SRSG MELKERT BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON UNAMI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001051

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2019
TAGS: PREL PREF PGOV UNSC IZ SY TY
SUBJECT: SRSG MELKERT BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON UNAMI
ACTIVITIES

Classified By: Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary: On November 16 Special Representative of the
Secretary-General (SRSG) Ad Melkert briefed the Security
Council regarding UNAMI activities during the last quarter,
emphasizing the recent successful passage of an election law
while highlighting the work remaining to hold credible
elections in January 2010. Melkert also set the stage for
post-election UNAMI priorities: deep engagement with the
issue of internal boundaries via the High-Level Task Force;
continued support in the formulation of and action on the
National Development Plan; and, normalization of regional
relations, especially with Kuwait. Iraqi PermRep Bayati also
addressed the Council, highlighting the upcoming elections
and the continued security concerns raised following recent
Baghdad bombings. He also reiterated the Government of
Iraq's hope that the Security Council will "undertake its
duty" to enable Iraq to restore its international standing to
that which it enjoyed prior to 1990. During closed
consultations members made interventions expressing thanks to
UNAMI for its continued good work, especially in support of
the recent passage of the election law, and the importance of
ongoing national reconciliation efforts. End summary.


2. (U) Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG)
Ad Melkert briefed the Security Council on UNAMI on November

16. This was Melkert's second address to the Council, but
the first time Council members have heard from him following
his first quarter on the ground in Iraq. Melkert used the
occasion to provide an overview of significant developments
during the reporting period, calling it a "period of great
challenges and achievements." His briefing closely followed
the recently released Secretary-General UNAMI report,
focusing on the forthcoming January elections made possible
following the passage of the election law by the Council of
Representatives (COR) on November 8. He underscored UNAMI's
serious concerns about the impact on election preparations of
the late date in finalizing the law, calling it a "Herculean
task to ensure that basic standards can be met." Melkert
also set the stage for post-election UNAMI priorities: deep
engagement with the issue of internal boundaries via the
High-Level Task Force; continued support in the formulation
of and action on the National Development Plan; normalization
of regional relations, especially with Kuwait; and, an
emphasis on promotion of human rights, especially for women.
While his remarks did not expand greatly on the UN role with
regard to refugees and IDPs, Melkert called the return of
refugees and IDPs an "uphill task ahead."


3. (U) Iraqi PermRep Bayati also briefed the Council. He
optimistically described the recent consensus reached by the
COR on the election law as the initiation of a "new phase of
responsible competition and collective work in Iraq, moving
away from narrow loyalties in order to serve the general
interests of the country," and thanked UNAMI for the
important assistance it provided to the Iraqi Government, in
particular the Parliament. Bayati reminded Council members
of the severity of the August 19 and October 25 Baghdad
attacks, calling them operations "to cripple the capacity of
the Iraqi state and its institutions and to disrupt the
democratic political process" and recalled Iraqi Government
requests to the Secretary-General seeking UN assistance on
issues related to the security and sovereignty of Iraq. He
welcomed the SYG's decision to send an international team
headed by A/SYGOscar Fernandez-Taranco to Iraq for
preliminary consultations, calling the visit a "first step,
to be followed by subsequent steps, leading to the
fulfillment of my Government's request to uncover those
behind the deadly bombings in Baghdad." In conclusion,
Bayati reiterated PM Maliki's affirmation to the
Secretary-General last September, "that Iraq no longer poses
a threat to international peace and security and that Iraq
has fulfilled many of the international obligations imposed
on it over the years, including those related to the
situation between Iraq and Kuwait." He stated the Government
of Iraq's hope that the Security Council will "undertake its
duty" to enable Iraq to restore its international standing to
that which it enjoyed prior to 1990.


CLOSED CONSULTATIONS
--------------

4. (C) Melkert expanded upon the recent adoption of the
election law in closed consultations, noting that it now
resides with the Presidency Council, which has ten days to
accept or reject the law. If not rejected the law will

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automatically be adopted on November 19. He highlighted
concerns regarding VP Hashami's threat to veto the law over
out-of-country voting (OCV) and compensatory seats, noting
that UNAMI and the Independent High Electoral Commission
(IHEC) are in intensive talks with all concerned parties
regarding this possible spoiler. In response to Council
member questions, Melkert advised that the GOI may need
enhanced MNF-I support to secure Baghdad-based election
institutions. He also expressed concern regarding the
increased complexity of OCV following the late passage of the
election law.


5. (C) All Council members made interventions during closed
consultations, expressing thanks to UNAMI for its continued
good work, especially in support of the recent passage of the
election law, and the continued election support UNAMI will
provide in the coming months. Members expressed the need for
January's elections to be free, fair, and secure. The
majority of members highlighted the importance of national
reconciliation, while Turkey said directly, "national
reconciliation (in Iraq) remains elusive." Most members
noted the August and October bombings and their concerns for
Iraq's stability, with China expressing its hope that the GOI
continues to build its national security force capacity so it
can assume full responsibility and provide needed security.
Russia called for inter-Arab cooperation in regards to Iraq's
security concerns with Syria, and Turkey reiterated its offer
to "play a constructive role in the region, to create a
better atmosphere." Turkey also expressed its displeasure
with the SYG's report language calling Turkish brokered talks
between Iraq and Syria following the August bombings
"inconclusive." A number of members, including Vietnam,
Croatia, and Austria expressed support for
Fernandez-Taranco's visit to Iraq. The UK, Japan, Burkina
Faso, France, Mexico, Costa Rica and Libya called for Iraq to
move forward on Iraq-Kuwait issues, including reaffirmation
of the border.

Wolff