GREAT LAKES: TALKING POINTS FOR JUNE 19 BRIEFING

UNCLAS STATE 066362 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM CG CT CD SU RW XA XW ZF SUBJECT: GREAT LAKES: TALKING POINTS FOR JUNE 19 BRIEFING ¶1. USUN is instructed to deliver the following points during the June 20 briefing by the Special Envoy of the Secretary General for LRA Affected Areas. Begin points: -- I would like to thank the Special Envoy for his briefing on the state of the Juba Peace Process and the current activity of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). -- The LRA has been a threat to the people and the security of the Great lakes region for far too long. Today, I would like to make two points: -- First, the LRA must end the war against innocent civilians that it has waged for 22 years and must stop being a threat to four countries -- the Congo, the Central African Republic (CAR),Uganda, and Sudan. Recent abductions and ongoing training are indications that the LRA remains intent on fomenting both regional instability and the continuation of war crimes and crimes against humanity. -- The United States condemns the recent attack by the LRA against the Southern Peoples Liberation Army in Nbanga, as well as abductions and the ongoing attacks on innocent populations in the Congo, CAR, and Southern Sudan. -- The United States demands that the LRA put an end to its long history of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including gender-based violence, especially rape and other forms of sexual abuse; torture; mutilation; and the abduction and recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. Since the LRA began its campaign of violence in 1987, tens of thousands of people have been killed, up to two million have been displaced from their homes, and thousands of children have been abducted in the DRC, Central African Republic, Southern Sudan, and Uganda. The LRA must stop committing these atrocities and release all children in their custody immediately. We further stress that there can be no impunity for those who commit gross violations of human rights. -- Second, the leadership of the LRA must immediately sign the Final Peace Agreement and disarm and demobilize its members. If they do not, they will bear sole responsibility for the failure of the Juba Peace Process and its consequences. The LRA can no longer be allowed to operate at will in the region. Only by working together can the nations of central Africa and the international community eliminate the threat posed by the LRA once and for all. -- Time is running out for the leadership of the LRA. We must make it very clear to them that they must disarm and demobilize now or face the collective will of the international community. RICE