US embassy cable - 90KHARTOUM11067

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 11067 
 
FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY 
 
E.O.12356:  N/A 
TAGS:  PREL, PINR, SU, LY, EG 
SUBJECT:  QADHAFI VISITS SUDAN; CALLS FOR SUDAN, LIBYAN, 
EGYPTIAN UNITY; CRITICIZES RELIGION IN GOVERNMENT 
 
REF:  KHARTOUM 11006 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  LIBYA'S QADHAFI VISITED KHARTOUM OCTOBER 
20-23 TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE OCTOBER 
1964 REVOLUTION.  WHILE HERE, HE ADDRESSED THE CLOSING 
SESSION OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE CONFERENCE ON THE 
POLITICAL SYSTEM (NDCPS).  QADHAFI CALLED FOR ARAB UNITY, 
PARTICULARLY UNION BETWEEN SUDAN, EGYPT, AND LIBYA.  HE 
SAID HE WOULD TRY TO CONVINCE SPLA LEADER JOHN GARANG TO 
END THE REBELLION AGAINST THE GOS.  QADHAFI ALSO MET WITH 
THE SUDANESE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR OVER TWO HOURS AND 
MADE A STRONG PITCH FOR KEEPING RELIGION (READ ISLAMIC 
FUNDAMENTALISM) OUT OF GOVERNMENT.  MOST SUDANESE ARE 
PLEASED WITH THE SPEECH, BUT MANY BELIEVE IT WAS 
COORDINATED WITH, IF NOT DIRECTED BY MUBARAK.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  THE HIGHLIGHTS OF QADHAFI'S SPEECH TO THE NDCPS, AS 
REPORTED BY THE SUDAN NEWS AGENCY ARE AS FOLLOWS: 
 
HE RECALLED THAT HE AND EGYPT'S NASSER ADVOCATED 
SUDAN-EGYPT-LIBYA UNITY IN THE EARLY 1970'S BUT SUDAN'S 
NIMEIRI WAS OPPOSED DUE TO "UNFOUNDED SENSITIVITIES OF 
EGYPT AND SUDAN." 
 
HE MENTIONED SEVERAL ARAB TRIBES FOUND IN THE THREE 
COUNTRIES CITING THIS AS AN EVIDENCE OF AN "INHERENT 
UNITY OF THEIR INHABITANTS." 
 
SUDAN, EGYPT, AND LIBYA ARE RICH IN NATURAL AS WELL AS 
HUMAN RESOURCES AND, IF UNIFIED, THEY CAN FORM A POWERFUL 
STATE. 
 
REFERRING TO THE NDCPS RECOMMENDATION THAT PEOPLE'S 
CONGRESSES FORM THE GOS, QADHAFI SAID THIS IS A TURNING 
POINT IN ARAB HISTORY IN WHICH THE SUDANESE PEOPLE HAVE 
OPTED FOR THE PEOPLE'S POWER WHICH WAS HERALDED BY LIBYA. 
 
HE CALLED THE PARLIAMENTARY, PARTISAN, AND GOVERNMENT 
SYSTEMS "NONSENSE" SAYING THAT THEY HAVE BECOME OBSOLETE 
AND HAVE GIVEN WAY TO HIS "JAMAHIRYA STYLE" IN WHICH 
THERE IS NO ROOM FOR GOVERNMENT AND IN WHICH THE PEOPLE 
RUN THEIR OWN AFFAIRS THROUGH THEIR PEOPLE'S COMMITTEES 
AND CONGRESSES.  HE PREDICTED THAT THE JAMAHIRYA SYSTEM 
AND THE PEOPLE'S POWER WOULD BE PRACTICED ALL OVER THE 
WORLD. 
 
HE HAILED AND EXPRESSED HIS FULL SUPPORT TO RCC CHAIRMAN 
AND HEAD OF STATE, GENERAL OMAR AL BASHIR AND HIS AIDES 
WHOM HE DESCRIBED AS "THE FIRST SUDANESE LEADERSHIP THAT 
OPTED TO DEVOLVE POWER TO THE PEOPLE BY CHOOSING THE 
POPULAR POWER WHICH IS TO BE EXERCISED BY THE PEOPLE'S 
COMMITTEES AND CONGRESSES." 
 
QADHAFI SAID THAT SPLA LEADER JOHN GARANG WAS A MEMBER OF 
THE LIBYAN-BASED INTERNATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY ORGANIZATION 
WHICH ADVOCATED PEOPLE'S POWER TO PREVAIL IN THE WORLD, 
AND HE PLEDGED TO TRY TO CONVINCE GARANG TO TERMINATE HIS 
REBELLION NOW THAT A JAMAHIRYA SYSTEM WOULD BE 
ESTABLISHED IN SUDAN. 
 
HE SAID THAT LIBYA HAD ARMED AND TRAINED GARANG WHEN HE 
WAS FIGHTING PRESIDENT NIMEIRI BUT NOW HAD STOPPED 
SUPPLYING GARANG WITH ARMS.  HE ADDED THAT IF GARANG 
WOULD NOT JOIN "THE MASSES OF THE SUDAN" LIBYA WOULD HAVE 
NO CHOICE BUT TO TURN AGAINST GARANG IN SUPPORT OF THE 
SUDANESE PEOPLE AND GOVERNMENT. 
 
