RWANDA ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIGALI 000495 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM RW SUBJECT: RWANDA ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING REF: STATE 68168 Classified By: Ambassador Michael R. Arietti, reason 1.4 (B/D) 1.(C) Ambassador met with Foreign Ministry Minister of State Rosemary Museminali on May 23 to discuss reftel points on Darfur peacekeeping. Muselinali expressed the GOR's support for a strong hybrid UN/AU force in Darfur. She agreed that appointment authority must be shared by AU and UN representatives, with hiring done by the UN; she agreed that the mandate must be Chapter VII; she agreed that force composition should be largely African; and she agreed that financing, logistics and regulatory regimes should all be UN-based. She did express GOR interest in a precisely defined command structure and operational control, while acknowledging the need for overall UN command. She also mentioned that continuing arrears and logistical problems affected the morale of the of AU forces in the field, and she said that Rwanda stood ready to send a fourth battalion when these various problems had been corrected. ARIETTI