TALKING POINTS FOR 7/16 UNAMID CONSULTATIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 076053 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU CD SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS FOR 7/16 UNAMID CONSULTATIONS In consultations on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, USUN may draw on the following points: The United States thanks Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for his report on the status of the UNAMID mission, but we deeply regret that there are so few positive developments to report. We thank UNAMID for its efforts, under the most difficult of circumstances, and extend our deepest condolences to the victims of the July 8 attacks and to their families. We share the Secretary General's disappointment in the lack of progress in resolving the Darfur conflict and the slow pace of UNAMID deployment. Nearly a year after Resolution 1769 established UNAMID and six months after the UN assumed responsibility for Darfur peacekeeping from the AU, UNAMID has deployed barely 500 new troops. UNAMID's slow deployment is seriously interfering with its ability to protect itself and to fulfill its mandate in Darfur. This is without excuse. The people of Darfur deserve better. The Security Council has sought to end the suffering of the people of Darfur but we have fallen short. We must do better and we must do more. The lives of UN peacekeepers and millions of innocent civilians depend on it. With that in mind, I would like to make three points: -------------- Deplore attack on UNAMID -------------- First, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal July 8 attack on UNAMID personnel. This attack on peacekeepers whose primary mission is to help stabilize the region was unprovoked, unwarranted, and unacceptable. We demand that the perpetrators of this attack be identified and held accountable. The attacks of last week are a clear indicator that UNAMID needs reinforcements and more robust arms to protect both itself and civilians. We urge the Secretariat to take immediate steps to accelerate the deployment of UNAMID's troops. If accommodations are necessary before those troops can deploy, then these accommodations must be provided now. -------------- UNAMID Deployment -------------- Second, we echo the Secretary General's frustration with the slow deployment of UNAMID forces. The delays in deployment are unacceptable. Since the start of this year, 190,000 people have been displaced in Darfur, eight humanitarian aid workers have been killed, 125 humanitarian vehicles have been hijacked, 36 World Food Program drivers have gone missing, and ordinary civilians continue to bear the brunt of increased violence. Conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence continues with impunity. Women and girls, particularly those who are internally displaced, continue to be subjected to rape, gang rape, and beating by state actors, rebel factions, and armed groups. We encourage the members of the international community to re-energize their commitment to the success of UNAMID and to increase their efforts to fulfill their contributions to the mission. More specifically, we urge troop contributors who have already made pledges to UNAMID to work with the UN to quickly deploy their personnel and equipment, and we urge all UN member states to consider pledging key enabling units (including tactical helicopters, utility helicopters, heavy transports, and combat engineers) that are still missing. We urge the UN to redouble its effort to construct suitable infrastructure for rapid UNAMID expansion as well as its efforts to ship contingent owned equipment to Darfur as quickly as possible. We urge the UN to consider all options at its disposal to improve performance on these key points, whose slow progress continue to hinder UNAMID deployment and operations. We demand that the government of Sudan ensure the security and the free movement of UNAMID and its personnel, and indeed of all UN personnel in Sudan, notwithstanding the recent decisions of the ICC. We welcome the statement by second Vice President Taha that Sudan will take no action against UN or NGO operations in Sudan. We expect the Government of Sudan to abide by these principles. We further call on the Government of Sudan to remove all obstacles to the deployment of UNAMID personnel and equipment, particularly its opposition to non-African troops and personnel, and to facilitate the prompt provision of visas, customs and flight STATE 00076053 002 OF 002 clearances. We urge the Government of Sudan to abide fully and without qualifications by its Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and allow UNAMID full freedom of movement including unrestricted flights. We welcome the progress that UNAMID has made with the resources it has, particularly increases in aggressive long-distance patrolling, fire-wood escorts, and confidence and capacity-building measures. We applaud the work UNAMID police forces have done to train Government police forces and hope that those forces will be able to better protect the people of Sudan. -------------- Adherence to Peace Process -------------- Finally, the use of violence by all sides in Darfur in their pursuit of political objectives is both deplorable and counter-productive, and only intensifies the suffering of the people of Darfur. All parties must immediately cease hostilities as the first step in re-starting the political process. We welcome the appointment of the Chief Mediator, Mr. Djibril Bassole, and we urge all parties to cooperate with his efforts. We agree with the Secretary General that peace in Darfur is "inextricably linked to peace and stability in the region" and call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to work together to resolve their dispute in a manner that will benefit both countries. We urge both Chad and Sudan to implement the Dakar Accord as an important step to stabilizing the region. -------------- Conclusion -------------- The United States remains steadfastly dedicated to the success of UNAMID. As such, we urge all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to expedite deployment of UNAMID forces to the Darfur region. We recognize that complete UNAMID deployment is crucial to full implementation of its mandate to protect civilians in Darfur. The people of Darfur have already suffered too much and have waited too long for relief. We all must do better to help them. RICE