Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08USUNNEWYORK26
2008-01-10 22:52:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:
UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 10
how-toVZCZCXRO9255 PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDU RUEHFL RUEHKUK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHTRO DE RUCNDT #0026/01 0102252 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 102252Z JAN 08 ZFF4 FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3521 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 1551 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0931 RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 1020 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0978 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 8973 RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5/UNMA// PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000026
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2018
TAGS: AF PGOV PREL SU NSC UNSC KPKO MOPS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 10
JANUARY 2008
Classified By: Ambassador Jackie Wolcott for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000026
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2018
TAGS: AF PGOV PREL SU NSC UNSC KPKO MOPS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 10
JANUARY 2008
Classified By: Ambassador Jackie Wolcott for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: UNAMID force generation problems continue
with no TCC for helicopters or transportation units. Jordan,
Norway and Sweden withdrew their offers of troops for UNAMID.
DPKO rejected Pakistan's offer of an aerial reconnaissance
and Gambia's offer of a sector reconnaissance company due to
the inability of these forces to meet UN standards. The
Government of the Sudan continues to obstruct UNAMID
deployment in three key ways: 1) non-concurrence on the TCC
list; 2) land issues; 3) concluding the Status of Forces
Agreement (SOFA). MOU negotiations are underway in New York
for Egypt and Ethiopia. Major General Five, Acting UN
Military Advisor, is tentatively scheduled to visit
Washington January 24 to discuss U.S.-UN coordination on
UNAMID. Updates on the 9 January UNAMID Security Council
consultations and those relating to PRST negotiations
reported (septel) END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Force Generation.
--Helicopter Update: The UN still does not have a TCC
commitment of helicopters or transport units. UKUN intends
to host a donors meeting to solicit helicopters on January
16. DPKO will open the meeting with a summary of what the UN
has done to acquire helicopters, followed by UKUN-led
discussion of options for meeting the UNAMID capability
shortfalls. UKUN favors breaking the helicopter capabilities
into discrete components -- pilots, equipment maintenance,
etc.-- with the goal of finding contributions for each
element and creating viable composite units. As of January
10, USUN was the only confirmed attendee to the UKUN meeting
of 60 delegations invited. Separately, Russia has proposed
either selling or "dry" leasing helicopters to the UN or to a
TCC in support of UNAMID. DPKO officials are concerned that
the Russian proposal does not have the support of all
elements of the Russian government, especially the Ministry
of Defense.
--TCCs dropping out. The Government of Jordan withdrew its
offer to provide a multi-role logistics company after
conducting an in-theater reconnaissance. DPKO rejected
Pakistan's aerial reconnaissance unit due to its inability to
meet mission standards. Due to Gambia's military not
possessing the requisite skill to perform a reconnaissance
mission DPKO also rejected the Gambian sector reconnaissance
(recce) company, although Malaysia has offered a replacement
unit. Although there is still no official response to the
TCC list, the GoS has articulated verbally that the Nordic
engineers will be rejected. Finally, the Nordic countries
have officially retracted their offer for engineers in the
wake of GoS refusal to allow them in.
3. (C) UNAMID deployment.
--TCC list: The GoS still has not formally approved the TCC
list (Please see septel for DPKO's assessment of the primary
areas of GoS non-cooperation). The GoS continues to state
that all African TCCs must be exhausted before it will allow
non-African forces to participate. This impacts UNAMID
deployment and capability because there are non-African
elements that could be deployed immediately (the Nordic
engineer unit were an example). The lack of political clarity
also discourages other potential TCCs.
-- Land issues: There are still land issues to be resolved,
specifically at El- Geneina, where the planned camp has been
deemed by the GoS to be too close to the airport. Other sites
are being considered.
-- SOFA approval: The GoS promised an interlocutor to
negotiate the SOFA with the UN on 13 Dec 07. To date the GoS
has yet to provide one, although DPKO indicates the GoS
stated that an interlocutor will be appointed and prepared to
start negotiations on 12 January.
TCC progress: MOU negotiations are underway for Ethiopia and
Egypt this week in New York. However, DPKO informed USUN MSC
that the Egyptians are attempting to impose conditions on
their participation, e.g.; patrols would not remain out
overnight and would only patrol a prescribed distance away
USUN NEW Y 00000026 002 OF 002
from the camp. Without mentioning names, UN Under Secretary
General Guehenno noted this in his report to the Security
Council on 9 Jan.
