UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 001566

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/SPG, AF/RSA, AF/E.
LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS.

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR SU AU
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: UN U/S GENERAL GUEHENNO LAYS OUT NEXT
STEPS FOR AMIS TO UN OPERATION TRANSITION



1. (SBU) Summary: United Nations Undersecretary General
Jean-Marie Guehenno met with the Charge and Admiral Hunt June
7 to review the AMIS to UN transition efforts and his views
of next steps. By the time he returned to Khartoum, he hoped
that he would be able to gain greater clarity on the mandate
and agreement about the nature of the transition. He
believed that the best case scenario for the transition from
AMIS to UN is January 2007. Guehenno worried that the
biggest challenge now was the interim period. Guehenno noted
that much was expected of the US politically as it was the
real catalyst in getting the agreement and now the US and
others need to keep the political momentum going. Guehenno
said that to overcome misperceptions of a UN "invasion" he
and the UNSC -- also visiting the AU -- must work with Sudan
to create a foundation of cooperation at all levels. The
message that Guehenno wanted us to take home was the same one
we received from the President of the UNSC, AMIS must not
fail in the next six months and to avoid that we must find
ways to enhance its performance and capacity. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On the eve of the joint UN-AU trip to Sudan and
Chad, Charge Huddleston, accompanied by the Combined Joint
Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) Rear Admiral Richard
Hunt and poloff, met June 7 with United Nations Department of
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) Undersecretary General
Jean-Marie Guehenno, DPKO Africa Division Director Dmitriy
Titov, DPKO Africa Division Senior Political Affairs Officer
Michael Gaouette, Head of the UN Assistance Cell to the AU
Major General Henry Anyidoho, and Deputy Special
Representative of the Secretary-General for the UN Mission in
Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Azouz Ennifar.


3. (SBU) Guehenno's itinerary for the remainder of the UN
visit includes travel to Khartoum, Darfur, southern Sudan,
and Chad.

FOUNDATION OF COOPERATION
--------------


4. (SBU) Undersecretary General Guehenno told the Charge
June 7 that his primary mission over the next three to four
wee

ks was to "educate" the Sudanese on the strategic value of
a UN operation, begin building cooperation at all levels of
the GOSS necessary for a successful transition, and lay the
foundation for negotiating the required changes associated
with the operation. Guehenno emphasized that the UN
operation would be significantly different than the AMIS
operation and his intention was to send a "message of
strength." In Guehenno's view, the transition should be
clear cut rather than a gradual transition. There must be a
clear change in the way the force is used, if public
perceptions are to be changed, he said. Utilizing the same
command and overall structure would dent the UN mission's
credibility. Guehenno said the UN mission should start from
the top of the mountain not by climbing up. He indicated the
UN operation would require a more robust force with a
largely, though not entirely, African composition. Guehenno
said certain operational activities, such as night patrols,
currently forbidden by the GOSS will need to be revisited.
The Undersecretary said that an ultimate solution to the
Darfur crisis may include "blood money," compensation to all
involved parties.

AMIS IN "STATE OF DESPAIR"
--------------


5. (SBU) Guehenno pointed out little support had been given
to AMIS since the decision was made to transition to a UN
mission. He added that the partners had provided little or
no support in the past few months and allowance had not been
paid. Guehenno contended that AMIS must be strengthened over
the next six months to ensure any measure of success. He
also said AMIS's success will determine the UN mission's
success. Major General Anyidoho warned that lack of funds to
pay salaries, weapons, gear and other equipment had led to a
"state of despair" at AMIS and without assistance a
deteriorating situation will be "dropped in the lap" of the
UN. Anyidoho said African countries were not in a position
to offer assistance and AMIS would need to rely on the UN,
United States, Canada, and other countries.


6. (SBU) Guehenno agreed that AMIS must not be allowed to

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fail prior to the UN handover and said the UN Secretary
General was looking for a solution that was not just limited
to troops as there were weaknesses in the area of command and
control. He said even if the troops were ready -- the South
Africans have already indicated a readiness to deploy --
there would be no facilities to house them. The
Undersecretary noted that given the circumstances perhaps the
smart option was to enhance the capacity of AMIS with
targeted assistance that will improve its performance.
Guehenno mentioned that setting up the Joint Operation Center
(JOC) and/or UN personnel to shadow the AMIS personnel to
learn and to reinforce their capacity would be two
possibilities. Admiral Hunt indicated that the USG would
like to provide the J2 and J9 to the JOC and that the EUCOM
mission now in Addis might be able to also assist in this
endeavor. He also stated that NATO is looking at 300-400
troops to assist the UN Mission.

USG ROLE
--------------


7. (SBU) Guehenno said that security for UN personnel --
given the Al Qaida threat -- was a serious matter that they
will need help on. Any intelligence of long or short term
nature from the USG on this would be appreciated. General
Anyidoho said that in his view there were two sets of issues
for the US military, namely what to do now with AMIS and what
to do in the future with the UN. In his opinion, the US
could be most useful in providing intelligence and mobility -
air forces.
HUDDLESTON