GREAT LAKES - TALKING POINTS FOR THE JANUARY 15

UNCLAS STATE 003498 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC XA BY SUBJECT: GREAT LAKES - TALKING POINTS FOR THE JANUARY 15 UNSC CONSULTATIONS ¶1. This is an action request. USUN should draw from the points in para 2 during the January 15 UN Security Council (UNSC) consultations with Great Lakes Special Envoy Obasanjo. ¶2. (U) Begin points: -- We remain seriously concerned about the present situation in eastern Congo, in particular the humanitarian situation. -- Reporting from the eastern DRC indicates that up to 150,000 civilians have been displaced due to the fighting of the last couple months in the eastern regions of the DRC. The fighting and consequent internal displacement of civilians exacerbates what was already one of the world,s most dismal humanitarian situations -- We encourage the international community and concerned parties to continue to give their full support to the peace talks led by UN Special Envoy Olusegun Obasanjo and former Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa. These mediation efforts between representatives of the Congolese government and the rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) are a positive step forward in bringing stability to the eastern region of the DRC. We urge all parties to negotiate in good faith. -- We further urge all parties to honor their previous commitments and stop all fighting immediately, to accept the MONUC disengagement plan, and recommit themselves to full implementation of the Nairobi and the Goma Agreements. These agreements provide the necessary and appropriate framework for re-establishing security and protecting the local populations. We will continue to urge all parties to abide by their commitments and respect a cease-fire. -- We welcome the Council's adoption in December of Resolution 1857, extending and more clearly defining the mandate of MONUC. We continue to greatly appreciate MONUC's continued efforts to protect civilians in the eastern DRC under the most difficult of circumstances. We urge Member States to consider contributing the additional troops and police to MONUC that the Council first authorized in November under Resolution 1843, and to take concrete steps to ensure these additional forces can be deployed as soon as possible. It is crucial MONUC have the resources it needs to fulfill its mandate. -- The United States calls on the states in the region, the African Union and the international community to support the DRC as it works to consolidate its democracy and capacity to govern justly its entire territory and urges all DRC neighboring states to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. -- Following up on the findings and recommendations of the DRC Group of Experts as covered in the Group,s December 2008 report, the international community should continue to explore more in depth how we can cooperate to ensure armed groups cannot gain a profit from illegally exporting DRC natural resources and selling these products on the international market. The natural resources of the DRC should be exploited legally and in a manner that truly benefits the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. RICE