DAS HOLT'S NOVEMBER 20 MEETING WITH DDG LI JUNHUA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BEIJING 003396 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2029 TAGS: PREL UNGA KPKO CH SUBJECT: DAS HOLT'S NOVEMBER 20 MEETING WITH DDG LI JUNHUA ON CHINA,S PEACEKEEPING AND PEACEBUILDING PRIORITIES REF: BEIJING 2982 Classified By: POL External Unit Chief Eric Barboriak, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The PRC remains committed to UN Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKOs) and supports efforts to establish achievable mandates and to promote political processes that will complement UNPKO activities, MFA International Organizations and Conference Deputy Director General Li Junhua told Bureau of International Organizations Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) Victoria Holt November 20. The United States and China appreciate the need for capacity-building in UNPKO military and civilian police elements and providing "enabling assets" to peace-keeping missions, but on the specific issue of helicopter availability, the PRC "is unable" to offer lift assets. Both sides agree on the need to better define criteria for "civilians under imminent threat" in order that UNPKOs can better protect civilians. DDG Li stated that China hoped Sudan will remain united after the 2011 referendum and that the UN Mission in Sudan should implement programs to encourage this outcome. China views the current USD 8 billion budget for PKOs as "unsustainable" and suggests strengthening UN auditing and oversight capacity. The PRC also hopes the UN will second Chinese military officials to the Department of Political Affairs and Department of Field Support. The PRC does not support addressing political and security issues, such as UNPKOs, in the G20. End Summary. ¶2. (U) Accompanying DAS Holt to the November 20 meeting with DDG Li were Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Partnership Strategy and Stability Operations James Schear, Department of State Global Peace Operations Initiative Director Michael Smith, USUN Military Staff Committee Chief of Staff Colonel David Allwine, Embassy DAO representatives, and PolOffs. Objectives and Challenges in Improving Peacekeeping Efforts -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) DAS Holt reiterated challenges and objectives crucial for success in UNPKOs articulated by President Obama during the September 23 meeting with top UNPKO troop contributors on the margins of UNGA, including the need for clear achievable mandates, recognition of diplomatic efforts that support fragile peace processes and of the importance of political processes to ensure that "peacemaking" and "peacekeeping" efforts proceed in unison. Highlighting the need for appropriate logistical support for UNPKOs, DAS Holt underscored U.S. increased willingness to consider contributing more U.S. civilian police, civilian personnel, and military staff officers to UN Missions. ¶4. (C) Responding that the PRC saw "eye to eye" on those challenges and objectives, DDG Li affirmed that the PRC was committed to support UNPKOs "politically, physically, and financially." Noting the increasing demands on UNPKO mandates and deployment, DDG Li stated that a number of UN-sponsored reports, such as the Brahimi and New Horizons reports, have also highlighted gaps in UNPKO abilities. DDG Li recommended several measures to improve peacekeeping efforts, including: establishing an "achievable mandate" for each UNPKO that could be compartmentalized into smaller achievable objectives; establishing a "sophisticated, yet simple" capacity-building framework for peacekeepers and the PKO Secretariat, which will in turn help UNPKOs better fulfill their respective mandates. DDG Li also suggested creating public relations campaigns that use UNPKOs to tout the image of the UN as well as educate member states on the limits of peace-keeping missions. He underscored the need to implement a strategy to shift from peacekeeping to peace-building at the appropriate juncture and define a clear exit strategy. DDG Li recommended reforming the bureaucracy involved in UNPKOs, stating that "too many layers" exist in the current administrative structure. He also highlighted the need for "enabling units" to support UNPKOs. Logistics Capacity -------------- ¶5. (C) DDG Li noted that since the PRC joined the UN-African Union hybrid mission in Darfur (UNAMID) four years ago, the gaps in capacity present at the outset of the mission, such as helicopter lift capacity, have not yet been addressed, and confirmed that the PRC "are unable to contribute" helicopters to this or other missions. DAS Holt suggested that given the ubiquitous nature of the helicopter problem to UNPKOs, a broader conversation on the air transport capacity among member states would be appropriate. DASD Schear suggested BEIJING 00003396 002 OF 003 that the United States and PRC might convince other countries to contribute helicopters. DDG Li replied that he understood the frustrations of the UN Secretariat on the issue of peacekeeping troop mobility, and recommended that the P5 jointly approach the Secretariat to address the issue. Capacity-Building -------------- ¶6. (C) Asked about PRC capacity-building programs, DDG Li noted the Ministry of National Defense's newly-opened training center and the Ministry of Public Security's Civilian Police training center, adding that both facilities would be open for bilateral or multilateral training programs. Li