U/SYG PASCOE BRIEFS COUNCIL ON UNAMI REPORT, SC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000723

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PREM IZ UNSC
SUBJECT: U/SYG PASCOE BRIEFS COUNCIL ON UNAMI REPORT, SC
EXTENDS UNAMI MANDATE


1. (SBU) Summary: On August 6 the Security Council met to
discuss the Secretary-General's quarterly report on the
United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the
Multi-National Force in Iraq (MNF-I).
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe
noted UNAMI's expanded role, and commended political and
military efforts which have "contributed to improved security
in most parts of the country, most visibly during the past
three months." Ambassador Wolff, briefing on behalf of
MNF-I, noted the sustained decrease in security incidents and
violence in Iraq, the improved capability of the Iraqi
Security Forces, and the GoI's efforts at political
reconciliation. Iraqi PermRep Hamid al-Bayati told the
Council that the Iraqi government had "succeeded in
preventing a sectarian war." Council members all
acknowledged that a combination of political and military
efforts have contributed to improvements in security, though
members have different opinions on the extent of those
improvements. The following day, on August 7, Council
Members voted unanimously to adopt UNSCR 1830 which extends
the UNAMI mandate for a period of twelve months. END SUMMARY.

REMARKS BY U/SYG PASCOE


2. (SBU) U/SYG Pascoe provided the Council with an update on
UNAMI and highlighted portions of the Secretary-General's
quarterly report on the fulfillment of the responsibilities
of UNAMI pursuant to paragraph 6 of UNSCR 1770 (2007).
Pascoe noted UNAMI's expanded role, and commended political
and military efforts which have "contributed to improved
security in most parts of the country, most visibly during
the past three months." He stated that while a window for
improved political dialogue may exist, the situation remains
"tenuous" and progress achieved thus far could be lost.
Pascoe said that UNAMI's offices in Baghdad and Erbil are
expanding. A UNAMI presence has been established in Basra
and Kirkuk, and planning is underway to post national and
international staff in Mosul, Najaf, and Ramadi. UNAMI's
Iraqi Government Liaison Officers (GLOs) are currently
operating in the offices of nine governors in Iraq. Pascoe
expressed his appreciation to MNF-I and the UN's Department
of Safety and Security (DSS) for maintaining UNAMI's security
in Iraq and stressed the importance of continued security for
UNAMI after the MNF-I mandate expires on December 31.


3. (SBU) Pascoe cautioned that the number of civilian
casualties is still too high as demonstrated by recent
suicide bombings in Kirkuk and Baghdad during which sixty
people were killed and hundreds were injured. He called
these bombings "brutal reminders of the lengths to which some
are willing to go to provoke hatred and division among
Iraqis." Pascoe commended the recent implementation of the
Amnesty Law, saying that it has the potential to contribute
to developing trust between various communities. He cited
the return of the Sunni coalition Tawafuq to the government
as an example of increased political dialogue in Iraq.
Pascoe commended the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC)
for achieving a number of milestones, most notably, the
development of a field structure for the voter registration
update, the recruitment and training of over 8,000 electoral
staff, and the establishment of 564 registration centers
countrywide. He urged the GoI to maintain transparency and
strong oversight throughout the registration process. He
cautioned that without electoral legislation, the 2008
provincial elections would not occur. He said that a failure
to pass an election law would be a "major setback."


4. (SBU) Pascoe stated that reconstruction and development is
UNAMI's top priority. He lamented the increase in
unemployment and the lack of effective governance on
socio-economic issues such as malnutrition and literacy. He
pledged that the UN would work with the GoI in the area of
private sector development, aimed primarily at increasing
employment opportunities and diversifying the nation's
economic output. Pascoe added that the percentage of UN
projects dedicated to addressing humanitarian issues has
increased supported by funding received through the 2008
Consolidated Appeal for Iraq which currently stands at 47
percent funded or 128 million USD. Also, 20 million USD from
the Trust Fund has been dedicated to addressing humanitarian
needs, including through the development of an Emergency
Response Fund that will provide a rapid response capacity to
handle the effects of major military operations. In regards
to human rights, Pascoe noted some progress but reminded all
parties of the need to address gender-based violence,
murders, and suicide bombings.

