US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2827

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002827 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SU, NL 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/SUDAN: NEXT STEPS ON DARFUR - SLM 
DIVISIONS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 190682 
 
1. (SBU) On October 18, POLOFF shared reftel proposal to move 
the Abuja peace talks forward with Hagar Lightvoet (Policy 
Officer, Sudan Task Force, Dutch MFA).  Lightvoet greeted the 
news enthusiastically and promised to share the proposal with 
Fred Racke, Dutch Ambassador-at-Large for Africa.  Lightvoet 
expressed confidence that the GONL would support the proposal 
to hold meetings with SLM leaders on November 8-9 
 
2. (SBU) Lightvoet asserted that the GONL is equally 
committed to moving forward with the Abuja talks.  She added, 
however, that the Dutch are "sometimes doubtful that it's 
possible with the current leadership." Lightvoet explained 
that Racke, who recently returned from the Abuja talks, was 
disappointed to find a complete breakdown in dialogue between 
Menawi and Wahid as well as between the members of the SLM 
present at the Abuja talks and those in the field. Lightvoet 
attributed this breakdown to growing rifts between the two 
predominant ethnicities of the SLM. 
 
3. (SBU) Lightvoet asked to be kept informed of British, 
Norwegian, and French responses to reftel proposal.  She made 
clear, however, that the Dutch position would be determined 
independently. 
BLAKEMAN