US embassy cable - 05PARIS2110

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002110 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2015 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, ECON, KJUS, KAWC, SU, FR 
SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON OSLO DONORS' 
CONFERENCE 
 
REF: STATE 57624 
 
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt 
for reasons 1.4 (b and d). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  MFA AF Assistant Secretary Joubert on 
March 29 said that Xavier Darcos (Minister-Delegate for 
Cooperation, Development, and Francophonie) would likely 
lead the GOF delegation to the April 11-12 Oslo Donors' 
Conference on Sudan (reftel), although no final decision 
had been made.  Joubert said that the EU would pledge about 
400 million Euros, of which France would contribute about 
25 percent.  He said that France would also make a smaller 
bilateral contribution.  On ICC/Darfur issues, Joubert said 
that his office was working to avoid a France-U.S. 
confrontation this week at the UN but he said that the 
issue involved high theology on both sides and, while he 
saw some room for maneuver, he could not predict that the 
issue would be resolved to the satisfaction of all 
interested parties.  END SUMMARY. 
 
OSLO 
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2.  (C)  Africa watcher met with MFA AF Assistant Secretary 
Bruno Joubert and DAS-equivalent Jean-Christophe Belliard 
on March 29 to carry out reftel demarche.  Joubert 
indicated that France was supportive of the conference.  He 
said that Xavier Darcos (Minister-Delegate for Cooperation, 
Development, and Francophonie) would likely lead the French 
delegation.  Joubert noted that he would not attend the 
conference, as he planned to be in the United States at the 
time, with meetings already arranged at the UN (e.g., at 
DPKO) and, he hoped, in Washington as well.  He noted that 
FM Barnier's Africa advisor, Nathalie Delapalme, would 
attend the Oslo conference.  Joubert said that France was 
well aware of high-level interest in the conference, noting 
that the Norwegians had informed him that UN 
Secretary-General Annan would attend. 
 
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3.  (C)  On funding for Sudan, Joubert said the EU would 
pledge 400 million Euros, of which France would contribute 
about a quarter.  He said that the GOF had searched 
carefully for additional funds and would make a bilateral 
pledge that he said might seem "modest" to others but that, 
when taken with the 100 million Euros France would 
contribute through the EU, constituted a significant sum. 
 
ICC/DARFUR 
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4.  (C)  Joubert said that the MFA's AF bureau and he 
personally were quite aware of the problems posed by the 
ICC/Darfur issue at the UN, where a resolution might be 
voted later this week.  He said that he remained hopeful 
that a bridging of U.S. and French differences could be 
accomplished.  He noted recent phone conversations between 
Secretary Rice and FM Barnier and the UK's desire to see 
 
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this matter resolved.  He commented also on the need to 
convince the U.S. Department of Defense.  Joubert also 
referred to Sudanese criticism of the process, and noted 
that the French military had its own concerns about French 
soldiers and the ICC.  Joubert said that the recent 
Sudanese decision to arrest 15 Sudanese military showed 
that the fear of international prosecution was real and 
that the threat of referral to the ICC was serving a useful 
function in that sense. 
 
5.  (C)  Nonetheless, Joubert acknowledged that U.S. and 
French "theological" differences over the ICC remained very 
strong and that the ICC remained a matter of high principle 
to France.  Although he thought that both sides had some 
room to maneuver and should seek ways to overcome their 
differences, he refrained from expressing optimism that 
that would happen within the next few days.  He confided 
that the views of his bureau suggesting that a 
confrontation between the U.S. and France be avoided were 
among 
many views senior GOF leaders were hearing, and he 
could not say that his bureau's views on the matter were 
acc