VZCZCXYZ0001
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLO #2025 2171551
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 041551Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9383
INFO RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0111
RUEHNJ/AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA PRIORITY 0102
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1240

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 002025 
 
SIPDIS 
NOFORN 
 
EMBASSY N'DJAMENA PLEASE PASS TO S/E WILLIAMSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2018 
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO MOPS SU UK
SUBJECT: (C/NF) SUDAN/UNAMID: UK "PERPLEXED" OVER USG 
ABSTENTION ON MANDATE RENEWAL  REF: A. USUN 693      B. LONDON 1862  Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Mills, reasons 1.4 (b/d).  

¶1. (C/NF) UK Special Representative for Sudan Michael O'Neill and other FCO contacts intimated to us August 4 that HMG is "perplexed" at the USG's decision to abstain in the UNSC's recent vote on the UNAMID mandate renewal (reftel A).  They said that the USG's abstention put the U.S. out in front of HMG in support of the ICC, which is especially awkward for the UK because HMG is trying to remain as flexible as possible on its ICC policy in order to push progress in Darfur (reftel B).  They commented that it seemed unusual for the USG to take such a hard-line position on the ICC since the U.S. is not party to the Rome Treaty.  

Comment -------  

¶2. (C/NF) HMG was clearly taken aback by the USG's decision to abstain on the UNAMID mandate renewal.  HMG has been particularly sensitive to ICC-related issues since it decided to maintain a flexible policy on President Bashir's potential indictment.  At the August 23 P-3 talks on Sudan in London, HMG's main objective will be to build P-3 consensus on how to move forward in the UN on the Bashir indictment, so that HMG does not feel over-exposed and is not surprised again during an UNSC vote.  Visit London's Classified Website: XXXXXXXXXXXX LeBaron