Cablegate: Lra Talks Resume, New Position Papers Requested

VZCZCXRO5145
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1978 2311746
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191746Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4223
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001978

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS UN UG SU
SUBJECT: LRA Talks Resume, New Position Papers Requested

Ref: Khartoum 01942

1. (SBU) After taking a three-day break, talks between Uganda and
the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) resumed on August 18. During the
break, taken to mourn fallen LRA Commander Raska Lukwiya, Chief
Mediator Riek Machar asked both parties to return with new position
papers that had room for compromise. According to an observer from
UN OCHA, a delegation from Northern Uganda comprised of Acholi,
religious, and civil leaders, as well as members of the Ugandan
parliament, used the recess to work with the LRA delegation and
encourage them to develop more realistic demands that better reflect
the desires of the Northern Ugandan people. These leaders are
reportedly worried that the largely diaspora negotiating team has
only a limited understanding of the situation on the ground.

2. (SBU) Like the LRA negotiating team, the Northern Ugandan leaders
appear to be keen on using these talks to address the grievances of
all Northern Ugandans, even if that is not LRA leader Joseph Kony's
priority. The UN OCHA observer commented that if these negotiations
were being done in the bush directly with Kony, it would "be over in
two weeks." However, Kony would only negotiate for his own safety
and that of his commanders, and the root causes of the conflict
would not be addressed.

3. (SBU) The UN OCHA observer reiterated that support from the
international community would be necessary to guarantee any
agreement, and that the negotiations would go faster with
international support. He was concerned that most capitals were
making their decisions based on the 2004 negotiations led by Ugandan
representative Betty Bigombe, while not recognizing that the
situation for the LRA has completely changed. Acting Consul General
repeated that the United States has no plans to become involved in
the talks and that the USG will continue to be active in the contact
group discussions in New York.

HUME

© Scoop Media