UNAMI DSRSG SCHULENBURG SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 002859 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM UN IZ SUBJECT: UNAMI DSRSG SCHULENBURG SAYS HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT NOW IN NEW YORK Classified By: Ryan C. Crocker for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). -------------- Human Rights Report -------------- ¶1. (C) The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) second quarter human rights report has been sent to New York for clearance, said Deputy Special Representative to the Secretary General (SRSG) and Charge d'Affaires Michael SIPDIS Schulenburg in an August 23 meeting with the Ambassador. Schulenburg said that the report would be "slightly milder in tone" than the first quarter report, but that the Embassy would be given only a two or three day courtesy advance copy. Schulenburg stated that he disagreed with how the U.N. is handling the report; he says that he wrote to Under Secretary General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe to object to the timing, its tone, and the lack of consultations with both the Government of Iraq (GOI) and the U.S. ¶2. (C) In a frank discussion, the Ambassador noted how the last iteration of the report damaged UNAMI's relationship with the GOI, and that the GOI had an expectation that they would be allowed to preview and comment on the second quarter report before its release. If the expected consultation does not occur, it will create a more severe problem than the last time - it will color their whole perception of the new mandate, warned the Ambassador. (Note: The USG also expected to be allowed to preview and comment on the report before its release. End Note) -------------- Key Personnel Changes -------------- ¶3. (C) Schulenburg stated that the recent appointment of David Shearer as Deputy SRSG for Humanitarian Affairs was done without consulting either the GOI or SRSG Ashraf Qazi. Shearer is from an NGO background, warned Schulenburg, and will prefer to work with NGOs rather than with the GOI, which may further fuel the GOI's suspicions of the UN's intentions. Schulenburg felt that, as the U.N. is an inter-governmental organization, such an attitude of non-cooperation with the GOI is inappropriate. Schulenburg noted that the continuing delay in appointing the new SRSG is creating key staff retention problems and mentioned that Chief of Staff Farid Zarif has decided not to renew his contract. He also lamented that after several months they still had not found a replacement for Senior Constitutional Advisor Dr. Nicholas Haysom. CROCKER