONVERGING INTERESTS? --------------------- 9. (SBU) AMBASSADOR TOLD GREEN THAT HIS EXPOSITION OF LIBYA'S GOALS VIS-A-VIS CHAD AND SUDAN INDICATED THAT OUR GOALS AND TRIPOLI'S WERE NEARLY IDENTICAL: ENDING THE PROXY WAR, NORMALIZING CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS, AND FINDING A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE DARFUR CRISIS TO ENSURE THAT THE COMPREHENSIVE PEACE AGREEMENT IN SUDAN WAS IMPLEMENTED FULLY. THIS WAS THE TASK THAT SPECIAL ENVOY GRATION HAD BEEN SET AND WE WISHED LIBYA SUCCESS IN ITS APPARENTLY COMPLEMENTARY EFFORTS AS OUTLINED BY GREEN. AMBASSADOR SAID THAT REINFORCED RELATIONS BETWEEN TRIPOLI AND WASHINGTON COULD ENABLE US TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARD THESE SHARED GOALS AND THAT THE USG WELCOMED LIBYA'S ACTIVISM IN SEEKING REGIONAL SOLUTIONS TO REGIONAL PROBLEMS. ---------------------- TERRORISM IN THE SAHEL ---------------------- 10. (SBU) GREEN SAID THAT LIBYA'S BIGGEST FEAR IN THE REGION WAS TERRORISM AND THAT TRIPOLI WANTED TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE U.S. IN THIS AREA. AMBASSADOR SAID THE U.S. WAS READY TO WORK WITH TRIPOLI ON COUNTER-TERRORISM MEASURES BECAUSE WE TOO WERE CONCERNED ABOUT TERRORISM IN THE SAHEL, AS REFLECTED BY THE RESOURCES WE WERE DEVOTING TO OUR TRANS-SAHARA COUNTER-TERRORISM PARTNERSHIP. ------- COMMENT ------- 11. (SBU) THE LIBYANS HERE HAVE TENDED TO CLAIM TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH MORE THAN THEY EVENTUALLY MANAGE TO DELIVER. BUT LIBYA'S CONSTRUCTIVE INVOLVEMENT IN BILATERAL AFFAIRS AND ON THE CHAD-SUDAN BINOMIAL HAVE INDEED INTENSIFIED SINCE GREEN RETURNED TO NDJAMENA AS AMBASSADOR. (I GUESS BEING ABLE TO CALL THE GUIDE "COUSIN MUAMAR" HELPS A LOT.) WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO TRY TO COMPLEMENT LIBYAN ACTIONS ON REINFORCING THE CHADIAN STATE AND NORMALIZING CHAD-SUDAN RELATIONS IN SO FAR AS THEIR GOALS AND OURS CONVERGE. 12. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. NIGRO