GOMA NOTES 06/07/08: UN SECURITY COUNCIL VISITS GOMA

UNCLAS KINSHASA 000513 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS PHUM PREF KPKO CG UN EUN SUBJECT: GOMA NOTES 06/07/08: UN SECURITY COUNCIL VISITS GOMA ¶1. (SBU) Visiting UNSC ambassadors, including Ambassador Garvelink representing the U.S., listened with interest and appreciation June 7 to arguments advanced by Apollinaire Malu Malu, President of the Independent Electoral Commission and National Coordinator of the Amani Program, for support to extend state authority, support security sector reform (SSR) and assist stabilizing eastern Congo. He stressed the need for further resources to demilitarize of all foreign and Congolese armed groups to support parallel progress in the Goma and Nairobi processes. ¶2. (SBU) The ambassadors asked EU Great Lakes Special Envoy Roeland van de Geer and A/S Frazer's Senior Advisor Shortley to detail their current and ongoing engagements both processes. Van de Geer echoed Malu Malu's arguments that significant resource and capacity gaps threaten successful conclusion of both processes. He pressed the ambassadors to help mobilize resources to meet on-the-ground security, protection and stabilization requirements. ¶3. (SBU) The ambassadors asked what specific action they could take in New York to respond to these needs. Van de Geer called for temporary deployment of special forces equipped with force multipliers, including intelligence and logistic resources, as a critical surge to implement the Nairobi and Goma process and, ultimately, assist in securing MONUC's exit from the Congo. ¶4. (SBU) Shortley noted that such a surge capacity could assist not only with disarming the FDLR or Nkunda, but with civilian protection and "push operations" against the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Congo, in coordination with governments of the region. He stated that recent LRA activity in Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan had resulted in the abduction of 300-500 persons, displacement of 5,000 people. He said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) believes that the LRA has ongoing training programs and multiple camps between Garamba in Congo and Obo in the CAR along the Sudanese border. ¶5. (SBU) The ambassadors asked SRSG Doss if MONUC needed additional capacity to deal with the FDLR, Nkunda and LRA or to implement the Nairobi and Goma agreements. Doss said that specialized capacity, particularly intelligence and logistics, is needed to deal with LRA and FDLR forces,. Doss stated that MONUC had not envisaged implementing the Goma and Nairobi agreements,which were signed after its late 2007 planning pocess. He said that significant forces are needd to secure "disengagement and demilitarization reas." ¶6. (SBU) The ambasadors were supportive of the temporary surge concept, and agreed to discuss it further with MONUC, the Congolese government and within the Security Council. GARVELINK