UN/IRAQ: APRIL 13 U.S.-UK-UN TRILATERAL MEETING ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000796 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/14/2007 TAGS: PREL UNSC PGOV IZ KU JA SUBJECT: UN/IRAQ: APRIL 13 U.S.-UK-UN TRILATERAL MEETING ON UNAMI STAFF AND SECURITY REF: : A) USUN 576 B) USUN 602 C) BASRA 50 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor William J. Brencick, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Begin Summary. During the April 13 UN-U.S.-UK trilateral meeting on UNAMI staff and security, UN Secretariat staff gave an update on UNAMI staff and security SIPDIS concerns, especially in southeast Iraq. They reported requests to the Brazilian and Turkish Missions for a dedicated aircraft for UNAMI and continued, fruitful discussions about some aviation support with the Japanese. Kuwait has ratified the Status of Mission of Agreement (SOMA) for the UN, and U/SYG Guehenno will brief the UNSC on the February assessment mission to the Iraq-Kuwait border. End Summary. UN Staff and Security -------------- ¶2. (U) Staff Numbers: Department of Political Affairs (DPA) Iraq deskoff Darko Mocibob provided updated numbers of UN international staff in Iraq: in Baghdad, there are 80 civilian staff, 133 in the Guard Unit, and 21 personal security detail (PSD) guards; there are 12 in Basra and 4 in Erbil. The current total of UN staff - civilian and military - in Iraq is 250. ¶3. (C) Mocibob and Vince Kennedy from the Department of Safety and Security (DSS) expressed concern about the increased number of recent security incidents, which they said were 3-4 times more frequent this week than each of the last few weeks, and especially about security in southeast Iraq. They queried whether there was a particular trigger for the UK staff drawdown. (ref C). Dedicated Aircraft -------------- ¶4. (U) The UN delivered a note verbale to the Brazilian and Turkish Missions requesting a dedicated aircraft for UNAMI. Michael Williams, the Director of the Asia and Pacific Division (APD) of DPA followed this up in a meeting with the Turkish MF Iraq Coordinator Celikkol on the latter's recent visit to New York, and the Turkish Mission has subsequently sought additional technical details. ¶5. (C) Mocibob said a joint MFA-MOD team had come from Tokyo to discuss providing a UNAMI flight once a week to travel Kuwait-Baghdad-Erbil-Kuwait, but the Japanese have said they will take a final decision in the context of their broader decisions about presence and capacity in Iraq. Apparently the Japanese asked Mocibob whether this additional flight would be sufficient for SYG Annan to expand the UN presence in Erbil. Mocibob said he could not be certain, but it would certainly help. According to Mocibob, the Japanese said they will need the MNF-I command to approve the Japanese commitment of its aircraft to UNAMI, and initial reactions have been positive from the UK, but negative from the U.S. Kuwait Issues -------------- ¶6. (U) Mocibob reported that after lengthy delay, the Kuwaiti Parliament has ratified the Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) with the UN. UN officials in Kuwait are crediting the February border assessment mission as the Kuwaitis' motivation. ¶7. (U) DPKO's Eliza Kimball said U/SYG Guehenno would brief the UNSC April 17 on the February assessment mission. She said that he would anticipate a request for MNF security assistance when he discusses preliminary plans for an October mission to renovate the border posts. U.S./UK PolOffs reminded Kimball and DSS that an early, formal request for such assistance would be needed. Vince Kennedy said we should have a request by late April. BOLTON