Cablegate: Un/Somalia Sanctions: Council Briefed On

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SO UNSC PGOV ETTC
SUBJECT: UN/SOMALIA SANCTIONS: COUNCIL BRIEFED ON
MONITORING GROUP CHALLENGES

1. SUMMARY: On October 9, the Chair of the Somalia Sanctions
Committee updated the Council on the latest activities of the
UN Monitoring Group charged with assessing implementation of
the Somalia arms embargo. The Chair explained the Group's
challenges identifying sources of financing for embargo
violations and identified transportation by sea as the
primary route to import arms. The UK told the Council it
will soon distribute a draft resolution to impose a targeted
sanctions regime for Somalia. END SUMMARY.

2. On October 9, South African UN Perm Rep Dumisani Kumalo,
acting in his capacity as Chair of the Somalia Sanctions
Committee, briefed the UN Security Council on information
provided by the Somalia Monitoring Group during a mid-term
presentation to the Somalia Sanctions Committee on September
9. (NOTE: The Monitoring Group is a UN-mandated team of
experts charged with assessing the implementation of the UN
arms embargo in Somalia. END NOTE). Kumalo noted the
Monitoring Group had laid out to the Committee areas of
primary investigative focus: namely, mapping armed forces and
groups; sources of financing for arms embargo violations;
piracy, kidnapping and ransom; methods of arms
transportation; and security sector support and related
compliance issues.

3. Kumalo explained that the Monitoring Group documented
that the Ethiopian National Defense Forces have continued
their support to the Transitional Federal Government and
allied militias, and that Eritrea has been supporting various
armed opposition groups. He added that the Monitoring Group
experienced difficulties in investigating sources of
financing for arms embargo violations, noting also the use of
piracy, kidnapping and ransom in financing those violations.
Kumalo further highlighted the use of transportation by sea
as the primary means of importing arms, and that various
donors (such as UNDP and UNOPS) were providing technical
assistance and training to Somali police forces without
properly notifying the Committee.

4. After Kumalo's presentation, the UK informed the Council
that it was working on a new sanctions resolution for Somalia
that would target individuals and entities who a) disrupt the
peace in Somalia, b) breach the arms embargo, or c) impede
access to or the delivery of humanitarian aid. The UK said
it planned to informally distribute the draft resolution
soon. Italy expressed its support for efforts to impose
targeted sanctions, noting its concern that despite the
existence of the arms embargo since 1992 Somalia remains
awash with arms. Costa Rica commented that the Council is
giving an impression of inaction on the issue of Eritrean
support to armed groups and ought to discuss this issue at a
later date.
Khalilzad

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