UN OFFICIAL IN KUWAIT TO BE QAZI'S DEPUTY IN IRAQ

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 004314

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2014
TAGS: PREL PTER MARR MOPS AORC IO IZ KU
SUBJECT: UN OFFICIAL IN KUWAIT TO BE QAZI'S DEPUTY IN IRAQ


Classified By: Ambassador LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (a) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY Ambassador LeBaron met twice recently with
the United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim and United
Nations Development Program representative, Paolo Lembo, to
discuss the growing role of the UN in Iraq and the
surrounding region. Lembo stated that the UN would, in time,
fully return to Iraq as the security situation improved, but
that its presence in neighboring countries, in support of
Iraq, would increase until such a move was possible. Lembo
added that the Kuwait office of UN Assistance Mission for
Iraq (UNAMI) would serve as a base for information and
movement throughout southern Iraq while a secondary office in
Baghdad would begin the work of restarting the UN's role in
country. Lembo who has been in Kuwait for five months,
specializes in post-conflict areas and will take on the role
of Deputy UN representative to Iraq. Lembo is in the UN camp
that wants to do more in Iraq and believes the UN turned the
corner on this issue at the Sharm el Sheikh conference. (END
SUMMARY)


2. (C) In a November 29 meeting with the Ambassador, the UN
Resident Coordinator ad interim and UNDP representative Paolo
Lembo provided an update on the presence of the UN within
Kuwait and Iraq. He said the current security situation in
Iraq prohibited a return of a full office, so the UN
Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) office would be working
from Kuwait to establish an administrative and financial base
for southern Iraq and to coordinate the work of the twelve
international organizations currently operating in Kuwait.
The UNAMI office will be located in the former headquarters
of UNIKOM and will be fully operational by December 31. The
Kuwait office will be used as a base from which staff will be
able to conduct day trips to Basra.


3. (C) Lembo said it is very likely that the UN will
re-establish the UN Reconstruction office in Iraq. Instead,
its director will be based in Amman and its deputy director
will be in Baghdad as a liaison with Iraqi authorities. On
the deployment of two UN personnel security detachments
(PSDs) to Baghdad, Lembo stated that the Fijian and Romanian
officers had arrived in Kuwait, ahead of their move to Iraq,
and were currently training with Coalition Forces. There is
also a Fijian company which will make up a UN guard unit in
Baghdad. He added that there had been very good cooperation
between Coalition Forces and the UN units.


4. (SBU) Lembo said he had high hopes for the UN,s role in
Iraq and the organization was eager to be involved in the
post-election period. The UN will seek to build on the work
of Coalition Forces, using whatever infrastructure is already
in place and not recreating the wheel.


5. (C) Lembo called on the Ambassador again on December 5 to
advise that he had been formally asked to depart his post in
a week to begin duties as Ashraf Qazi's deputy in Iraq.
Qazi advised him of the appointment during a short stop in
Kuwait over the previous weekend. Lembo will travel to
Amman for security training and to New York for
consultations, and arrive in Iraq in January.
Lembo described his job in various ways:
-- help bring coherence to the efforts of UN agencies based
in Amman;
-- help Qazi understand the intricacies of the UN, and help
him access resources as needed within the UN system;
-- help coordinate UN efforts with U.S. forces and other
international actors in Iraq.


6. (C) Lembo said that the UN is about to name a "UN
Coordinator" in Amman to pull together UN activities. This
post is also likely to get a deputy, who will be on Qazi's
staff in Baghdad. Lembo predicted that UN total staffing
in Iraq (including security) would reach 200 in 2005. He
noted that the UN had turned the corner on moving forward
more vigorously in Iraq at the Sharm al Sheikh conference.
Lembo is eager to get to Iraq. He said that he thrives on
conflict and post-conflict situations and therefore feels his
skills will be best put to use in Iraq. Lembo is frank
about the sharp differences of opinion among UN staff in the
field and in New York about the appropriate role for the UN
in Iraq. He also knows that not all UN staff is as
enthusiastic about Qazi as he is, and he is very pleased with
Qazi's direct approach, not infected by years of UN
experience. Lembo is looking forward to working closely
with the U.S. team in Iraq.


7. (C) BIO NOTE: Lembo is an enthusiastic interlocutor. He
speaks elegant English, (at length). He is clearly in the
camp of UN staff that believes in full UN engagement in Iraq.
He commented, for example, that he was disappointed that
due to its limited presence on the ground the UN had no
ability to follow-up significantly in Falluja after the end
of the combat there.

8. (U) Baghdad minimize considered.

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