CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: TALKING POINTS FOR

UNCLAS STATE 022315 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM CA XA ZF SUBJECT: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: TALKING POINTS FOR MARCH 10 BRIEFING ¶1. USUN may draw from the following points for the March 10 Security Council briefing with the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) for the Central African Republic (CAR) Francois Fall. Begin points: -- The United States would like to thank SRSG Fall for his briefing today and for his service to CAR and the international community. We urge the Secretary General to quickly appoint a successor to SRSG Fall given that implementation of the Inclusive Political Dialogue is at a critical stage. -- The United States congratulates the government, opposition parties, and participating rebel groups for their agreement to abide by Inclusive Political Dialogue recommendations, however we are concerned that recent violence in northern CAR has endangered the peace the Dialogue aimed to achieve. We urge all parties to renew their commitment to peace and to implement Dialogue recommendations for the good of the CAR and its people. -- The United States condemns the attacks and retaliation in Northern CAR that has led to 18,000 new IDPs and refugees. We urge all rebel groups who have not done so to join the peace process and call on all foreign governments to refrain from sheltering or supporting any rebel groups that remain outside the peace process. -- The Government of the Central African Republic (CARG) needs to show progress toward equitable power sharing and an inclusive government, paving the way for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2010. -- Swift implementation of UN disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) programs is critical and rebel groups should immediately submit their list of combatants for demobilization. The government should work with UNDP to ensure prompt disbursement and use of Central African Monetary and Economic Community (CEMAC) funds for DDR. -- We remain concerned about the plight of children in CAR and note that the Secretary-General's recent report on Children and Armed Conflict in the Central African Republic. We call on the government, as well as on all other actors, including rebels and bandits, to cease violence against children. -- If the international community is going to support a national vision for rebuilding peace and stability, then implementation of the SYG's recommendations for an integrated peacebuilding mission in Bangui will be an important step toward ensuring donor coordination and attention to national capacity-building. -- The Peacebuilding Commission should continue to work with the national government in forming an overall peacebuilding strategy, and mobilizing support of new and returning donors. -- Because of CAR's continued vulnerability to opportunistic foreign armed groups, we are pleased that the UN Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) will continue to have a role in northeastern CAR. CLINTON