USUN POINTS FOR BRIEFING ON MINURCAT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 108939 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF PREL KPKO CD CT SUBJECT: USUN POINTS FOR BRIEFING ON MINURCAT ¶1. This is an action request. USUN may draw from the points in paragraph 2 during a briefing in the Security Council on the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) scheduled for October 22, 2009. ¶2. I would like to thank A/SYG Mulet for his briefing, and commend MINURCAT and SRSG Angelo for their efforts to improve security in eastern Chad. I would like to make four points: improving security and protection of civilians must be a priority; relations between Chad and Sudan must be normalized; the level of cooperation and coordination between MINURCAT and the AU/UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) should be increased; and the renewed ethnic violence in northeastern Central African Republic must be addressed. --The security and protection of civilians in and around refugee camps must be MINURCAT's top priority. As President Obama has stated, the ability of a peacekeeping mission to protect civilians from physical violence is essential to earning the trust of the local population. The Government of Chad's decision to relocate - in part to prevent child recruitment by armed groups - the Oure Cassoni refugee camp to a more secure area and away from the volatile border is commendable. Consistent efforts to improve security in the camps, including the prevention of child recruitment by armed rebel groups, is essential in order to improve overall security for the civilian population. We also welcome MINURCAT's efforts to combat sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Chad, including the sensitization and outreach campaigns designed to educate, prevent, and investigate SGBV. We especially encourage MINURCAT to accelerate its protection activities by assisting in building the capacity of the local Chadian judicial system to arrest, prosecute, and punish perpetrators of SGBV. --We continue to be encouraged by the performance of the Dtachement Integr de Securit (DIS) in eastern Chad to provide protection and security to vulnerable residents, particularly women. Unfortunately, the DIS is not operating at full strength or with sufficient equipment. Additional training is also needed, particularly in the operation of vehicles, weapons handling, and conducting patrols. In light of these needs, the United States has again made a substantial contribution to the donor trust fund used to support the DIS. We strongly encourage efforts by Member States to work with MINURCAT to find ways to support the DIS, whether through the donation of equipment, the provision of training, or by direct monetary contribution. --The United States welcomes the recent statements of Chad and Sudan of their willingness to improve relations, and we look forward to concrete steps to make this a reality. Improved relations between the two neighbors are essential in order to resolve regional insecurity and violence. The international community must support efforts to establish better relations between the two countries. --Increased cooperation and coordination between MINURCAT and UNAMID is a critical element in maximizing the efforts of both missions to improve security in the region. We welcome the decision to embed liaison officers in each mission, and would like additional information about joint cooperative efforts. Specifically, it would be helpful to include information in the next Secretary-General's report about the type and frequency of contact between the two missions, the specific duties and actions of the liaison officers in those missions, and examples of information sharing in support of improved regional security. --The United States is troubled by the specter of renewed ethnic violence in northeastern Central African Republic and by rapidly increasing food shortages that the World Food Program has predicted could result in famine. MINURCAT must coordinate with UN missions in the country, such as BONUCA, and with regional organizations such as MICOPAX to decrease the level of insecurity in northeastern CAR and to ensure civilians at risk have access to needed humanitarian assistance. The extent of this coordination should be described in the next Secretary-General's report. --In closing we would like to note our appreciation to the Government of Chad and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) for finalizing the Status of Mission Agreement. We hope DPKO and MINURCAT can now turn their energies toward obtaining and deploying the required troop commitments and force enablers to bring MINURCAT up to its authorized level at the earliest possible time. The United STATE 00108939 002 OF 002 States stands ready to assist in this effort and strongly encourages other Member States to provide assistance to MINURCAT to enable it to reach its full operational capability. --Thank you. CLINTON