NHLAPO BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON LRA AND NORTHERN

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001438 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SU UG UNSC KPKO SUBJECT: NHLAPO BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON LRA AND NORTHERN UGANDA REF: USUN NEW YORK 1404 ¶1. (SBU) On July 28, the Director of the Africa I Division in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, Welile Nhlapo, updated the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the threat of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda. He noted that the progress of peace talks in Juba, Southern Sudan, between the Government of Uganda (GOU) and the LRA, is slow and suggested the deployment of a Special Envoy to facilitate dialogue and reconciliation. Members had divergent views on the issue of deploying an Envoy: the U.S. was skeptical about the need for an Envoy, the UK emphasized that an Envoy is essential to gaining the support of the international community, and others, including African members, made it clear that their support was contingent on the success of the next round of talks in Juba. Nhlapo also discussed the possibility of expanding the mandates of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) to address the LRA threat, noting that UNMIS was not configured or equipped to take on additional responsibilities. He also brought up the need for further discussions about the funding sources of the LRA. UK Ambassador Jones Parry expressed support for the imposition of sanctions against those who provide financial and logistical resources to the LRA. Jones Parry, along with the representatives from France and Denmark, also supported the idea of convening an experts meeting as soon as possible to discuss incorporating these issues into a forthcoming resolution (text contained reftel). END SUMMARY. ADDRESSING WAYS TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS DURING JUBA TALKS ¶2. (SBU) Director Nhlapo characterized the recent talks in Juba as a 'promise' from the GOU and the LRA that they would continue to work towards addressing the crisis in northern Uganda, and he called for confidence-building measures to support the process. Nhlapo noted that some positive progress had been made on the humanitarian front, including the relocation of 40,000 IDPs to decongestion camps and the increase in humanitarian aid access in the region. Nhlapo pointed out the strides made on the issue of child protection, noting the accomplishments made by Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, during her June 3 meeting with President Museveni, where she secured Museveni's commitment for increased engagement with UNICEF. Nhlapo pointed out that, despite this progress, much remains to be done to ensure security in the region. He lamented the infrequent meetings of the Joint Monitoring Commission, which needs greater GOU commitment to succeed. ¶3. (SBU) Ghanaian Ambassador Effah-Apenteng suggested conducting broader Council discussions about enhancing the role of the Joint Monitoring Committee, which in its first meeting, neglected to address issues such as cessation of hostilities, IDP return and resettlement, funding and participation of local Ugandan authorities and NGOs. Nhlapo stressed that the only way for long-term success to prevail is not through a military solution but through the GOU's attention to the root causes of the conflict and through the solicitation of support from regional actors and the international community. Several members, including the representatives from China, Russia, and Qatar, stressed that the GOU bears the primary responsibility for addressing the LRA problem, protecting its civilians, and holding perpetrators accountable. EXPANSION OF UNMIS AND MONUC MANDATES HAS MIXED SUPPORT ¶4. (SBU) Nhlapo addressed the possibility of expanding UNMIS and MONUC mandates to include provisions for dealing with the LRA threat in the region. He stressed, however, that both operations are fully engaged in carrying out their current mandates, especially MONUC, whose 17,000 troops have the hefty task of monitoring the elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on July 30 and in subsequent rounds. He went on to say that current UNMIS forces do not have the resources or capacities to take on another role in addition to their work in southern Sudan. Ambassador Jones Parry of the UK disagreed, saying that a coordinated effort is needed to disarm and demobilize the LRA. He pointed out that UNMIS could provide an extra source of protection and support against LRA incursions and suggested that the UNSC consider mandate expansions after the elections in the DRC have taken place. Greek Ambassador Vassiliakis noted that expanding UNMIS' and MONUC's mandates would mean increasing their resources, and stated that his delegation is ready to support both. Ambassador Wang of China said that, while he encourages further discussions about an expansion, the peacekeeping operations should not attempt to replace the regional governments and that the UNSC should be accordingly careful. POL Mins-Couns noted that the U.S. sees the role of UNMIS and MONUC as less operational and more geared towards encouraging the responsibility and coordination of regional states in efforts to counter the LRA threat. HESITATIONS REGARDING THE DEPLOYMENT OF SPECIAL ENVOY ¶5. (SBU) Nhlapo reiterated SYG Annan's support of deploying a Special Envoy to monitor and facilitate the peace talks and encourage the progress made thus far in Juba. Nhlapo reminded Members that, in order for the Envoy to complete his mission successfully, he would need a comprehensive and clear mandate. UK Ambassador Jones Parry expressed his delegation's support of the deployment of a Special Envoy, stating that his office would offer its help in coordinating efforts to disarm and demobilize the LRA. Ambassador Loj of Denmark expressed support for the appointment of an Envoy but said that the Council must first address issues such as a timeline and logistics before a deployment could occur. POL Mins-Couns expressed skepticism about the alleged progress made in Juba, noting that key LRA leadership was not present and that the LRA was not a legitimate political entity. He also reminded Members about the role that ICC indictments of LRA leadership played in influencing in the talks. Ambassador Jones Parry acknowledged the doubts surrounding the talks in Juba, but stressed that it is necessary to encourage the process to see if it leads to a solution for ending the conflict. Most delegates agreed with the comments from Ambassador Effah-Apenteng of Ghana, who said that it is necessary to wait for the outcomes of the next round of talks in Juba before committing to the deployment of a Special Envoy. He did, however, concede that since the UN negotiated for the talks in Juba, it follows that it should be able to ensure the success of the talks. FUNDING SOURCES FOR LRA SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED ¶6. (SBU) Several Members, including Ambassador Effah-Apenteng of Ghana, Congolese Ambassador Ikouebe, and the Qatari representative, agreed with Nhlapo's suggestion that the UNSC should begin examining the funding sources of the LRA. Ambassador Jones Parry of the UK suggested the possible imposition of targeted sanctions against those who provide financial support to LRA members, an idea seconded by Danish PermRep Loj. ¶7. (SBU) Nhlapo pointed out that the GOU did not support the idea of appointing a panel of experts to investigate sources of LRA funding and equipping, since it claims to have its own "sufficient information" on these questions that it would be willing to share with an eventual Special Envoy. Nhalpo added that SYG Annan hopes to encourage the GOU to share information on LRA supply lines. Ambassador Jones Parry suggested convening an experts meeting as soon as possible to discuss the issues of mandate expansions, sanctions, and a Special Envoy in the context of a resolution. Ambassador Loj and the French Deputy PermRep Duclos supported Ambassador Parry's suggestion to organize an experts meeting within a few weeks. UKUN has proposed a meeting with USUN on August 2 to discuss the resolution text. ¶8. (SBU) Several Members, including Ambassador Jones Parry, noted their interest in receiving a follow-up report once the next round of talks in Juba have taken place. Ambassador Jones Parry emphasized the need for the topic of northern Uganda to remain as a regular item on the UNSC agenda because of the consequences of the ongoing conflict and its effect on the stability of the region. POL Mins-Couns posed the question to the Secretariat of whether this issue would appear under the rubric of northern Uganda or the LRA on the UNSC agenda. After Russia expressed reservations about this issue, the French Presidency deferred the discussion to subsequent consultations expected during the Ghanaian Presidency in August. BOLTON