UN/IRAQ: MARCH 23 TRILATERAL MEETING ON UNAMI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000602 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2014 TAGS: PREL UNSC PGOV IZ SUBJECT: UN/IRAQ: MARCH 23 TRILATERAL MEETING ON UNAMI STAFF AND SECURITY REF: USUN 576 Classified By: Ambassador John R. Bolton, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Begin Summary. During the March 23 UN-U.S.-UK trilateral meeting on UNAMI staff and security, UN Secretariat staff gave an update on UNAMI staff and electoral SIPDIS assistance. They said Japan remains interested in providing aviation support for UNAMI and reviewed the U.S. list of potential sources of aviation support for UNAMI, which was provided in the March 16 U.S.-UN high level dialogue on Iraq. The UN agreed to approach Brazil, to seriously consider an approach to Turkey, and possibly to ratchet up the pressure on Belgium and Denmark. USUN PolOff said we are prepared to help the UN to find aviation support, but we need to come in behind and support senior-level UN efforts. End Summary. UN Staffing -------------- ¶2. (U) Staff Numbers: DPA Iraq deskoff Darko Mocibob provided updated numbers of UN international staff in Iraq: in Baghdad, there are 81 civilian staff, 133 in the Guard Unit (one guard died last week of natural causes),and 21 personal security detail (PSD) guards; there are 9 in Basra and 8 in Erbil. The current total of UN staff - civilian and military - in Iraq is 252. ¶3. (SBU) Electoral Staff: UNAMI has six electoral experts in Baghdad. Before deciding UNAMI's next steps in electoral assistance, they are awaiting Iraqi decisions on local elections, a new electoral law, and a new Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI). Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) Iraq deskoff Kamal Akrame said the UN is hiring a new chief technical advisor (CTA) for the electoral team and has a short list of three. USUN has separately heard that Jeff Fischer recently left IFES and is likely one of the three. Akrame said EAD wants the new CTA on board in advance of the early May lessons learned conference and to participate in those discussions in Cyprus. Dedicated Aircraft -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Joint Staff Non-Paper. At the March 23 trilateral and in a subsequent March 24 phone call, USUN pursued with DPA and DPKO representatives the non-paper provided to the UN by S/I Ambassador Jeffrey at the March 16 U.S.-UN high level dialogue (reftel). According to this non-paper: Brazil, France, Spain, and Turkey have appropriate counter-measures (CM's),and the UN should approach them; Belgium and Denmark have CM's and are interested in supporting the mission, but do not have aircraft available before late in the year; and Bangladesh, Bolivia, Egypt, Jordan and Oman do not have CM's, but if they were provided, might be interested in the mission. USUN PolOff said we want to help UNAMI to obtain a dedicated aircraft, but we need the UN to push at more senior, political levels, if our Principals are going to follow up. ¶5. (C) Mocibob said France and Spain have said quite clearly that they will not provide UNAMI the aircraft, and DPA sees no change or likelihood of change in this position. He said the UN has not previously approached Brazil for support in Iraq and agreed that DPA would do so - first with a diplomatic note laying out the details of the request and then with a political-level approach to the Brazilian Mission. USUN urged that U/SYG Gambari personally make this approach and asked Mocibob to let us know the results and how the U.S. can follow up. Mocibob said the UN has discussed aviation support informally with the Turkish Mission, but has not made a formal request because of concerns about the political implications of bringing Turkish aircraft into Northern Iraq. PolOff urged DPA to think seriously about this option and whether it might not work. USUN NEW Y 00000602 002 OF 002 ¶6. (C) USUN PolOff pressed Mocibob for Gambari to call the Belgian and Danish PermReps. At the working-level, DPA has made significant efforts, but a higher-level push is now required. Mocibob agreed to recommend that Gambari make these calls. ¶7. (C) Mocibob reported that UN-Japan talks are proceeding, and the Japanese MOD will likely send a technical team to assess the situation in Erbil. He underscored that the potential Japanese offer would not meet all UNAMI needs, but would be useful and could be part of a solution to UNAMI's aviation support requirements. ¶8. (C) Mocibob and DPKO's Joe Warren said the UN is very reluctant to use aircraft that do not already have CM's. They said even if the CM's were obtained, it would take time for crews to be trained to use them. USUN PolOff urged the UN not to reject out of hand potential contributors without CM's, especially Egypt. Mocibob and Warren said UNAMI has hired a chief aviation officer who arrives Amman March 26, and he will consider all the options for UNAMI aviation and submit recommendations by the end of May. USUN PolOff urged more rapid consideration of the issue. Recommendations by late May will not facilitate deployment of additional substantive staff to Erbil in early May, by when the guard unit should be in place Erbil -------------- ¶9. (C) Mocibob reported that the fifty-five person Fijian guard unit destined for Erbil should arrive Kuwait April 28 and Erbil May 8. The timing is coordinated with the rotation of the Baghdad guard unit to reduce costs of the Fiji-Kuwait transport. Department of Safety and Security (DSS) will recommend the SYG increase the Erbil staff ceiling from 12 to 15 or 18 to allow additional civilian security and administrative staff to prepare for the guard unit's reception. DSS will also recommend that during this time UNAMI use AirServe (commercial air) on an exceptional and case-by-case basis between Amman and Erbil. DSS will subsequently recommend revised ceiling in Erbil for substantive staff; however, they want to know what aviation support Japan will provide before making this recommendation. USUN is concerned that the SYG will be reluctant to increase the Erbil ceiling significantly without dedicated aircraft and that this disconnect has not been resolved. BOLTON