Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK1438
2006-08-01 15:55:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
USUN New York
Cable title:  

NHLAPO BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON LRA AND NORTHERN

Tags:  PGOV PREL SU UG UNSC KPKO 
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R 011555Z AUG 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9714
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0931
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 0244
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0323
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA 0911
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0671
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0788
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 8842
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
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

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