LIBERIA: SECURITY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON UNMIL DRAWDOWN

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000731 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: LI PGOV PREL SUBJECT: LIBERIA: SECURITY COUNCIL FOCUSES ON UNMIL DRAWDOWN ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. UNMIL SRSG Doss briefed the UN Security Council on progress on political and security fronts in Liberia, focusing most of his presentation on explaining the recommendations of the Secretary-General's August 8 report (S/2007/479) for a drawdown in UNMIL operations and personnel. In endorsing the drawdown plan, Doss said he was satisfied the planned force levels would ensure that UNMIL could react to developing threats while keeping Liberians motivated to increasingly assume security responsibilities. He allowed that he would like to add a regional stability benchmark to the criteria the plan envisions for continuation of the drawdown once initiated. Several members endorsed the drawdown plan in principle with Russia hoping for an accelerated drawdown and South Africa concerned that the drawdown not signal unintended international community encouragement of those who would resist progress. The UK welcomed the initial drawdown target of 2,450 troops and called for further force reductions to be carefully keyed to benchmarks of progress. USUN also endorsed drawdown in principle, adding that the USG is analyzing the SYG's specific recommendations and that USUN would be circulating a draft UNMIK resolution in the near future. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) In September 6 Security Council consultations, Alan Doss, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for UNMIL, described the security situation in Liberia as generally calm and indicated continued progress on several fronts -- including recruitment and training of armed forces and police personnel, border security, combating of trafficking in persons and narcotics -- could be reasonably expected assuming the arrival of urgently-needed donor funds. ¶3. (SBU) The comments of SRSG Doss and Security Council members focused primarily on the three-phase drawdown plan detailed in the SYG's August 8 report -- repatriation of 2,450 troops between October 2007 and September 2008 followed by three months of assessment, repatriation of 500 administrative personnel between January 2009 and August 2009 in conjunction with a restructuring from four security sectors to two, and repatriation of 2,191 troops between September 2009 and December 2010. ¶4. (SBU) Doss said the drawdown plan was based primarily on the findings of the UN technical assessment mission, led by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, that visited Liberia June 11-22. He said the plan attempted to balance a need to allow reaction to serious threats as they emerged with a need to keep Liberians motivated to assume security responsibilities. The international community had brought stability to Liberia, he said, that would play a crucial part in creating hope in "a new dawn" for all West Africa. ¶5. (SBU) Doss expressed some uneasiness over the benchmarks built into the drawdown plan, endorsing those enumerated but allowing that others should be added that would evaluate regional security, the rule of law, and gender issues. ¶6. (SBU) South African PermRep Kumalo endorsed the drawdown but cautioned that it be done carefully to avoid sending unintended messages to Liberians that the international community was pulling out and to Liberian "pockets of resistance" that security was being compromised. UK Political Counselor Johnston urged the implementation of the first drawdown phase (repatriation of 2,450 troops) but called thereafter for a cautious stocktaking, keyed to benchmarks. He suggested that the Council might then conclude that later phases "may be able to go further" by way of redeployments. Belgium Deputy PermRep Belle also expressly endorsed the first drawdown phase as dovetailing with the UNMIL renewal draft he expected the U.S. to circulate. Russia cited the demands likely to be made on UN peacekeeping capacity by Chad, CAR, Darfur, and Somalia as demanding "greater creativity" in other peacekeeping operations, including a possible "acceleration" of the UNMIL drawdown. ¶7. (SBU) Speaking for USUN, Ambassador Sanders commended UNMIL's performance, especially regarding border security coordination with area UN missions and governments, and endorsed an UNMIL drawdown in principle, adding that Washington analysts are carefully evaluating the SYG's specific recommendations. She said the U.S. would circulate a draft resolution in the near future. KHALILZAD