US embassy cable - 04VATICAN2892

C O N F I D E N T I A L  VATICAN 002892 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG - TSMITH, AF/RSA - BSCHOFIELD, IO/UNP, AND 
EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2014 
TAGS: PREL, SU, VT 
SUBJECT: SUDAN:  SANT'EGIDIO OFFERS ROME MEDIATION VENUE 
FOR DARFUR PEACE TALKS 
 
Classified By: Ambassador James Nicholson.  Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY and ACTION REQUEST:  The Rome-based 
Sant'Egidio Community, which specializes in conflict 
mediation and has ties with both the Sudanese government and 
main rebel groups, conveyed its interest in hosting informal 
discussions at its Rome-based headquarters to establish a 
political dialogue aimed at bringing about a resolution of 
the ongoing conflict in Darfur.  Sant'Egidio believes Rome 
could offer a neutral venue acceptable to all the parties. 
The Community's representatives at recent Addis Ababa talks 
had mentioned this offer informally to U.S. officials, but 
wanted to make a more formal offer to the parties involved if 
such a step would in principle be acceptable to the U.S.  If 
the U.S. would be amenable to Rome as a venue, Sant'Egidio 
would welcome U.S. support to secure the participation of the 
government and opposition groups.  Sant'Egidio maintains 
excellent ties with the African Union, and would also work to 
ensure their involvement should discussions eventually take 
place in Rome.  (See Action Request para. 7.)  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) Sant' Egidio Community representative Mario Giro 
contacted DCM July 23 to reiterate the Community's interest 
in offering a venue for discussions between the Sudanese 
government and rebel groups aimed at establishing a genuine 
political dialogue and defusing the situation in Darfur. 
Giro noted that he had conveyed this offer informally to U.S. 
officials at the recent African Union-sponsored talks in 
Addis Ababa, but wanted to pursue it further.  Before 
discussing this further with the parties to the conflict, 
Sant' Egidio wanted to secure U.S. support in principle. 
 
3. (C) Sant'Egidio has well-developed contacts with both the 
Sudanese government and the major rebel groups in Darfur, 
and, according to Giro, is trusted by all sides.  The SLA's 
(Sudanese Liberation Army) leader has been to Rome three 
times in recent months for meetings with Sant'Egidio, and 
Sant' Egidio has met with JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) 
leaders in Paris in February.  Giro also met the Sudanese 
President and Vice Foreign Minister during his recent visit 
to the region.  Giro understood that the rebel groups had 
reservations about continuing discussQ 
Q,QzGf}to facilitate their travel), preferring 
Geneva, where they had close links to the Human Dialogue 
Center.  The government, however, would likely be reluctant 
to go to Geneva, which they would see as a venue favoring the 
rebel groups.  For these reasons, Giro believed Sant'Egidio's 
Rome headquarters could offer a neutral venue out of the 
limelight for discussions on Darfur. 
 
4.  (C) Giro observed that if the international community 
agrees on the need for a political dialogue on Darfur, it 
would be necessary to find a better venue than Addis Ababa, 
and a better mediator than the African Union (AU). 
Sant'Egidio was prepared to offer their headquarters -- the 
site of the successful mediation of the Mozambique civil war 
and other African conflicts -- and their services as mediator 
to both the government and rebels.  Before doing so, however, 
Sant' Egidio wanted to vet their proposal with the U.S. 
Specifically, Giro asked whether this proposal would be 
acceptable in principle to the U.S. and solicited U.S. views 
on the benefits of a genuine political dialogue.  If the U.S. 
reaction is positive, Sant' Egidio would look to the U.S. to 
convey to the parties our support for such a dialogue in Rome. 
 
5.  (C) Giro emphasized that Sant' Egidio, which is 
concluding an arrangement for observer status with the 
African Union, was sensitive to the need to incorporate the 
AU into any dialogue.  Giro said the Community's relations 
with the AU were such that they could finesse AU 
participation without offending the organization, and would 
also ensure the AU's involvement in a way agreeable to all 
the parties. 
 
6.  (C) As to the content of such talks, Giro suggested that 
the first meetings, which would be confidential, would likely 
aim at establishing an agenda.  Once an agenda was 
established, the meetings could be expanded to include 
observers, including the AU.  Giro noted that he understood 
some were skeptical of a political dialogue, preferring to 
focus simply on a cease-fire and a humanitarian dialogue. 
The risk with this approach, he believed, was that the 
underlying problems could easily resurface again, or could 
have negative influence on the peace talks in Kenya or 
spillover effects on stability in Chad. 
 
7.  (C) ACTION REQUEST:  Embassy requests Department review 
Sant' Egidio's offer to host confidential discussions between 
the Sudanese government and rebel groups and advise Embassy 
of reservations/support for this proposal to convey to Sant' 
 
 
Egidio's senior representatives in Rome.  As noted above, 
Sant' Egidio has a long and distinguished history of conflict 
mediation, particularly in Africa, where they worked closely 
with the U.S to end the Mozambican civil war, and have 
recently been engaged in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Sudan. 
 
Nicholson 
 
 
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 2004VATICA02892 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL