Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK1976
2006-10-13 23:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:  

US/UK/UN TRILATERAL ON UN ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ

Tags:  PREL PGOV UNSC IZ PINS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9298
OO RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUCNDT #1976/01 2862329
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 132329Z OCT 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0467
INFO RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J-3// IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5/DDPMAW// IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5/UNMA// IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/WHITEHOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE
RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0546
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001976 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/I, IO/UNP, AND S/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC IZ PINS
SUBJECT: US/UK/UN TRILATERAL ON UN ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ


Classified By: DEPUTY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MOLLY PHEE, FOR REASONS 1.4 B
/D

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001976

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/I, IO/UNP, AND S/I

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC IZ PINS
SUBJECT: US/UK/UN TRILATERAL ON UN ACTIVITIES IN IRAQ


Classified By: DEPUTY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MOLLY PHEE, FOR REASONS 1.4 B
/D


1. (C) Summary: The UN met with the UK and U.S. missions
October 12 to discuss the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq
(UNAMI),the Iraq Compact and related issues. UNAMI has
temporarily withdrawn most staff from its Basrah office after
MNF-I withdrew assets, although it plans on returning once
their headquarters in Basrah Palace Island are functional.
D/SRSG von der Schulenberg will lead a visit to Kirkuk
beginning October 15 to examine the possibility of opening a
sub-office there. UN officials also raised the need to start
planning for the "morning after" the adoption of the Iraq
Compact. They emphasized the importance they attach to
Constitutional Review, which they see as the best chance of
reconciliation for Iraq. End summary.

UNAMI OPERATIONS


2. (C) UNAMI recently withdrew the bulk of its personnel from
Basrah, said Darko Mocibob, political affairs officer from
the UN,s Department of Political Affairs (DPA). Only a
security officer and a military advisor remain following
MNF-I,s withdrawal of certain support assets, including
emergency evacuation support. Mocibob said this was
temporary. The UN has concluded a concept of operations
agreement with Romania, whereby Romanian troops will provide
inner and outer ring security to the UN,s sub-office in
Basrah. Meanwhile, planning continues for the UN to occupy
buildings A and B in the Basrah Palace Island complex.
Regarding the U.S. request to temporarily occupy building C,
Mocibob said the UN will likely approve it, although certain
liability issues will need to be resolved.


3. (C) Mocibob said the UN has completed its move to the
Tamimi compound in Baghdad, and is now fast-tracking a
procurement request to provide overhead protection for all
parts of that compound. Planning continues for the UN,s
permanent facility, slated to open in April 2008. UNAMI and
DPA continue to press for the Secretary General,s approval
of a plan to use commercial air to fly from Amman, Jordan

directly to Erbil. SRSG Qazi and UN Undersecretaries Gambari
and Vaness have separately pushed for the Secretary
General,s approval, but no decision has been made, said
Mocibob. Mocibob added that the Danes have finished an
assessment visit to Kuwait related to their plan to dedicate
a C-130 for UNAMI use. The Danes plan an inaugural flight in
early January, said Mocibob.


4. (C) Mocibob and senior political affairs officer Jehangir
Khan noted that D/SRSG von der Schulenberg plans to visit
Kirkuk beginning October 15. Schulenberg will examine
political and support arrangements for the possible opening
of a UNAMI sub-office in the Kurdish region. Khan said UNAMI
may request U.S. and UK support in setting up an office.
Poloff and the UK poloff encouraged the UN officials to work
towards opening an office in Kirkuk, given the many upcoming
political and voting issues in the region. Mocibob took on
board these comments, but added that the UN is "not entirely
sure of the Iraqi welcome."

IRAQ COMPACT


5. (C) Khan said the October 9 technical meeting in Baghdad
of the Iraq Compact turned out "better than most."
Nevertheless, he said the political and security chapters of
the draft need to be much more specific, and need to contain
the same type of performance benchmarks as in the economic
portion. The Europeans and the Japanese insisted on this
point, Khan said. He added that it was important for the
international community and especially the Iraqi government
to begin planning for the "morning after" the signing of the
Iraq Compact. It would take "heavy lifting" by both the
Iraqi government and its political parties to implement the
Compact, said Khan.


6. (C) Khan also raised DPM Barham Salih,s desire that
Kuwait host the high level preparatory meeting at the end of

USUN NEW Y 00001976 002 OF 002


October or beginning of November, and Saudi Arabia host the
final signing ceremony. Currently, Kuwait has offered to
host the signing ceremony and Saudi Arabia has offered to
host the high level preparatory meeting. Khan urged the U.S.
and UK to ask Salih not to insist on switching sites for the
two meetings. Salih and the Iraqi government would likely
offend both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia by trying to switch the
hosting of the two meetings, said Khan.


7. (C) Khan said Russia had approached the UN and asked to be
invited to the signing ceremony. This might make sense, said
Khan, especially since the Russians hinted that an invitation
might give them an incentive to legally and technically
cancel the debts Iraq owed them.

CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW


8. (C) Khan and Mocibob noted that Iraq,s Council of
Representatives has finalized a Constitutional Review
Committee and is drafting terms of reference for the review.
UNAMI and the UN are ready to assist, said Khan, and consider
the constitutional review process to be Iraq,s "last, best
chance for reconciliation." It is a vehicle for a peace
treaty between Iraq,s people, said Khan. Although the UN
supported PM Maliki,s National Compact, it should be a
complement to the constitutional review process, not a
substitute, said Khan.


9. (C) UNAMI has recruited their constitutional expert Fink
Haysom to continue to provide support, said Khan. Haysom
plans to follow "a more prescriptive and robust approach"
than before. Although the UN and UNAMI are poised to help,
they have received mixed signals regarding the willingness of
all parties to negotiate, said Khan. It is unclear whether
the Kurds and the Shias are willing to do the hard bargaining
necessary for the constitutional review process, Khan
concluded.
BOLTON