Cablegate: Talking Points for 7/16 Unamid Consultations

VZCZCXRO7741
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHC #6053/01 1972334
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152323Z JUL 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 2484
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 076053

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU CD
SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS FOR 7/16 UNAMID CONSULTATIONS

In consultations on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, USUN may draw
on the following points:

The United States thanks Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for
his report on the status of the UNAMID mission, but we deeply
regret that there are so few positive developments to report.
We thank UNAMID for its efforts, under the most difficult of
circumstances, and extend our deepest condolences to the
victims of the July 8 attacks and to their families.

We share the Secretary General's disappointment in the lack
of progress in resolving the Darfur conflict and the slow
pace of UNAMID deployment. Nearly a year after Resolution
1769 established UNAMID and six months after the UN assumed
responsibility for Darfur peacekeeping from the AU, UNAMID
has deployed barely 500 new troops. UNAMID's slow deployment
is seriously interfering with its ability to protect itself
and to fulfill its mandate in Darfur. This is without
excuse. The people of Darfur deserve better. The Security
Council has sought to end the suffering of the people of
Darfur but we have fallen short. We must do better and we
must do more. The lives of UN peacekeepers and millions of
innocent civilians depend on it.

With that in mind, I would like to make three points:

------------------------
Deplore attack on UNAMID
------------------------
First, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal
July 8 attack on UNAMID personnel. This attack on
peacekeepers whose primary mission is to help stabilize the
region was unprovoked, unwarranted, and unacceptable. We
demand that the perpetrators of this attack be identified and
held accountable. The attacks of last week are a clear
indicator that UNAMID needs reinforcements and more robust
arms to protect both itself and civilians. We urge the
Secretariat to take immediate steps to accelerate the
deployment of UNAMID's troops. If accommodations are
necessary before those troops can deploy, then these
accommodations must be provided now.

-----------------
UNAMID Deployment
-----------------
Second, we echo the Secretary General's frustration with the
slow deployment of UNAMID forces. The delays in deployment
are unacceptable. Since the start of this year, 190,000
people have been displaced in Darfur, eight humanitarian aid
workers have been killed, 125 humanitarian vehicles have been
hijacked, 36 World Food Program drivers have gone missing,
and ordinary civilians continue to bear the brunt of
increased violence. Conflict-related sexual and gender-based
violence continues with impunity. Women and girls,
particularly those who are internally displaced, continue to
be subjected to rape, gang rape, and beating by state actors,
rebel factions, and armed groups.

We encourage the members of the international community to
re-energize their commitment to the success of UNAMID and to
increase their efforts to fulfill their contributions to the
mission. More specifically, we urge troop contributors who
have already made pledges to UNAMID to work with the UN to
quickly deploy their personnel and equipment, and we urge all
UN member states to consider pledging key enabling units
(including tactical helicopters, utility helicopters, heavy
transports, and combat engineers) that are still missing.

We urge the UN to redouble its effort to construct suitable
infrastructure for rapid UNAMID expansion as well as its
efforts to ship contingent owned equipment to Darfur as
quickly as possible. We urge the UN to consider all options
at its disposal to improve performance on these key points,
whose slow progress continue to hinder UNAMID deployment and
operations.

We demand that the government of Sudan ensure the security
and the free movement of UNAMID and its personnel, and indeed
of all UN personnel in Sudan, notwithstanding the recent
decisions of the ICC. We welcome the statement by second
Vice President Taha that Sudan will take no action against UN
or NGO operations in Sudan. We expect the Government of
Sudan to abide by these principles. We further call on the
Government of Sudan to remove all obstacles to the deployment
of UNAMID personnel and equipment, particularly its
opposition to non-African troops and personnel, and to
facilitate the prompt provision of visas, customs and flight

STATE 00076053 002 OF 002

clearances. We urge the Government of Sudan to abide fully
and without qualifications by its Status of Forces Agreement
(SOFA) and allow UNAMID full freedom of movement including
unrestricted flights.

We welcome the progress that UNAMID has made with the
resources it has, particularly increases in aggressive
long-distance patrolling, fire-wood escorts, and confidence
and capacity-building measures. We applaud the work UNAMID
police forces have done to train Government police forces and
hope that those forces will be able to better protect the
people of Sudan.

--------------------------
Adherence to Peace Process
--------------------------
Finally, the use of violence by all sides in Darfur in their
pursuit of political objectives is both deplorable and
counter-productive, and only intensifies the suffering of the
people of Darfur. All parties must immediately cease
hostilities as the first step in re-starting the political
process. We welcome the appointment of the Chief Mediator,
Mr. Djibril Bassole, and we urge all parties to cooperate
with his efforts.

We agree with the Secretary General that peace in Darfur is
"inextricably linked to peace and stability in the region"
and call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to work
together to resolve their dispute in a manner that will
benefit both countries. We urge both Chad and Sudan to
implement the Dakar Accord as an important step to
stabilizing the region.

----------
Conclusion
----------
The United States remains steadfastly dedicated to the
success of UNAMID. As such, we urge all stakeholders to
redouble their efforts to expedite deployment of UNAMID
forces to the Darfur region. We recognize that complete
UNAMID deployment is crucial to full implementation of its
mandate to protect civilians in Darfur. The people of Darfur
have already suffered too much and have waited too long for
relief. We all must do better to help them.
RICE

© Scoop Media