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Cablegate: Guidance for 13 May 2008 Un Security Council

Published: Fri 9 May 2008 11:55 PM
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OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHC #9804/01 1310002
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 092355Z MAY 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1715
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGI/AMEMBASSY BANGUI 1030
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 049804
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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO PREL PGOV UNSC SU
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR 13 MAY 2008 UN SECURITY COUNCIL
CONSULTATIONS ON UNAMID
1. PURPOSE: This is an action request. The Department
asks that USUN draw upon the following points for the United
Nations Security Council briefing and consultations on the
African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur
(UNAMID) on 13 May 2008.
--We welcome Secretary-General Ban's 9 May 2008 report on the
deployment of UNAMID. Rapid and effective deployment of
UNAMID is a fundamental element of the international
community's strategy for peace in Darfur. With that in mind,
I would like to address four main issues: 1) the security
situation, particularly the recent government of Sudan (GOS)
bombings 2) UNAMID deployment, particularly the urgent need
to implement the new enhanced deployment plan, 3) the
political process, particularly the urgent need to appoint a
full-time mediator, and 4) sanctions, particularly noting
that the recent GOS bombings violated the UN arms embargo.
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1. SECURITY SITUATION
----------------------
-- We continue to be gravely concerned by the security
situation in Darfur. We condemn the May 4 and other recent
bombings by the government of Sudan (GOS) in north Darfur,
including
the GOS's bombing of civilian locations, such as a school,
water installations, and a market where civilians
(especially women and children were present) in the villages
of Um Sidir, Ein Bassar and Shegeg Karo. UNAMID
reported that a number of people had been killed during these
attacks, including children and women. In addition,
we utterly condemn the Sudanese Armed Forces' retaliation in
response to a Justice and Equality Movement attack on
April 12, which resulted in 62 civilian casualties. The
GOS must end its use of violence immediately. This very
Security Council has demanded that the GOS cease
conducting offensive military flights in and over the Darfur
region. The GOS must fulfill its responsibility to
protect civilians and its commitments to disarm the janjaweed
and provide professional police that can offer
some baseline security. Sudan must also cease support for
Chadian rebels based in Sudan, and Chad must stop
providing support for Sudanese rebels in the region.
-- We understand that UNAMID played a helpful role in
response to the recent north Darfur attacks, including
assistance with medical evacuations. The GOS must allow
UNAMID full freedom of movement and not hamper UNAMID
in carrying out its mandate, in accordance with the Status of
Forces Agreement (SOFA), and we urge the UN to take a
strong stand against any violation of the SOFA. These
attacks also underscore the need for UNAMID to find an
effective way to monitor the ceasefire. We look forward to
the work of the Ceasefire Commission in investigating
these attacks and for UNAMID to press ahead in carrying out
its mandate, which has protection of civilians at its
heart.
--An immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties
remains the highest priority. Sudan must fulfill its
commitments and disarm the janjaweed. Also among the highest
priorities, all parties must comply with the 28
March 2007 humanitarian communiqu,. In addition, we
emphasize we are closely watching the situation between
northern and southern Sudan. We are particularly concerned
by violence in the oil-rich Abyei area, where several
hundred people have died in recent clashes. The GOS must not
fuel the violence by arming the Misseriya militia.
All parties must abide by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,
including the findings of the Abyei Boundaries
Commission.
---------------------
2. UNAMID DEPLOYMENT
---------------------
--We continue to be deeply concerned by the slow deployment
of UNAMID. We welcome the UN Department of
Peacekeeping Operations' new enhanced deployment plan. We
strongly support the deployment of urgently
needed engineering assets from all available sources to speed
construction of infrastructure to allow for
deployment of additional UNAMID units. We also strongly urge
the UN to use its ample budget to contract
civilian assets to help meet critical engineering and
STATE 00049804 002 OF 002
logistics requirements. Our Special Envoy Richard
Williamson continues to work with the Friends of UNAMID to
engage proactively with every major part of the
process required for UNAMID deployment, including the UN
Department of Peacekeeping Operations and troop-
contributing countries (TCCs). The United States has devoted
substantial resources to training and equipping
TCCs. Rwanda, for example, will be ready to deploy 647 new
troops in June, and we urge UNAMID to be ready to
absorb such deployments. We strongly urge all Security
Council members to support the UN goal of a substantial
increase in troops and police for UNAMID this summer and 80
percent of the full force by the end of the year.
-We continue to seek missing assets that UNAMID desperately
needs: helicopters, transport units,
multi-role logistics unit, one aerial reconnaissance unit,
and multi-role engineering unit. We urge member
states to help fill these gaps.
--The GOS must fully cooperate and end its obstructions to
UNAMID's deployment. In addition to ending its blatant
use of force in Darfur including against civilians and
UNAMID, the GOS must accept the UN-AU list of TCCs, allow
night flights without time limits, provide access to land and
water for UNAMID camps, and grant timely visas and
customs clearances. The GOS must ensure that attacks such as
the 7 January 2008 unprovoked attack on a UNAMID
convoy never happen again.
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3. POLITICAL PROCESS
---------------------
-Although the primary obstacle to peace in Darfur is the will
of the parties, the United Nations and member states
must do more to push for rapid deployment of UNAMID, which
would improve security on the ground and create a
better space within which the United Nations-African
Union-led political process can advance. With a sense of
urgency which we hope is shared by the UN and troop
contributors, we look forward to the rapid implementation of
the enhanced deployment plan. The UN has ample funds to more
robustly prepare for, and support, its
TCCs deployment and it should use every authority at its
disposal to meet these goals and carry out the Plan.
--To advance this process for Darfur, we urge the immediate
appointment of a Joint UN-AU Chief Mediator to
be based in Sudan to lead the political process on a
full-time basis.
--We continue to urge the GOS and the government of Chad
(GOC) to respect the 13 March 2008 Dakar Accord and are
encouraged by developments made by the members of the Contact
Group. The GOS's attempt in February to overthrow
the Chadian government by supporting Chadian rebels was
utterly unacceptable as is Chadian support for Sudanese
rebels. Both the GOS and GOC must end support of rebel
attacks across their border. The GOS and GOC must instead
protect civilians and cooperate with deployment of
peacekeeping operations to provide robust protection. We
are also encouraged by the Contact Group's efforts to discuss
implementation of a border force to monitor the
Chad-Sudan border.
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4. SANCTIONS
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- We urge all member states to support and implement fully
the existing UN arms embargo prohibiting arms
transfers to the Government of Sudan in Darfur and to all
non-governmental persons operating in Darfur wherever
located and the targeted sanctions imposed against designated
Sudanese individuals. We urge any countries
permitting arms sales to the GOS to share with the Council
what assurances they have received that the weapons will
not be used in the Darfur region and would appreciate
information on how they will monitor end use. We note
that the movement by the GOS of arms and military equipment
into the Darfur region, which enabled the April and May
bombings of this reporting period, constitutes a violation by
the GOS of the arms embargo, and is inconsistent with
its other obligations and responsibility to facilitate safe
delivery of humanitarian assistance. Further UN
measures must remain on the table to make facts on the ground
match our rhetoric.
RICE
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