COUNCIL DISCUSSES SUDAN SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000238 SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D COPY PARAS MISNUMBERED AND CAPTION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC ETTC SU PGOV SUBJECT: COUNCIL DISCUSSES SUDAN SANCTIONS COMMITTEE REPORT, HIGHLIGHTS DIFFICULTY FOR EXPERTS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On March 10, Austrian Perm Rep Thomas Mayr-Harting, Chair of the Sudan Sanctions Committee (1591 Committee),briefed the Council on the activities of the Sudan Sanctions committee over the past ninety days, and highlighted the inability of the Panel of Experts (POE) to travel to Sudan because of visa troubles and security concerns. The P-5, Ugandan, and Libyan delegations spoke, noting their concern about POE's lack of access in the region and pledging their support to the 1591 Committee's work and the POE's mission. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On March 10, Austrian Perm Rep Thomas Mayr-Harting, Chair of the Sudan Sanctions Committee (1591 Committee), briefed the Security Council on the activities of the committee over the last ninety days, noting that during the reporting period the Committee met on two occasions, the first to hear an interim report by the Sudan Panel of Experts, and the second to discuss a progress report from the Panel. (NOTE: The POE is a UN-mandated team charged with monitoring enforcement of UN sanctions imposed in Sudan. END NOTE) ¶3. (SBU) The Chair noted the Sudan Sanctions Committee's concern that since January 27, the POE had not been able to visit Sudan because the Government of Sudan had not granted a visa to the arms expert. As of March 2, the arms expert still had not received a visa, but the entry visas for all other POE had been renewed. The Chair said he had followed up with the Perm Rep of Sudan on the issue. The Chair also noted that those POE members who had been issued visas were unable to travel to Sudan because the UN had not allowed them country clearance for travel due to security concerns related to the anticipated International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for the Sudanese president. The Chair noted that the DPKO gave assurances that the situation would be reassessed to determine whether the security conditions permitted UNAMID's support to the POE's mission. The Chair said the Committee had reminded DPKO that UNAMID was mandated by the Council to monitor arms embargoes, and that peacekeeping missions should provide all possible support to the work of experts groups in the region. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador DiCarlo noted that the setbacks faced by the POE highlighted the continued defiance by the Government of Sudan of the UN and the international community. The United States, she said, encouraged the Chair to continue discussions with the Secretariat and DPKO about how best to support the Panel's mission and urged the Chair and Secretariat to explore ways to raise awareness within the UN system to enlist support for the Panel's work. DiCarlo called on the Council to integrate its sanctions policy more effectively into the international community's broader strategy for resolving the conflict in Sudan, which would enhance the Council's credibility in Sudan. ¶5. (SBU) French First Counsellor de Riviere encouraged the Committee to work with the Government of Sudan and it's regional neighbors to communicate these governments' responsibilities to allow the POE to carry out its mandate. He urged Sudan to adopt a "more constructive attitude" to granting visas and called on UNAMID to provide assistance as soon as possible. He also called on members to follow-up on the requests for information by the POE, noting that the POE had not received responses from 10 of the 20 requests to various governments. UK Deputy Perm Rep Pierce noted the UK's concern over Sudan's lack of cooperation to support the POE and called for increased support for the work of the Sudan Sanctions Committee and the POE. ¶6. (SBU) Ugandan Perm Rep Rugunda noted that the Committee's work was linked to UNAMID efforts in the region. He said Uganda was very concerned about the troubles the POE was facing and pointed to the positive work of the POE in its November 2008 report to the Committee. Rugunda noted that the March 4 ICC arrest warrant for President Bashir complicated the situation in Sudan and placed the political process in jeopardy. He specifically noted the expulsion of the NGOs from Darfur and called on the Council to re-evaluate the situation in the area. He noted that although some may see sanctions as a way to deal with this problem, Uganda encouraged the Council to pursue a diplomatic dialogue with Sudan. ¶7. (SBU) Russian Deputy Perm Rep Dolgov reiterated Russia's support for the work of the Committee, recalling the need to promote the political process in Sudan, calling for possible sanctions against those who impede the political process. Russia was concerned about the increased violence of rebel groups (specifically the JEM) and called on the Council to notify the rebel groups that their continued hindrance of the political process would not go unanswered by the Council. ¶8. (SBU) Chinese Deputy Perm Rep Liu called for a political settlement that respected Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, noting that Sudan has become more fragile since the March 4 ICC arrest warrant for President Bashir. Liu noted its concern about the recent attacks on UNAMID soldiers and proposed that the Committee consult the Secretariat and consider possible travel to Sudan. China wanted to avoid politicization so that the Committee could work to promote the peace process. ¶9. (SBU) Libyan Charge Dabbashi expressed his concern for the POE's difficulties, encouraged the Chair to continue discussions with the Perm Rep from Sudan about possible support to the POE, but noted that Libya would not recommend POE travel because of safety concerns. Rice