SRSG QAZI BRIEFS COUNCIL ON UNMIS REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000481 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU AF SUBJECT: SRSG QAZI BRIEFS COUNCIL ON UNMIS REPORT ¶1. Summary: On April 23, the Security Council held consultations on the Secretary General's quarterly report on the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). SRSG Ashraf Qazi stressed that key Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) issues -- elections, border demarcation, the two referenda (South Sudan and Abyei),and ensuring peace dividends to the Three Areas-- must be addressed or the CPA would unravel. Qazi asserted that progress on these and other issues had been curtailed in the aftermath of the International Criminal Court (ICC) indictment. He encouraged the Council to consider the challenges presented by the Darfur conflict and the humanitarian expulsions within the context of CPA implementation. Council members discussed the deteriorating security situation in Southern Sudan; the Government of Sudan's (GOS) March 4 and 5 expulsions of non-governmental organizations; the impact of the ICC indictment; Joint Integrated Units (JIUs),elections and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of soldiers (DDR). End Summary. Qazi Briefs the Council -------------- ¶2. The Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) to UNMIS, Asharaf Qazi, briefed the Council in closed consultations on the Secretary General's April 17 UNMIS report. Qazi said that a UN assessment mission would travel to Sudan to determine needs for elections support and would submit a supplemental budget request. He stressed that border demarcation remained outstanding and critical to the CPA's success because elections, the redeployment of forces and the referenda could not take place until border issues were resolved. ¶3. Qazi said that the lack of funding for the Abyei Interim Administration impeded its progress and contributed to uncertainty about Abyei's future, preventing returns. He indicated that both the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) had withdrawn from the Abyei roadmap area, and the Joint Integrated Units (JIU) were the only military forces remaining. The Permanent Court of Arbitration should issue its demarcation decision in July, and Qazi said that if the decision were contested, this would destabilize the area. ¶4. Qazi addressed the ICC indictment and the GOS expulsion of humanitarian organizations by stating that both issues had preoccupied the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). Qazi said that a joint UN/Government of National Unity (GNU) assessment of the impact of the expulsions on the Three Areas was currently being conducted. He stated that health and sanitation were major concerns immediately, but that the loss of capacity in the medium and long term would affect peace dividends to the Three Areas and adversely impact CPA implementation. He expressed support for the UN's three-track approach to resolving the expulsions. ¶5. Turning to security, Qazi detailed intertribal conflicts in the south, incidents involving the JIUs, particularly the conflict in Malakal on February 24 that resulted in 62 dead and 94 wounded, and Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) incursions into Western and Central Equatoria. Qazi expressed concern with the JIUs ability to maintain command and control and said that UNMIS would continue to liaise with the JIUs to train them and enhance their efficiency. Qazi noted that the GOSS had requested additional UN Police support during elections but the GNU had not yet made a request. Qazi said UNMIS' current mandate included 715 police personnel, but an additional 600 could be required. ¶6. On DDR, Qazi praised the initiation of the DDR process and initial support provided by donors. However, he said that funding for reintegration must be forthcoming -- with 35,000 SPLA members part of expedited demobilization efforts, unmet expectations could become a security threat. Qazi observed that diminishing oil revenues could affect the GOSS's ability to deliver on DDR promises, as well as elections and referenda issues. The Council Reacts -------------- ¶7. Ambassador Rice said that the United States continued to be troubled by the delays and obstacles preventing full implementation of the CPA, and she listed several critical issues that remained unresolved, including the release of census results, lack of funding for the Abyei Interim Administration, the unresolved border demarcation, and increasing violence in southern Sudan. Rice also urged the UN, through its needs assessment mission, to quickly identify the support necessary to conduct national elections, USUN NEW Y 00000481 002 OF 002 including the amount of security assistance UNMIS could provide. Rice said that the United States remained deeply concerned about the GOS expulsion of international aid organizations, and she emphasized the effect of these expulsions on the Three Areas. Rice likewise expressed deep concern with the increasing violence linked to inter-ethnic disputes and LRA incursions in southern Sudan. ¶8. Russia agreed that publishing the census results, enacting needed legislation to permit elections to take place, and improving the command and control of the JIU, especially in light of security sector problems in the south, would be critical. Russia noted that the expulsions had complicated relief efforts but also stated that the ICC indictment had negative repercussions on the peace process. China agreed with the negative impact of the ICC warrant and urged the Council to make peace a priority. The UK focused on UNMIS' need to develop the JIUs, stressing their important role in border areas, and asked how UNMIS could assist with countering tribal violence. The UK stated that the expulsion of NGOs was more critical to the south than Darfur, as the NGOS provided the bulk of humanitarian assistance to the border areas. France also stated that tribal conflict was destabilizing the south and that NGO expulsions had affected the Three Areas even more than Darfur. ¶9. Burkina Faso encouraged the UN assessment mission to develop an electoral calendar to assist parties in preparing for 2010 elections and indicated that normalization of relations between Chad and Sudan would improve peace prospects in the region. Vietnam also expressed concern at the deterioration in relations between Chad and Sudan. Turkey encouraged the Council to develop a pragmatic, forward looking approach to CPA implementation and warned against the Council being seen as pursuing a "selective" approach to implementation. Uganda stressed positive developments, including the return of two million displaced people to southern Sudan. Uganda stated that this important development was indeed fragile, but a sign of progress that the Council should assist in consolidating. ¶10. Libya also pointed to positive developments-- such as establishing a timetable for elections, taking steps to implement the Abyei Roadmap agreement, and beginning the DDR process -- but acknowledged negative developments, including the increase in violence, which Libya attributed to the ICC arrest warrant. Libya stated that humanitarian organizations had been expelled for engaging in activities contrary to their areas of responsibility and asserted that the GOS decision would not be reversible. Libya repeated requests for the Council to respond to regional organizations' request for Article 16 deferral of the indictment. Rice