4. (C) USUN is facilitating the visit of UN Military Advisor
Major General Five to Washington to explain the UN
procurement process for TCCs and how the U.S. might best
target bilateral support to African TCC's for UNAMID. This
meeting is tentatively scheduled for 24 January, and will
also include representatives from the UK, France, Canada
and the Netherlands, which are also large TCC donors,
primarily through the Global Peace Initiative Operations
Program (GPOI).
KHALILZAD
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/10/2018
TAGS: AF PGOV PREL SU NSC UNSC KPKO MOPS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 10
JANUARY 2008
Classified By: Ambassador Jackie Wolcott for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) SUMMARY: UNAMID force generation problems continue
with no TCC for helicopters or transportation units. Jordan,
Norway and Sweden withdrew their offers of troops for UNAMID.
DPKO rejected Pakistan's offer of an aerial reconnaissance
and Gambia's offer of a sector reconnaissance company due to
the inability of these forces to meet UN standards. The
Government of the Sudan continues to obstruct UNAMID
deployment in three key ways: 1) non-concurrence on the TCC
list; 2) land issues; 3) concluding the Status of Forces
Agreement (SOFA). MOU negotiations are underway in New York
for Egypt and Ethiopia. Major General Five, Acting UN
Military Advisor, is tentatively scheduled to visit
Washington January 24 to discuss U.S.-UN coordination on
UNAMID. Updates on the 9 January UNAMID Security Council
consultations and those relating to PRST negotiations
reported (septel) END SUMMARY.
2. (C) Force Generation.
--Helicopter Update: The UN still does not have a TCC
commitment of helicopters or transport units. UKUN intends
to host a donors meeting to solicit helicopters on January
16. DPKO will open the meeting with a summary of what the UN
has done to acquire helicopters, followed by UKUN-led
discussion of options for meeting the UNAMID capability
shortfalls. UKUN favors breaking the helicopter capabilities
into discrete components -- pilots, equipment maintenance,
etc.-- with the goal of finding contributions for each
element and creating viable composite units. As of January
10, USUN was the only confirmed attendee to the UKUN meeting
of 60 delegations invited. Separately, Russia has proposed
either selling or "dry" leasing helicopters to the UN or to a
TCC in support of UNAMID. DPKO officials are concerned that
the Russian proposal does not have the support of all
elements of the Russian government, especially the Ministry
of Defense.
--TCCs dropping out. The Government of Jordan withdrew its
offer to provide a multi-role logistics company after
conducting an in-theater reconnaissance. DPKO rejected
Pakistan's aerial reconnaissance unit due to its inability to
meet mission standards. Due to Gambia's military not
possessing the requisite skill to perform a reconnaissance
mission DPKO also rejected the Gambian sector reconnaissance
(recce) company, although Malaysia has offered a replacement
unit. Although there is still no official response to the
TCC list, the GoS has articulated verbally that the Nordic
engineers will be rejected. Finally, the Nordic countries
have officially retracted their offer for engineers in the
wake of GoS refusal to allow them in.
3. (C) UNAMID deployment.
--TCC list: The GoS still has not formally approved the TCC
list (Please see septel for DPKO's assessment of the primary
areas of GoS non-cooperation). The GoS continues to state
that all African TCCs must be exhausted before it will allow
non-African forces to participate. This impacts UNAMID
deployment and capability because there are non-African
elements that could be deployed immediately (the Nordic
engineer unit were an example). The lack of political clarity
also discourages other potential TCCs.
-- Land issues: There are still land issues to be resolved,
specifically at El- Geneina, where the planned camp has been
deemed by the GoS to be too close to the airport. Other sites
are being considered.
-- SOFA approval: The GoS promised an interlocutor to
negotiate the SOFA with the UN on 13 Dec 07. To date the GoS
has yet to provide one, although DPKO indicates the GoS
stated that an interlocutor will be appointed and prepared to
start negotiations on 12 January.
TCC progress: MOU negotiations are underway for Ethiopia and
Egypt this week in New York. However, DPKO informed USUN MSC
that the Egyptians are attempting to impose conditions on
their participation, e.g.; patrols would not remain out
overnight and would only patrol a prescribed distance away
USUN NEW Y 00000026 002 OF 002
from the camp. Without mentioning names, UN Under Secretary
General Guehenno noted this in his report to the Security
Council on 9 Jan.
4. (C) USUN is facilitating the visit of UN Military Advisor
Major General Five to Washington to explain the UN
procurement process for TCCs and how the U.S. might best
target bilateral support to African TCC's for UNAMID. This
meeting is tentatively scheduled for 24 January, and will
also include representatives from the UK, France, Canada
and the Netherlands, which are also large TCC donors,
primarily through the Global Peace Initiative Operations
Program (GPOI).
KHALILZAD