VZCZCXRO4313
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #1764/01 3170513
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 130513Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9143
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001764
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, S/CRS, AF SE NATSIOS,
NSC FOR PITTMAN AND HUDSON
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV DPKO UN AU SU
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR PEACEKEEPING TO PRESS SUDAN
ON UNAMID TROOPS
1. (SBU) Summary: On November 11, visiting UN Assistant
Secretary-General (A/SYG) for Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet
SIPDIS
briefed Ambassadors in Khartoum on UNAMID deployment issues. While
in Sudan, Mulet will seek Sudanese commitment on outstanding issues
including approved composition of UN-African Union Mission in Darfur
(UNAMID) troops. End summary.
NO GOS AGREEMENT ON TROOPS
--------------------------
2. (SBU) Mulet said that the UN and African Union (AU) have agreed
on the composition of the UNAMID deployment, but the Government of
Sudan (GOS) has not responded formally to the UN's offer of troops.
He said he is in Sudan to press the Government of Sudan (GOS) on
this issue. He said the UN believes the African character of UNAMID
has been respected in its proposal to the GOS, with 75 percent
African troops and only specific technical capabilities provided by
non-African troops.
3. (SBU) Mulet said that by mid-week he hoped to resolve the issue
of composition with the GOS. Mulet said that the UN will not wait
for a final approval from the GOS on the overall UN/DPKO proposal
before deploying troops; troops will be deployed as soon as there is
GOS approval for each commitment. He added that 80 percent of the
offered troops have been authorized by the GOS. He said the GOS has
been receptive in preliminary discussions, promising that all issues
would be resolved. However, Mulet said the UN expects
administrative roadblocks further down the Sudanese chain of
command.
QUALITY OF TROOPS
----------------
4. (SBU) Mulet pointed out that it's difficult to find troops for
most UN peacekeeping missions, especially troops and equipment that
are up to UN standards. He said that helicopters were offered by
one nation (Jordan) but were refused as they did not meet UN
standards. The Canadian representative asked whether additional
helicopters will be needed, and if so, must they be operated by the
donor nation's own military? Mulet replied that 18 transport
helicopters are still needed and must be operated by the nation's
own military so they can be deployed quickly.
UNAMID CIVILIAN COMPONENT
-------------------------
5. (SBU) Asked if there was a concern regarding civilian recruitment
for UNAMID, Mulet said that civilian recruitment is well underway.
As an example, he said that the deputy for UNAMID administration
will arrive this week, and that additional recruitment will continue
in "an effective way." He noted that it was very difficult to hire
civilians and police officers for UNMIS, and similar challenges
would likely affect UNAMID recruitment.
LOGISTICS REMAIN A CONCERN
-------------------------
6. (SBU) Mulet said he is concerned about logistics, and noted that
UNAMID still needs two heavy-truck transport units. He said that
GOS red tape continues to delay resolution of issues such as landing
rights and night flight clearances but was optimistic those issues
would be soon resolved. He added that local governments in Darfur
also slow down implementation by asking for documents "as if there
was another border between them and Khartoum." He asked the
embassies present to press the GOS on these concerns (Note: CDA will
be doing so later this week with State Minister of Foreign Affairs
Al-Samani al-Wasila). However, Mulet stressed "we will be ready by
January 1."
IS THE TIMETABLE TOO OPTIMISTIC?
--------------------------------
7. (SBU) The Turkish representative opined that the UNSCR 1769
timetable is too optimistic and asked if the A/SYG sincerely
believes that UNAMID will be operational by December 31? Mulet
replied that the initial operational capability will be ready by
then, but full operational capability will take many more months.
"This all will take time and will be completed in stages," he said.
THE LIBYANS QUESTION NEED FOR EUROPEANS
------------------------------- -------
8. (SBU) The Libyan representative said that given that the African
nations have provided sufficient numbers of troops and the Europeans
can provide technical support without a military presence, why
KHARTOUM 00001764 002 OF 002
should the UN continue to pressure the GOS to accept European
troops? Mulet replied that no European country has offered combat
troops - only engineering capabilities. He said other troops, such
as the Thais and Bangladeshis, are ready to deploy now and so the
GOS should consider their use.
SEPARATE MANDATES BUT COORDINATION TO CONTINUE
---------------- -----------------------------
9. (SBU) Mulet noted that with the recently-arrived UN Special
Representative for the Secretary-General Ashraf Qazi and the
standing-up of the UNAMID headquarters in El-Fasher, UNMIS could now
focus more exclusively on implementation of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA). He noted that UNMIS and UNAMID have separate
mandates and separate organizational structures. Nonetheless, he
said that he expected cooperation between the two UN missions in
Sudan to continue and added that to facilitate this, the UN has
created an UNMIS-UNAMID coordination unit.
10. (SBU) Comment: Although the briefing was intended to allay
concerns that the UN has been slow to organize UNAMID deployment, it
is clear that many hurdles remain. The UN will have to be more
nimble administratively and aggressive politically if they are to
work around GOS roadblocks and administrative entanglements that the
Sudanese are so effective at erecting. Mulet did not raise the
issue of UNAMID radio authorization.
FERNANDEZ