VZCZCXRO4810
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHC #6846/01 1730121
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 210120Z JUN 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 2260
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 066846
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO PGOV PREL SU
SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS FOR AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD'S 6/24
BRIEFING
In consultations on Tuesday, June 24, 2008, following the
briefing by UN Special Envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson and
African Union Special Envoy for Darfur Salim Ahmed Salim,
USUN may draw on the following points:
The United States would like to extend its appreciation to
both UN Special Envoy for Darfur Jan Eliasson and African
Union Special Envoy for Darfur Salim Ahmed Salim for their
presentations today as well as for their efforts to restart
the political process in Darfur aimed at achieving a peaceful
solution to the crisis in Darfur. With that in mind, I would
like to make three points.
First, we remain gravely concerned about the continuing
violence in the region. We strongly condemn the May 10th
attack on Omdurman, Sudan by the Justice and Equality
Movement (JEM) and the June 11th attack by Chadian rebels in
Eastern Chad. The Security Council should stand ready to
consider consequences, including sanctions, for those who
continue to threaten peace and stability in the region.
In recent months, violent attacks by forces of the Government
of Sudan and rebels operating in the area have resulted in
significant civilian casualties and a large increase in the
number of internally displaced persons.
The United States continues to urge all parties to
immediately cease hostilities and to refrain from preemptive
and counter attacks that contribute to the disruption of the
distribution of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
Second, the United States is disappointed with the current
impasse in the Darfur political process and the political
dynamics that further complicate the prospects for peace in
Darfur. We must continue to press the principal parties to
the conflict to engage in a dialogue aimed toward a peaceful
resolution. We stress the importance of improving the
political climate in Sudan by easing tensions between Chad
and Sudan and implementing the North-South Comprehensive
Peace Agreement, especially the latest roadmap on Abyei.
These actions would create conditions conducive to a
successful political process.
- IF THEY ANNOUNCE A MEDIATOR: The United States is very
pleased that the chief mediator has been appointed and looks
forward to collaborating with him or her closely for a
relaunching of the Darfur peace negotiations.
- IF UN/AU DOES NOT ANNOUNCE A MEDIATOR: The United States is
disappointed that the appointment of a chief mediator has not
yet been finalized and we strongly encourage the Secretary
General to expedite this process. Concerned countries stand
ready to assist the Secretary General in identifying
appropriate candidates and supporting a chief mediator as
that individual takes up his or her important duties.
Third, through our efforts with the Friends of UNAMID group,
we continue to wholeheartedly support and encourage the UN's
efforts to reach its goal of having 80% of the UNAMID's
authorized deployment completed by the end of 2008. Recent
events have shown that the protection of civilians in the
Darfur region remains disturbingly inadequate. As the
protection of civilians is at the heart of UNAMID,s purpose,
deployment of these forces will help create a more stable
security environment conducive to new political talks. While
we welcome the recent news that the contingent-owned
equipment for the Chinese engineers in Nyala has reached its
destination, allowing for the arrival of the main Chinese
party by July 1, we are reminded by this single success of
the multitude of other critical benchmarks that have yet to
be met.
Overall, we are concerned that the steps taken toward UNAMID
deployment have been inadequate and insufficient to achieve
the UN's year-end deployment goal. We remain convinced that
the only way to make this ambition a reality is to confront
the challenges that have made and are continuing to make
deployment so difficult.
The United States calls on the Department of Field Support to
redouble its efforts to create the logistics infrastructure -
especially new camps - so that UNAMID will more quickly
absorb troops and improve its
operational capabilities. The current pace and level of
civilian support for UNAMID is also inadequate. The UN must
dedicate its best leaders and support personnel to UNAMID in
order to ensure its success.
STATE 00066846 002 OF 002
The United States remains deeply troubled by the Government
of Sudan,s continued efforts to obstruct
UNAMID deployment and operations. The Security Council and
key bilateral partners must continue to press the Government
of Sudan to:
-- Stop delaying customs clearances and visa processing;
grant full airport access, freedom of movement and
communications access; facilitate the acquisition of suitable
land for camp construction and communications for UNAMID and
its implementing partners; and
-- End its opposition to non-African personnel in UNAMID,
including Thai troops, Nepalese Police, and international
headquarters and contract staff.
The United States also recognizes the important role UN
member states and troop contributing countries have to play,
and calls on the international community to meet its
responsibility by reinvigorating its efforts to source and
deploy attack and utility helicopters, medium and heavy
transport units, multi-role logistics and engineering units,
and an aerial reconnaissance unit.
For its part, the United States will continue to work with
African UNAMID troop contributing countries on a bilateral
basis, executing a $100 million project to provide nearly
6,000 personnel from six African troop contributing countries
with the equipment and training necessary to deploy and
operate successfully in Darfur.
Conclusion
----------
The United States reiterates its strong belief that the
situation in Darfur represents a humanitarian crisis that
demands immediate attention and action from the international
community. We remain firmly committed to the success of
UNAMID as it seeks to bring about an end to the Darfur crisis
and lead the way toward a peaceful resolution of the
conflict. In order to achieve this success, the
international community must act quickly and in concert in
order to assure that the UN and humanitarian agencies
currently in the region are able to operate to their fullest
potential.
RICE