GUIDANCE FOR 13 MAY 2008 UN SECURITY COUNCIL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 049804 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPKO PREL PGOV UNSC SU SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR 13 MAY 2008 UN SECURITY COUNCIL CONSULTATIONS ON UNAMID ¶1. PURPOSE: This is an action request. The Department asks that USUN draw upon the following points for the United Nations Security Council briefing and consultations on the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) on 13 May 2008. --We welcome Secretary-General Ban's 9 May 2008 report on the deployment of UNAMID. Rapid and effective deployment of UNAMID is a fundamental element of the international community's strategy for peace in Darfur. With that in mind, I would like to address four main issues: 1) the security situation, particularly the recent government of Sudan (GOS) bombings 2) UNAMID deployment, particularly the urgent need to implement the new enhanced deployment plan, 3) the political process, particularly the urgent need to appoint a full-time mediator, and 4) sanctions, particularly noting that the recent GOS bombings violated the UN arms embargo. -------------- ¶1. SECURITY SITUATION -------------- -- We continue to be gravely concerned by the security situation in Darfur. We condemn the May 4 and other recent bombings by the government of Sudan (GOS) in north Darfur, including the GOS's bombing of civilian locations, such as a school, water installations, and a market where civilians (especially women and children were present) in the villages of Um Sidir, Ein Bassar and Shegeg Karo. UNAMID reported that a number of people had been killed during these attacks, including children and women. In addition, we utterly condemn the Sudanese Armed Forces' retaliation in response to a Justice and Equality Movement attack on April 12, which resulted in 62 civilian casualties. The GOS must end its use of violence immediately. This very Security Council has demanded that the GOS cease conducting offensive military flights in and over the Darfur region. The GOS must fulfill its responsibility to protect civilians and its commitments to disarm the janjaweed and provide professional police that can offer some baseline security. Sudan must also cease support for Chadian rebels based in Sudan, and Chad must stop providing support for Sudanese rebels in the region. -- We understand that UNAMID played a helpful role in response to the recent north Darfur attacks, including assistance with medical evacuations. The GOS must allow UNAMID full freedom of movement and not hamper UNAMID in carrying out its mandate, in accordance with the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA),and we urge the UN to take a strong stand against any violation of the SOFA. These attacks also underscore the need for UNAMID to find an effective way to monitor the ceasefire. We look forward to the work of the Ceasefire Commission in investigating these attacks and for UNAMID to press ahead in carrying out its mandate, which has protection of civilians at its heart. --An immediate cessation of hostilities by all parties remains the highest priority. Sudan must fulfill its commitments and disarm the janjaweed. Also among the highest priorities, all parties must comply with the 28 March 2007 humanitarian communiqu,. In addition, we emphasize we are closely watching the situation between northern and southern Sudan. We are particularly concerned by violence in the oil-rich Abyei area, where several hundred people have died in recent clashes. The GOS must not fuel the violence by arming the Misseriya militia. All parties must abide by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including the findings of the Abyei Boundaries Commission. -------------- ¶2. UNAMID DEPLOYMENT -------------- --We continue to be deeply concerned by the slow deployment of UNAMID. We welcome the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations' new enhanced deployment plan. We strongly support the deployment of urgently needed engineering assets from all available sources to speed construction of infrastructure to allow for deployment of additional UNAMID units. We also strongly urge the UN to use its ample budget to contract civilian assets to help meet critical engineering and STATE 00049804 002 OF 002 logistics requirements. Our Special Envoy Richard Williamson continues to work with the Friends of UNAMID to engage proactively with every major part of the process required for UNAMID deployment, including the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and troop- contributing countries (TCCs). The United States has devoted substantial resources to training and equipping TCCs. Rwanda, for example, will be ready to deploy 647 new troops in June, and we urge UNAMID to be ready to absorb such deployments. We strongly urge all Security Council members to support the UN goal of a substantial increase in troops and police for UNAMID this summer and 80 percent of the full force by the end of the year. -We continue to seek missing assets that UNAMID desperately needs: helicopters, transport units, multi-role logistics unit, one aerial reconnaissance unit, and multi-role engineering unit. We urge member states to help fill these gaps. --The GOS must fully cooperate and end its obstructions to UNAMID's deployment. In addition to ending its blatant use of force in Darfur including against civilians and UNAMID, the GOS must accept the UN-AU list of TCCs, allow night flights without time limits, provide access to land and water for UNAMID camps, and grant timely visas and customs clearances. The GOS must ensure that attacks such as the 7 January 2008 unprovoked attack on a UNAMID convoy never happen again. -------------- ¶3. POLITICAL PROCESS -------------- -Although the primary obstacle to peace in Darfur is the will of the parties, the United Nations and member states must do more to push for rapid deployment of UNAMID, which would improve security on the ground and create a better space within which the United Nations-African Union-led political process can advance. With a sense of urgency which we hope is shared by the UN and troop contributors, we look forward to the rapid implementation of the enhanced deployment plan. The UN has ample funds to more robustly prepare for, and support, its TCCs deployment and it should use every authority at its disposal to meet these goals and carry out the Plan. --To advance this process for Darfur, we urge the immediate appointment of a Joint UN-AU Chief Mediator to be based in Sudan to lead the political process on a full-time basis. --We continue to urge the GOS and the government of Chad (GOC) to respect the 13 March 2008 Dakar Accord and are encouraged by developments made by the members of the Contact Group. The GOS's attempt in February to overthrow the Chadian government by supporting Chadian rebels was utterly unacceptable as is Chadian support for Sudanese rebels. Both the GOS and GOC must end support of rebel attacks across their border. The GOS and GOC must instead protect civilians and cooperate with deployment of peacekeeping operations to provide robust protection. We are also encouraged by the Contact Group's efforts to discuss implementation of a border force to monitor the Chad-Sudan border. -------------- ¶4. SANCTIONS -------------- - We urge all member states to support and implement fully the existing UN arms embargo prohibiting arms transfers to the Government of Sudan in Darfur and to all non-governmental persons operating in Darfur wherever located and the targeted sanctions imposed against designated Sudanese individuals. We urge any countries permitting arms sales to the GOS to share with the Council what assurances they have received that the weapons will not be used in the Darfur region and would appreciate information on how they will monitor end use. We note that the movement by the GOS of arms and military equipment into the Darfur region, which enabled the April and May bombings of this reporting period, constitutes a violation by the GOS of the arms embargo, and is inconsistent with its other obligations and responsibility to facilitate safe delivery of humanitarian assistance. Further UN measures must remain on the table to make facts on the ground match our rhetoric. RICE