VZCZCXRO1852
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0054/01 0291950
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291950Z JAN 10
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8088
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000054
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU AF
SUBJECT: UNMIS ENTERS CRITICAL PHASE; COUNCIL URGES
POST-REFERENDA PLANNING
1. Summary: On January 26, U/SYG Le Roy briefed the
Security Council on the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). Le Roy
acknowledged that difficult issues still must be resolved and
noted that the upcoming African Union Summit in Addis would
provide an opportunity to harmonize strategies. Council
members discussed security, upcoming elections, protection of
civilians, preparations for the referenda, and the need for
the UN to begin planning for its post-referenda presence in
Sudan. End Summary.
U/SYG Le Roy on UN Priorities
-----------------------------
2. Under Secretary-General for the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy briefed the Security
Council on January 26 about the critical period that lies
ahead for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA). Le Roy identified the key remaining issues as
creating a space for credible elections, including allowing
freedom of speech and assembly; reaching agreement on census
results, resource and wealth-sharing; and border demarcation,
including implementation of the Permanent Court of
Arbitration (PCA) decision on Abyei. He noted that the AU
Summit in Addis would allow the UN and the AU to harmonize
their approaches to these issues. Le Roy also said that the
UN was extremely concerned by the level of violence in the
South and the availability of weapons, and that the mission
would prioritize protection of civilians (POC).
P-5 Views
---------
3. Ambassador Rice discussed escalating violence in southern
Sudan, noting that increased weapons flows had been a major
factor fueling this violence. She asked the UN to help
determine who is responsible for these weapons inflows. Rice
also acknowledged that while security is the responsibility
of the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), UNMIS could do
more to protect civilians. She urged the UN to assist with
preparations for the referenda and to report in greater
detail on these preparations in its next report. Rice
encouraged the UN to begin considering how its presence in
Sudan post-referendum should be defined, indicating that the
Council would welcome recommendations from the
Secretary-General.
4. Both the UK and France urged the Secretariat to begin
considering reconfiguration of UNMIS post-referenda, with the
UK specifically asking how the UN would interact with the
African Union High Level Panel on Darfur (AUPD), led by
former South African President Mbeki. Both urged the UN to
appoint a strong SRSG to replace SRSG Qazi. The UK
emphasized that elections must take place on time because any
resulting delay to the referenda would result in renewed
hostilities. France said that the number one priority for
UNMIS should be POC.
5. Russia emphasized the important role of the AU and
neighbors in CPA implementation. Regarding the future
presence of the UN in Sudan, Russia stressed that the parties
to the CPA must be consulted in a timely fashion. Both
Russia and China stated that increased pressure should be
placed on rebel groups to engage in the Darfur political
process so that an agreement could be reached prior to
elections.
African Council Members Views
-----------------------------
6. Both Uganda and Nigeria said that the potential for
conflict in Sudan remains high. Nigeria and Gabon urged
implementation of the AUPD recommendations, and Gabon
expressed strong support for unity and the holistic approach
of the AUPD. Uganda welcomed the joint efforts of UNMIS and
MONUC to address conflict created by the Lord's Resistance
Army (LRA) but urged more robust POC measures. Uganda also
referenced as significant the statement that President Bashir
made in Yambio, Western Equatoria State, concerning the
National Congress Party's willingness to respect the result
of the referendum if the people voted for separation.
Other Council Member Views
--------------------------
7. Lebanon praised Bashir's Yambio statement and stressed
that unity must be made attractive, welcoming the efforts of
the Mbeki panel to deal with Sudan holistically. Brazil,
Japan, Turkey, Mexico, Austria, and Bosnia joined the broad
Council consensus on the importance of POC, as well as
providing a secure environment for both elections and the
referenda, along with planning for the post-referenda period.
USUN NEW Y 00000054 002 OF 002
Le Roy Response
---------------
8. Le Roy reassured the Council that UNMIS' first priority
would be POC, and that the mission was implementing a draft
POC strategy now. He said that the UN is in constant contact
with the Mbeki panel, stressing that the Secretary General
would attend the AU Summit with the goal of harmonizing UN
and AU efforts. Le Roy stated that pin-pointing the source
of weapons flows into Sudan would be difficult but
undoubtedly helpful. He said that the next UNMIS report in
April would take stock of the UN presence post-referenda, and
that the Secretary General would name SRSG Qazi's successor
within the next few days.
RICE