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
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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
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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.

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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
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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