also agreed on the need for a comprehensive training approach that integrated police and military operations. The key to capacity building, DDG Li continued, was to focus on military and civilian training and suggested that a "comprehensive" training approach would be best, to which DAS Holt responded that the numbers of forces and common training were not up to standards in terms of capacity. Proffering a possible solution, DDG Li said that this issue should be addressed at the Secretariat meetings to achieve a standardized UN approach to capacity building in military and police training. ¶7. (C) DDG Li also stated that UN permanent representatives possessed the political capacity and professional background to understand the complexities of the ground situations in peacekeeping missions. Establishing a program of work in the Security Council and planning backwards would include everyone's effort in an effective manner, he said. Moreover, the P5 could be briefed by military advisors to facilitate an informed program of work and to protect civilians better. DAS Holt noted that planning ahead was a good idea, especially to protect civilians in cases like the Congo, but micromanaging at the P5 level was not a desired outcome. Citing Article 47 of the UN Charter, which established the Military Staff Committee (MSC),COL. Allwine suggested that by taking advantage of MSC expertise on UNPKO mandates and assessments, P5 Permreps would be better informed on both political and military logistical aspects of UNPKOs. Supporting a United Sudan -------------- ¶8. (C) Commenting that UNPKOs were sometimes "out of synch" with the reality on the ground, DAS Holt highlighted U.S. concerns about Sudan, particularly prospects for full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the 2011 referendum. DDG Li commented that as "one of the authors" of the UNPKOs in Sudan, the PRC shared U.S. concerns about the situation on the ground, particularly the implementation of the CPA. Although China was not sure of the results of the 2011 referendum, China hoped to see Sudan remain a united country, a position shared by Sudan's neighbors and other African countries, according to Li. Stating that UNPKOs in Sudan had had little success to date in "peace-building," DDG Li suggested adding "new elements" to the existing peacekeeping mandates in Sudan. DDG Li emphasized the need for increased policing, governance and economic development capacity in Sudan and suggested that the UN could also assist through implementing economic "quick fix projects" that would demonstrate to the population the benefits of remaining united. (Note: Previously, the MFA had not explicitly indicated support for a unified Sudan but had pledged to respect the result of the 2011 referendum. See reftel.) DDG Li acknowledged, however, that residents of Southern Sudan were "not happy" with the Government of Sudan's policies towards the South, a fact that would influence their voting in the upcoming elections. Protection of Civilians -------------- ¶9. (C) DAS Holt stressed that the UN must better define the UNPKO "protection of civilians" mandate, given the concept of "civilians under imminent threat" provided little practical guidance to UNPKO activities in the field. The United States supported flexibility in the UN military personnel in the field and UN Mission civilian leadership in identifying possible threats to civilians so as to facilitate planning for UNSC members, even prior to the establishment of UNPKO mandates. DDG Li agreed, stating the "daunting challenge" to protect civilians hinged on the UNPKO mandate and its resources. He argued that UNPKO troops were often not informed about possible threats to civilians, such as criminal activities. He noted PRC concerns that UNPKOs establish clear criteria the circumstances under which UNPKOs will intervene to protect civilians. DASD Schear noted that good planning would require better and more accurate BEIJING 00003396 003 OF 003 diagnostics that show which situations may lead to mass atrocities. UN Secretariat Budget Oversight -------------- ¶10. (C) DDG Li expressed PRC concern over UN management of the USD 8 billion UNPKO Secretariat budget. Noting this amount was two to three times bigger than the regular UN budget, DDG Li said such a budget level was "unsustainable." The PRC advocated increasing the auditing capability of the Secretariat, Li said, as well as increasing oversight of the budget by the Security Council. DDG Li suggested creating an ad hoc group of specialists who could examine budget concerns. While acknowledging that the Department of Field Support was moving towards a more decentralized budget system, DDG Li said China hoped to see "more checks and balances" to the system. On a separate note, DDG Li also advocated seconding more senior Chinese military officers to the Department of Political Affairs and the Department of Field Support. G20 or G8 on Security? -------------- ¶11. (C) Director Smith raised the issue of whether the G8 or G20 would be an appropriate platform for discussing peace and security issues, given the large number of UNPKO contributing nations that participate in the G20. DDG Li stated that China does not support the G20 addressing political and security issues. He said that the G20 framework was clearly constituted for economic and financial issues, further stressing that security issues should be addressed by the UNSC or the G8. ¶12. (U) DAS Holt cleared this cable. GOLDBERG