SOUTH SUDAN: VISIT OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL TO JUBA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001368 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSTIVE E.O. 12958 :N/A TAGS: PPREL PGOV PHUM EPET SU UN SUBJECT: SOUTH SUDAN: VISIT OF UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL TO JUBA ¶1. Summary. The UN Security Council paid a whirlwind visit to Juba on June 8. Led by UK Permanent Representative Emyr Jones Parry, the delegation spent much of its time in meeting with United Nations staff. The only other meetings were with GoSS President Kiir and Vice President Machar and select ministers and a one-hour presentation by the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA). Kiir disclosed during a press event that a Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) delegation was in Juba, but the visit otherwise broke little new ground. End summary. -------------- -------------- UNMIS Brief and the Combined Joint Military Commission -------------- -------------- ¶2. The visit began with a short briefing in the airport VIP lounge by UNMIS Regional Coordinator James Ellery, who discussed the security situation throughout South Sudan, including the LRA, other armed groups still at large, tribal conflicts, and indiscipline within the LRA. He briefly described UNMIS military deployment and scope of mission. ¶3. The delegation moved to the UNMIS Sector I headquarters to attend a session of the Combined Joint Military Commission, which provided the participants the flavor of the relationship between the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). There was a sharp exchange between the two sides following a question raised by U.S. Ambassador Jackie Wolcott Sanders about the status of Abyei. The SAF also threw out for the first time a new demand - that now that the SAF was pulling out of southern towns, and especially Juba, the SPLA was also obliged to withdraw. -------------- Salva Kiir Offers Views -------------- ¶4. The delegation moved to the main hall of the SSLA for its next meeting with Salva Kiir, Riek Machar and a handful of GoSS ministers. Kiir presented a set piece presentation on difficulties with the implementation of vital parts of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including the Abyei Boundary Commission decision, the Joint Defense Board and formation of Joint Integrated Units, and the failure of the National Petroleum Commission to resolve contentions over production and wealth sharing. In particular, he stressed that a failure to deal with Abyei could spark a return to war. Kiir said that one major cause of delay had been the death of John Garang; the second the National Congress Party's unwillingness to implement key CPA provisions. He concluded by noting that without implementation, there was no agreement, and without an agreement, there would be conflict. ¶5. Turning to the GoSS, Kiir said that the South was struggling to establish basic institutions. There was no infrastructure, and the rule of law had not been established. Kiir answered a number of questions, saying that the GoSS had committed to universal primary education in English. On Darfur, he said the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was unpopular with many Darfurians who felt that peace had been imposed. He said that it was necessary to bring in Abdul Wahid to help strengthen the DPA. On the role that others should play in helping Sudan to break out of its cycle of conflict, he said that the international community should press the Government of National Unity to respect the CPA. Wealthy countries that have not yet contributed to rebuilding the South of Sudan should help the GoSS through training of police and civil servants. ¶6. In a press event following the meeting, Jones Parry emphasized the determination of the UNSC to make the CPA succeed. Asked about GoSS mediation between the Government of Uganda and the LRA, Kiir repeated the three options he had offered the LRA - mediation, return home, or military force. He acknowledged that an LRA delegation was in place. -------------- The Assembly Gets its Turn -------------- ¶7. After lunch, the UNSC met with SSLA Speaker James Wani Igga and select MPs. After a long retrospective on KHARTOUM 00001368 002 OF 002 the history of the SPLM, Wani Igga spoke about the CPA, essentially repeating the litany of grievances earlier presented by Kiir. He made several inaccurate statements, including a claim that only ten percent of SAF troops had been withdrawn from the South. Wani Igga opened the floor to other speakers, who addressed a variety of topics: gender inequality, the need to fight corruption, and the vital role the international community must play to help South Sudan succeed. The most impressive speaker was an MP who predicted that UNSC failure to put peacekeeping troops into Darfur would graduate Sudan from rogue to failed state. He noted that he was born and grew up in war; he consequently was convinced that failure to solve Darfur would lead to failure of the CPA. -------------- NGOs and UN Country Team -------------- ¶8. The final session was a truncated meeting with NGOs and the country team that ended early to allow the delegation to depart before the 6:00 p.m. closure of Juba's airport. The format was question and answer, with the range of NGO/UN participants contributing in their areas of expertise. -------------- Sandstorm prevents timely return to Khartoum -------------- ¶9. A military briefing over dinner at the UK Amb's residence in Khartoum had to be canceled when the UNSC's plane was diverted to Port Sudan due to a bad sandstorm in Khartoum. They finally arrived back in Khartoum near midnight. STEINFELD