SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR SOMALIA BRIEFING

UNCLAS STATE 123238 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XW SUBJECT: SOMALIA: TALKING POINTS FOR SOMALIA BRIEFING ¶1. USUN is instructed to draw from the talking points in paragraph 2 for the UN Security Council briefing and consultation on Somalia to be held on November 20. ¶2. Begin points: -- We would like to thank the (DPA official),(DPKO official),as well as the IMO Secretary-General Mitropoulos for their briefings this morning. -- The United States retains keen interest and concern for Somalia. Despite political progress under the framework of the Djibouti Peace Agreement and follow-on dialogue, Somalia is once again embroiled in political battles among the leadership of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). In addition, the security and humanitarian situations continue to paint bleak pictures for the lives of everyday Somalis. -- The United States reiterates its support for the dialogue process in Djibouti under the leadership of SRSG Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah and for the process outlined by the Transitional Federal Charter. Once again, we call upon all Somali stakeholders, including the leadership of the TFG, to engage constructively in this process in the interest of establishing lasting peace, stability, and effective governance in Somalia. -- In paragraph 103 of the November 17 UN report on Somalia, the Secretary-General states that the international community's strategy for addressing the multiple threats to regional stability that emanate from Somalia should be coherent. We could not agree more. The Council cannot take a piecemeal approach to dealing with these problems. The problem of Somalia piracy is a direct result of the lack of rule of law and poverty on the ground. The political situation impacts the security situation, and vice versa. The humanitarian situation is a direct result of the security situation and so on. -- The United States is encouraged by the signing on October 26 of the Cessation of Armed Confrontation Agreement as well as an agreement to form a unity government between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia (ARS). Along with the Djibouti Agreement, these positive developments signal real political progress on the ground. However, this political progress is being threatened by the deteriorating security situation. The international community must take immediate steps to stabilize the situation so that the political process can continue. -- The United States notes with appreciation the Secretariat's concept brief for an International Stabilization Force/Multinational Force. -- The United States, however, was disappointed with the conops for a UN Peacekeeping Operation to Somalia. The United States does not agree that an assessment team needs to be on the ground to develop a feasible concept of operations, nor do we agree that a peacekeeping operation must be preceded by an International Stabilization Force/Multinational Force. Therefore, the United States will continue to push for an additional conop for a UN PKO for Somalia with a limited mandate, a geographic focus on southern and central Somalia, and one that is not dependent on the deployment of a preceding Multinational Force/International Stabilization Force. -- We understand that it is the recommendation of the UN Secretariat that first an International Stabilization Force/Multinational Force must pacify the area before a UN PKO can be deployed, but we respectfully disagree. The United States feels it is only prudent to have contingency planning for every scenario. -- On piracy, the United States tabled this morning a resolution on Somalia piracy to renew the authorities provided in UNSCR 1816. It is obvious from this week's news that piracy is still a significant problem, and that these authorities must not be allowed to lapse even for one day. -- Since the adoption of 1816 we have seen an exponential increase in the number of piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia. Just this week Somali pirates have seized an oil tanker the size of an aircraft carrier off the coast of Kenya. Fueling the rise in piracy is that fact that, for the most part, pirates are not facing any consequences for their actions. This suggests that granting states the authority to interdict pirates is not enough. This body must make progress on the vital issue of what to do with pirates once you've captured them. Fortunately, the international community has an existing legal mechanism to address this issue. The 1988 Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Traffic -- the "SUA Convention" -- provides that state parties will establish as criminal offenses, among other things, the seizing or taking control of a ship by force or threat of force or any other form of intimidation and establish jurisdiction over these offenses in a variety of circumstances. Moreover, the SUA Convention contains provisions facilitating the delivery of captured pirates to state parties for investigation and, where appropriate, extradition or potential prosecution. Currently, 150 states, including many in the region, are party to SUA. -- Our resolution urges all States that have not already done so to become parties to the SUA Convention - by the way, something the Security Council has repeatedly urged in the past - and further urges States parties to the SUA onvention to fully implement their obligations under that Convention. It also calls upon the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the IMO, to work with States parties to the SUA Convention and other Member States to build judicial capacity for the successful prosecution of persons suspected of piracy and armed robbery at sea. -- We look forward to working with all of you on this important resolution. RICE