SYG BAN BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON NOVEMBER 6

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001007 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PREF PGOV KPKO OVIP SUBJECT: SYG BAN BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON NOVEMBER 6 Classified By: Ambassador Susan Rice for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: On November 6, Secretary-General Ban provided a second briefing to Security Council members following the October 28 attack in Kabul which killed five and injured nine UN Staff. Ban had recently returned from Kabul where he met with staff and initiated a comprehensive security review of UN staff residences. He underscored that the relocation of approximately 200 staff to regional hubs was a temporary measure to allow the UN time to make needed security improvements. Ban reiterated the need for financial and logistical support from member states to provide needed security for UN staff world-wide, and promised to provide more specific proposals to the General Assembly in the near future. Ban also provided highlights from his meeting with President Karzai, during which he urged the President to reach out to all political rivals in forming his new government and stressed the need for Karzai to make a new compact with the Afghan people predicated on international standards of good governance. End summary. INCREASED SECURITY MEASURES FOR UN STAFF ¶2. (C) On November 6, Secretary-General Ban briefed Security Council members following his return from Kabul. Ban began his briefing by discussing the ongoing comprehensive security review following the October 28 attack in Kabul which killed five and injured nine UN staff. Ban stated that the primary goal of his trip to Kabul was to show solidarity with his staff. Ban met with the survivors of the guesthouse attack who are recuperating and receiving trauma care in Dubai, and held town hall meetings with his national and international staff at the two main UN compounds in Kabul. ¶3. (C) Ban tasked the head of the UN Department of Safety and Security (DSS),Gregory Starr, to remain in Kabul to review security arrangements for UN staff and to take "all necessary actions without delay." UN DSS is currently assessing all UN staff residences, separating them into three categories: (a) acceptable, meets needed safety standards, (b) acceptable, needs some modification, and (c) not acceptable, requires immediate relocation of staff. As a result of this assessment, a number of staff will be relocated within Afghanistan and approximately 200 will be temporarily moved to various remote regional work-sites such as Dubai. Ban stressed that this was a temporary measure to allow the UN time to make needed security improvements. He emphasized that contrary to press reports which have "misinterpreted and misreported our actions," the UN is not evacuating; the UN will continue to work and fulfill the UNAMA mandate. ¶4. (C) Ban stressed that the Afghan government "bears the primary responsibility for UN staff safety," and that President Karzai, in his meeting with Ban in Kabul, offered to dedicate one-tenth -- approximately 1,000 -- of the National Police Forces to protect UN staff. Karzai also promised Ban to expedite needed visas for additional security staff. ¶5. (U) Ban reiterated the need for financial and logistical support from member states to provide needed security for UN staff world-wide, and promised to provide more specific proposals to the General Assembly in the near future. As he had already mentioned to the General Assembly on October 30, these proposals include: (1) supplement the UN screening and access project by $50M, (2) expand spending authority during times of crisis to a level greater than the current $1M cap, (3) create a DSS $25M emergency fund, and (4) establish a $10M family fund to cover the immediate and long-term needs of family members of UN staffers killed or wounded. UN ELECTION AND FUTURE GOVERNANCE ROLE ¶6. (C) In the second half of the Secretary-General's briefing, Ban provided highlights from his meetings with Karzai and Abdullah. Ban asked Karzai to reach out, following the "seriously flawed election," to all of his political rivals including Abdullah, and also stressed the need for good governance. Ban underscored that Karzai would need to "take bold measures and crack down on corruption" if he is to have credibility with the Afghan people and the international community. Ban said Abdullah had promised to "act as loyal opposition." Ban stressed to Karzai and Abdullah the need for the new government of Afghanistan to make a new compact with its citizens and with the international community, and the need for this new government to gradually assume the duties of a sovereign state, including the provision of security and economic development USUN NEW Y 00001007 002 OF 002 for its citizens. Ban discussed the idea of an international conference in Kabul, as recently proposed jointly by the UK, France and Germany, with the caveat that there must be a "clear and convincing mandate for change" by the Afghan government before a conference is held under UN auspices. ¶7. (U) Noting the upcoming 2010 Parliamentary elections, Ban underscored the need to incorporate lessons learned from the 2009 Presidential elections. He promised that the UN would focus closely on these elections and underscored that all UNAMA elections officers would remain in Afghanistan. COUNCIL MEMBER INTERVENTIONS ¶8. (C) Following Ban's briefing, all Council members expressed their on-going support for the UN in Afghanistan and for the actions of the UN to increase staff security. A number of countries underscored the need for the UN staff relocations to be temporary in nature given the amount of work to be done, and to "avoid looking like the UN is running from the terrorists," as the Japanese said. While most countries welcomed or noted the official outcome of the Afghan Presidential election, a number of countries, including Mexico, Burkina Faso and Costa Rica, expressed deep disappointment with the election process, both in terms of the significant fraud and the cancellation of the second round run-off. Costa Rica stated that the international community now finds themselves "having to work with a weak ally," while Burkina Faso stated Karzai "does not enjoy full legitimacy." France, Uganda, and Libya stressed the importance of future reintegration efforts. Mexico reiterated that needed financial resources to increase the safety and security for UN staff should come from re-allocation of funds rather than supplemental funding requests, since "Afghanistan cannot become an empty barrel". Rice