Cablegate: Post Requests Guidance On Unami Intent to Visit

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002465

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MOPS PHUM PREL IZ UN
SUBJECT: POST REQUESTS GUIDANCE ON UNAMI INTENT TO VISIT
COALITION DETENTION FACILITIES

1. (U) THIS CABLE CONTAINS AN ACTION REQUEST. PLEASE SEE
PARAGRAPH 4-5.

2. (SBU) Post has learned through informal channels that
UNAMI has proposed to the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights that
UNAMI send a two-person delegation (John Pale, Chief Human
Rights Officer, and Rasha al-Kasy, Human Rights Officer) to
visit Coalition detention facilities at Camp Bucca on June
14. MNF-I has not received official notification from UNAMI
of UNAMI's intent to visit, and has indicated to MoHR that it
considers the request deferred.

3. (SBU) We do not know what authority UNAMI intends to cite
for its proposed inspection of Coalition detention
facilities, although the identity of the inspectors suggests
that UNAMI may seek this visit under the terms of UNSCR 1546,
operative paragraph 7(b)(iii), which decides that UNAMI shall
"promote the protection of human rights, national
reconciliation, and judicial and legal reform in order to
strengthen the rule of law in Iraq".

4. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: It is not clear to Post or MNF-I
that we are in a position to grant entities other than ICRC
and the ITG access to detention facilities (as opposed to
visits to individual detainees). It is also not clear to us
that the ITG is in a position to arrange such access for
third parties without MNF-I concurrence. We therefore request
specific guidance from Washington as to how to proceed, and
ask that this guidance come not later than COB Baghdad time
Monday, June 13, 2005.

5. (SBU) Should Washington advise that UNAMI access be
granted, we also seek clarification as to the terms on which
the UNAMI visit will be conducted (i.e., whether UNAMI will
adopt ICRC's standards of confidentiality and impartiality,
whether "fair warning" of press statements will be given, as
is the case with ICRC, and so on).

6. (U) Minimize considered for REOs Basrah, Hillah, Kirkuk,
and Mosul.
Jeffrey

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