VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHKM #1660 3641357
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291357Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1022
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0102
UNCLAS KAMPALA 001660
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR IO/PSC TANAZ KHAMBATTA, AF/E NOLE GAREY
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO SO ET UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON UNSC RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING
UNMISOM
Ref: SECSTATE 134229
1. (SBU) Summary: Post communicated points in reftel
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uganda on
December 24 and followed up on December 29. Though
Kampala was not an action addressee, Post delivered
the points because Uganda will assume its seat on the
UN Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2009. The
Government of Uganda (GOU) will likely raise these
points in the UNSC if the debate on the resolution
continues in the New Year. The GOU welcomes the U.S.
resolution, and strongly opposes the UK version, which
does not call for a UN Mission in Somalia (UNMISOM).
Furthermore, the GOU urges those drafting the
resolution to broaden the mandate of the UNMISOM
mission, adopting language to give forces a larger
geographic area in which to operate, to establish and
train national security institutions, and to canton
forces associated with the Djibouti Peace Agreement
(DPA). The GOU also believes the resolution should
call for capacity building of Somali judicial and
administrative officials and describe the DPA as the
"principal element" of the search for peace in
Somalia. End Summary.
2. (SBU) Emboff met with Isaac Sebulime, head of the
Department of Multilateral Treaties and Organizations
at the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December
24, following up with a phone call on December 29 to
discuss the competing UK version of the resolution,
which does not authorize an UNMISOM. Sebulime said
Uganda welcomed the U.S. version of the draft, and
strongly opposed the UK version of the same. "There
is no way [the UK proposal] can fly with us here," he
said. "It is not even a fraction of what we want."
3. (SBU) Uganda had five specific recommendations to
make in regard to the U.S. draft:
a) The geographic mandate of the UNMISOM mission
should be broadened. The United States should
consider language in the resolution that more
specifically allows UNMISOM to address the sources of
insecurity outside of Mogadishu and "at least in the
hinterland around Mogadishu" where the sources of
insecurity were based, Sebulime said. Otherwise,
the UNMISOM personnel, locked in the city, would be
"sitting ducks."
b) The force should have a mandate to play a role in
security sector reform, specifically creating and
training a Somali National Army. This role is
critical in addressing the causes of insecurity in
Somalia, which include the breakdown of security
institutions, he said. In addition, the international
community should be able to raise funds for the paying
of soldier salaries.
c) The GOU recommends including language in paragraph
14 describing the DPA as "the principal element" in
the search for peace. This is necessary to send a
clear signal to the President of the Somali
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and to others in
the region, including the Government of Eritrea, to
ensure their support of the agreement does not wane,
Sebulime said.
d) The resolution should call for the cantonment of
forces associated with the DPA in and around Mogadishu
to encourage responsibility and accountability. This
will also facilitate their possible integration into
national institutions later.
e) Hand-in-hand with the peacekeeping mission, there
should be government institution capacity building,
particularly of administrative and judicial officials.
"We are focusing too much on security sector reform,"
he said. "We should concentrate at least at some level
on the capacity of those responsible for running the
systems of government," he said.
BROWNING