UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000348

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC LI XY
SUBJECT: UNMIL TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT MISSION ON TRACK FOR
LATE APRIL

REF: A. USUN 278

B. USUN 297


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. UN DPKO officials on March 31 said a
technical assessment mission would evaluate progress in
Liberia in light of set benchmarks. Getting an effective
police force was key, and ensuring legitimate elections in
2011 would be a reasonable use of UNMIL, according to DPKO.
DPKO warned if UNMIL's drawdown was accelerated, it might not
be able to reinforce UNOCI, and aslo listed additional
concerns facing Liberia. DPKO suggested the U.S. assist in
creating a coast guard to counter border and
narco-trafficking threats. DepPolCouns reiterated the U.S.
will resist any French or UK efforts to drawdown UNMIL troops
prematurely. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Representatives from the UN Department of
Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) told DepPolCouns that DPKO
would send a technical assessment mission (TAM) to Liberia
in late April. Raisedon Zenenga, head of the Africa Division
of DPKO, said the TAM will investigate progress in light of
the set benchmarks, which focus on: 1) building the Liberian
army; 2)training the police; 3) disarmament, demobilization,
and reintegration; and 4) implementing state authority in
each of Liberia's 15 counties. Additionally, he said the TAM
will assess current internal and regional threats, including
the rise in regional narco-trafficking and piracy. Zenenga
suggested the international community, and particularly the
U.S., consider assisting in the creation of a Liberian coast
guard to help mitigate these threats. He also said the
police are the key benchmark, and that it was not possible to
predict police performance even now. He noted the progress
and setbacks the police force has faced during its history.


3. (SBU) Zenenga acknowledged that elections are not a listed
benchmark but agreed that ensuring legitimate elections in
2011 is a reasonable exercise of UNMIL discretion. He said
the UK wants an "indication of direction" of UN Mission in
Liberia (UNMIL) force deployment after 2010, and that France
wants "right-sizing" (i.e. downsizing).


4. (SBU) DPKO's Chief of Military Planning William Bryan
Norman said UNMIL and the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI)
are authorized to reinforce each other, and noted UNOCI is
currently drawing down its troop level. He warned UNMIL
could be put in the position of not having the reinforcement
capacity to offer UNOCI if UNMIL accelerates its drawdown
plan. Norman requested U.S. assistance during the TAM to
allow UN access to assess the ongoing military training (as
was permitted during the 2007 TAM).


5. (SBU) Norman flagged other concerns that could hamper
achieving UNMIL's benchmarks: reintegrating ex-combattants;
the military threat of demobilized soldiers; and the growing
threat of regional narco-trafficking. He said DPKO would
conduct an interactive briefing for the Security Council
before the TAM departs. Norman stressed the military
planning part of the TAM would complement benchmark review,
but was different in that if would focus on "military gap
analysis" (i.e. how to get the military from where it is to
where is needs to be). Norman requested U.S. assistance in
getting access to U.S.-led training facilities, as was
granted during the 2007 TAM, to allow direct assessment of
the Armed Forces of Liberia.


6. (SBU) DepPolCouns said the U.S. will resist any
unwarranted political pressure from France or the UK to
drawdown UNMIL's troops prematurely. He stressed the need
for safe elections in 2011. Norman and Zenenga agreed UNMIL
would be a necessary part of ensuring smooth elections, and
Zenenga commented DPKO will also use this TAM to draft a
post-election plan for UNMIL.

Rice