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. �00A; ¶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