UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 17

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000048

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

IO AND AF FOR FRONT OFFICE; PLEASE PASS TO SE WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2018
TAGS: AF PGOV PREL SU NSC UNSC KPKO MOPS
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON DARFUR PEACEKEEPING DEPLOYMENT FOR 17
JANUARY 2008

REF: A. USUN 26

B. STATE 5054

Classified By: Ambassador Jackie Wolcott, for reason 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) This is an action request. Please see paragraph 3.


2. (C) SUMMARY: The UK Permanent Mission to the UN (UKUN)
hosted a donors meeting on January 16 to solicit TCCs for the
UNAMID shortfalls of helicopters and transportation assets.
The Government of the Sudan (GOS) continues to obstruct
UNAMID deployment in two key ways: 1) non-concurrence on the
TCC list; and 2) land issues. UN officials have expressed
some optimism that discussions with the GOS on the status of
forces agreement (SOFA) are moving forward. Major General
Five, Acting UN Military Advisor, is scheduled to visit
Washington January 24 to discuss US-UN coordination on
UNAMID. END SUMMARY.


3. (C) Force Generation.

- The UKUN hosted a TCC/donors meeting to solicit helicopters
for UNAMID on January 16. DPKO opened the meeting with a
summary of what the UN has done to date in an attempt to
acquire helicopters. UKUN led a subsequent discussion of
options for meeting the UNAMID capability shortfalls,
focusing on ideas to divide the missing helicopter
capabilities into more manageable components, i.e. pilots,
equipment, maintenance.

- In attendance from the UN Secretariat were Jane Holl-Lute,
Acting Under Secretary for the Department of Field Support
(DFS),Max Kerley from DFS, Mike Gaouette, head of the Darfur
Integrated Operations Team, LTC Adrian Garside, head UN
Military planner for UNAMID, William Stutt, Acting Director
of DPKO,s Force Generation Service and LTC Tim House, FGS
UNAMID desk officer.

- Also in attendance were representatives the African Union
(AU),the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO),as well as Military Advisors from
Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Egypt, France,
Italy, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, Denmark, Greece,
Russia, South Africa, Senegal, Ukraine, Vietnam and the US.
Invitations had been issued to 60 countries.

- In response to a question pertaining to contracted
helicopters, Jane Holl-Lute said the UN has contracted
twenty-four transport helicopters for Darfur. Lute reiterated
that these helicopters are for administrative lift and
re-supply only. The twenty-four helos envisioned for air
assault and close air support missions within UNAMID are a
distinct military capability and must be provided by TCCs.

- USUN MilAds asked the UN for a list of countries that have
pledged helicopters and an explanation of why their offers
did not meet UNAMID requirements, as DPKO has informed us is
the case. The member states could then examine the
shortfalls and possibly provide equipment upgrades to meet UN
standards. Mr. Stutt agreed to provide this information.

- With regard to inter-mission transfer of helicopter assets,
the Ukrainian Military Advisor stated the Ukrainian Mission
had received a Dip Note from the UN requesting the movement
of their helicopters from UNMIL to UNAMID. He stated that
his government was considering the request, but that the new
Ukrainian Parliament would likely take two or three months to
address this issue.

- (BEGIN ACTION REQUEST: USUN recommends Dept. request
Embassy Kiev approach the GOU concerning this request, and
the possibility of prioritizing this on the incoming
parliament's agenda. END ACTION REQUEST.).

- The UN representatives closed the meeting with a request
for TCCs to consult with their capitals and obtain firm
offers of what helicopter assets each can provide, adding
that, at this point, the UN felt compelled to consider all
offers, even if they did not meet requirements or

USUN NEW Y 00000048 002 OF 002


capabilities. Holl-Lute added that if funding was an issue to
let her know and she would do what she could to work it. The
UK Military Advisor closed the meeting by asking the
attendees to reconvene on 30 January with responses from
their capitals. At that time the member states present and
DPKO will review what, if any, composite units might be
generated.

- There is still no TCC for the missing transportation units.



4. (C) UNAMID deployment.

--TCC list: The GoS still has not formally approved the TCC
list and is dug in on its position that assets from all
African TCCs must be "exhausted" prior to GOS's acceptance of
a non-African TCC. This contrary position will continue to
significantly hamper force generation and deployment of
UNAMID.

-- Land issues: The GOS has unilaterally decided that the
site of the planned camp near El-Geneina is too close to the
airport and is therefore unacceptable. Other sites are still
being considered.

-- SOFA approval: The GoS promised an interlocutor to
negotiate the SOFA with the UN on 13 Dec 07. SOFA
negotiations are underway with the recently arrived GoS
representative.

-- TCC progress: MOU negotiations are underway for Ethiopia
and Egypt in New York. Last week's statements pertaining to
conditions under which the Egyptians will deploy have been
overcome and, according to DPKO, negotiations are
progressing. (ref A)


5. (C) Per ref B, USUN is facilitating the visit of acting
UN Military Advisor Major General Five to Washington to
explain the UN procurement process for TCCs and to coordinate
on how the U.S. might best target bilateral support to
African TCC's for UNAMID. This meeting is scheduled for 24
January and will include representatives from the UK, France,
Canada and the Netherlands, all of whom are significant TCC
donors largely through the Global Peace Initiative Operations
Program (GPOI).

KHALILZAD