Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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08USUNNEWYORK745 | 2008-08-19 23:41:00 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | USUN New York |
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On August 18 Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) Ashraf Qazi briefed the Security Council on the situation in Sudan. He maintained that CPA implementation remained on track and that cooperation between the parties "shows signs of improvement" despite recent fighting in Abyei, the Omdurman attack and an increase in LRA violence. Qazi deflected accusations that UNMIS mishandled the Abyei conflict and requested approximately $400m for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) programs. He singled out border delineation and demarcation as the single most critical issue between north and south and said that preparations were on track to allow elections to be held by the end of 2009. Many Council members questioned whether UNMIS's military assets and mandate were sufficient to the task of protecting civilians and overseeing the implementation of the CPA. In this vein, UNMIS's military experts are preparing a military capability study whose findings and recommendations will be included in the next UNMIS report. Russia and South Africa took the opportunity to repeat their position that the Council should promptly revisit the ICC prosecutor's action against President Bashir. End summary. Abyei - not our fault -------------------------- 2. (SBU) In his briefing to the Council, Qazi defended UNMIS's conduct during the May 14-20 violence in Abyei, which he described as the most severe violation of the cease-fire since 2005. Qazi emphasized UNMIS's role in sheltering 100 civilians from the fighting and said that the displacement of approximately 50,000 residents from Abyei town was "fortunate" as it spared more lives from being lost in the fighting. The SRSG attempted to preempt any questioning of UNMIS's deployed force levels in Abyei by claiming that no number of troops would have been sufficient for UNMIS to interpose itself between two armies intent on waging war. Moreover, he said, as a Chapter 6 mission, UNMIS was forced to operate in "the space given" by the parties, and had no mandate to protect civilian property. While a military capability study was underway, Qazi said it was not yet clear if there would be a recommendation for more troops. He indicated that three options were under consideration: expanding the scope of the mission, fully deploying to the authorized 10,000 troops, or returning to the Council to seek an increased mission with more forces. 3. (SBU) The SRSG hailed the "cordial" relations between the parties, but said that any progress would be hampered by the extreme lack of trust between the SPLM and the government. Regarding the Abyei roadmap, Qazi welcomed the establishment of an interim administration in Abyei. He told the Council that over 97% of Sudanese government troops had been redeployed consistent with their obligations, while approximately 90% of the SPLA troops had yet to redeploy. Qazi was skeptical of the prospects of redeploying all of these troops, indicating that DDR programs might be a more practical solution as the troops in question were local people who would be hesitant to redeploy away from their land. Qazi said that approximately $400m was needed for DDR programs, asserting that programs could not begin to disarm and demobilize former combatants until funds had been identified for their reintegration. 4. (SBU) Qazi termed the delineation and demarcation of the north-south border the "most critical outstanding issue" between the two sides and indicated that progress was contingent on the release of the Technical Working Group's report on the border. He also claimed that it would still be possible to hold elections in 2009, but not by the scheduled date in July. The SRSG said that the results of the national census will not be released until early 2009 and are likely to be hotly contested. According to him, the census timetable and the effects of the rainy season (which would make nationwide elections impractical) meant that elections could be held at the end of 2009 at earliest. 5. (SBU) In national statements following SRSG Qazi's briefing, Libya spoke out against non-signatory rebel groups, while Burkina Faso stressed that peace in southern Sudan was linked to peace in Darfur. France stressed the importance of UNMIS's freedom of movement. China urged full implementation of the Abyei roadmap. South Africa warned of the possible negative consequences of a decision by the ICC pre-trial chamber, while Russia urged that the Security Council "revisit this issue promptly" and Italy reconfirmed its commitment to the ICC's independence. Indonesia and Croatia stressed UNMIS's role in working toward elections in 2009 while the UK urged UNMIS to work on arrangements for sharing oil revenue. Speaking for the U.S., Amb. DiCarlo expressed USUN NEW Y 00000745 002 OF 002 strong concern over the May conflict in Abyei. She emphasized the importance of UNMIS taking stock of lessons learned -- including a reassessment of troop levels in Abyei -- in order to do all possible in its mandate to defuse future crises and mitigate their effects. Khalilzad |