REMARKS BY IRAQI PERMREP AL-BAYATI


USUN NEW Y 00000723 002 OF 003



5. (SBU) Iraqi PermRep Hamid al-Bayati told the Council that
the Iraqi government had "succeeded in preventing a sectarian
war." He emphasized the improvement of the Iraqi Security
Forces and commended Iraqi-led operations in Basra, Baghdad,
Maysan, Mosul, and Diyala. Al-Bayati suggested that these
operations "led to the success of the Iraqi Law Enforcement
Plan, the enforcement of government control, and an 80
percent decrease in the number of terrorist operations and
violent acts." Al-Bayati noted Iraq's commitment to
maintaining respect for human rights during all ISF
operations. Al-Bayati also noted that the GoI is in the lead
on security in 10 out of 18 provinces, and expressed Iraq's
intent on establishing "complete control over security by the
end of 2008."


6. (SBU) Al-Bayati asserted that the decrease in violence has
enabled refugees and internally displaced persons to return
home. He stated that the GoI is working with UNHCR to
develop a national strategy to encourage the voluntary return
of IDP's and refugees to their homes. He also stated that
the Iraqi Cabinet has allocated more than 195 million USD for
the "repatriation" of internally and externally displaced
persons, and 140 million USD to help Iraqi refugees.
Al-Bayati noted that 271 Iraqi families returned to Iraq from
Iran in addition to 31 individuals who returned from Saudi
Arabia. On detainees, Al-Bayati stated that the adoption of
the Amnesty Law has had a positive role on enhancing
reconciliation efforts. He asserted that as a result of the
law the Ministry of Justice released 1,648 detainees, the
Ministry of Interior released 2,560 detainees, the Ministry
of Defense released 545 detainees, and the Ministry of Labor
released 314 detainees.


7. (SBU) Al-Bayati noted significant improvements in Iraq's
economic situation, primarily in the form of increased
foreign investment and a revival in trade. Al-Bayati stated
that the Iraqi House of Representatives adopted a number of
laws to support higher education and scientific research.
Additionally, 700 new schools have been built with another
4,000 expected to be built by the end of the year. He said
that Iraq has built 300 health centers and 37 general
hospitals. In regards to oil wealth, al-Bayati stated that
the GoI has made plans to increase production to 3.5 million
barrels of oil per day with a goal of fairly distributing oil
revenues. He said that Iraq intends on using oil revenues
under the 2008 budget.

COUNCIL MEMBERS RECOGNIZE SECURITY IMPROVEMENTS AND EXTEND
THE UNAMI MANDATE, CRITICAL ON DETAINEES, CIVILIAN CASUALTIES


8. (SBU) Council members all acknowledged that a combination
of political and military efforts have contributed to
improvements in security, though members have different
opinions on the extent of those improvements. Ambassador
Wolff, briefing on behalf of MNF-I, noted the sustained
decrease in security incidents and violence in Iraq, the
improved capability of the Iraqi Security Forces, and the
GoI's efforts at political reconciliation. Ambassador Wolff
stressed the importance of Iraq's neighbors in supporting
Iraq's efforts to provide security, achieve political
progress, and build its economy. He also expressed concern
over the flow of foreign fighters and lethal aid into Iraq
from Syria and Iran.


9. (SBU) China, Croatia, Russia, Indonesia, Panama, South
Africa, and Libya acknowledged that the security situation
has improved but lamented the "unacceptable number of
civilian casualties." China stated that military operations
must do more to avoid causing civilian casualties. Russia
also urged UNAMI to provide statistics on the number of
civilian casualties in future human rights reports.


10. (SBU) Russia, Panama, France, South Africa, and Libya
expressed concern over the detainee situation. Russia
lamented the "horrible treatment of children" currently being
held in military jails. Russia called for the establishment
of a timeframe on the presence of foreign troops and
complained about the activities of private security companies
and other "mercenary structures" in Iraq that violate the
rights of civilians and the norms of international law.
Libya focused on child detainees, detainee conditions, and
the lack of due process for detainees. Libya asserted that
there are currently 21,000 people detained in Iraq, 1,500 of
which are children detained for "alleged" offenses. Libya
also stated that the rate of return of refugees to Iraq
(about 10,000 per month) is low and demonstrates that
"genuine efforts have not been made" to address the
humanitarian situation in Iraq.


USUN NEW Y 00000723 003 OF 003



11. (SBU) The following day, on August 7 Council Members
voted unanimously to adopt UNSCR 1830 which extends the UNAMI
mandate for a period of twelve months.
Khalilzad