APPARENTLY IN A LIGHT REBUKE TO EGYPT FOR ITS 
INDIFFERENCE TOWARD THE SOUTHERN SUDAN PROBLEM, QADHAFI 
SAID EGYPT SHOULD APPRECIATE THAT DEFENSE OF SOUTHERN 
SUDAN WOULD PROTECT EGYPT AND THAT SECESSION OF SOUTH 
SUDAN IS HAZARDOUS TO EGYPT. 
 
HE PREDICTED THAT THE SOUTHERN SUDAN PROBLEM WOULD WITHER 
AWAY IF UNITY OF SUDAN, EGYPT AND LIBYA WAS ACHIEVED. 
 
HE DECLARED THAT DEMONSTRATIONS WOULD BE STAGED IN ALL 
ARAB COUNTRIES AS OF THE FIRST DAY OF NEXT JANUARY 
PEACEFULLY DEMANDING ABOLITION OF BORDERLINES SEPARATING 
THE ARAB COUNTRIES FROM ONE ANOTHER. 
 
3.  QADHAFI'S EVENING SPEECH TO THE STUDENTS WAS ALSO 
ATTENDED BY GENERAL OMAR.  CHARACTERIZED AS "BLUNT," IT 
CALLED FOR A SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE.  QADHAFI 
EMPHASIZED THAT THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR RELIGION IN 
GOVERNMENT, DEFENSE, ADMINISTRATION, OR EVEN JUSTICE, A 
DIRECT CHALLENGE TO SHARIA. 
 
4.  COMMENT:  DESPITE THE SHOW OF SOLIDARITY AND THE 
RHETORIC, SERIOUS OBSTACLES REMAIN TO FULLY DEVELOPING 
GOS-GOL TIES.  GIVEN THE PRIMARILY ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST 
BENT OF QADHAFI'S EVENING AUDIENCE, HE SENT A CLEAR 
NEGATIVE SIGNAL TO OMAR AND THE NIF.  RELATIONS BETWEEN 
LIBYA AND SUDAN'S FUNDAMENTALISTS HAVE NEVER BEEN CLOSE. 
THE RECENT ARREST OF 200 "ISLAMISTS" IN LIBYA WAS NOTICED 
BY SENIOR NIF MEMBER WHO COMMENTED ON QADHAFI'S ANTIPATHY 
TOWARD ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM.  THE GOL-GOS UNITY 
DECLARATION AND THE FEW ALMOST INSIGNIFICANT STEPS TO 
IMPLEMENT IT HAVE NOT HELPED THE RELATIONSHIP. 
 
5.  MOST SUDANESE WERE PLEASED WITH QADHAFI'S SPEECH, 
SINCE THEY SEE IT AS A DIRECT ATTACK ON THE NIF.  THEY 
ALL NOTE THAT "NO SUDANESE COULD HAVE SAID WHAT QADHAFI 
SAID."  MANY BELIEVE THAT EGYPT'S MUBARAK WAS BEHIND THE 
SPEECH; IF NOT, HE ALMOST CERTAINLY WAS CONSULTED.  IN 
ANY EVENT, THE MESSAGE IS THE SAME THAT MUBARAK 
REPORTEDLY GAVE OMAR A YEAR AGO DURING HIS VISIT TO 
KHARTOUM.  DIPLOMATIC SOURCES HAVE TOLD US THAT AS BLUNT 
AS THE SPEECH WAS, QADHAFI WAS EVEN MORE BLUNT IN PRIVATE 
DISCUSSIONS OVER NIF INFLUENCE, SHARIA AND SUDAN'S 
INABILITY TO FEED ITSELF IN SUCH A RICH COUNTRY.  HE ALSO 
REPORTEDLY CRITICIZED THE PROLIFERATION OF GENERALS IN 
THE SPAF, NOTING THERE WERE "TOO MANY STARS ON THEIR 
SHOULDERS."  . 
 
6.  QADHAFI'S OFFER TO INTERCEDE WITH GARANG IS PROBABLY 
MORE SHOW THAN SUBSTANCE.  QADHAFI STILL MAINTAINS CLOSE 
TIES TO FORMER INTERIOR MINISTER MUBARAK AL FADIL AL 
MAHDI, COUSIN OF THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER SADIQ AL MAHDI 
AND SENIOR UMMA PARTY OFFICIAL, WHO SIGNED AN AGREEMENT 
WITH GARANG EARLIER THIS YEAR.  QADHAFI THUS HAS A 
COMMUNICATION CHANNEL IF HE WISHES TO USE IT.  AS FOR 
QADHAFI'S THREAT TO TURN AGAINST GARANG, HE IS ALREADY 
FURNISHING SIGNIFICANT MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO THE GOS. 
 
7.  QADHAFI'S PERFORMANCE MAY WELL FEED DOUBTS AMONG THE 
GOS LEADERSHIP ABOUT HIS RELIABILITY AS AN ALLY AND 
FURTHER STIMULATE THEIR COURTSHIP OF IRAN, WHICH THEY ARE 
SCHEDULED TO VISIT IN EARLY NOVEMBER. 
 
 
CHEEK