Cablegate: Qazi Urges Council to Curb Availability of Weapons

VZCZCXRO7899
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0984/01 3072009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 032009Z NOV 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7506
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000984

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU AF
SUBJECT: QAZI URGES COUNCIL TO CURB AVAILABILITY OF WEAPONS
IN SOUTHERN SUDAN

1. Summary: In his last briefing before the Security
Council, SRSG Qazi labeled mistrust between the parties to
the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) as the biggest
challenge to its implementation. Qazi discussed the
increasing tribal violence in the south and urged the
Security Council to adopt a mechanism to curb availability of
weapons. Qazi also addressed protection of civilians and
welcomed the new U.S. Sudan strategy. Ambassador Rice
introduced the strategy and emphasized, along with Council
members,that elections and the referenda are vital CPA
benchmarks that must be met. She also expressed concern over
increasing violence and the deteriorating humanitarian
situation. Members discussed resolution of the Darfur
conflict as essential to CPA implementation. End Summary.

Qazi: Increasing Violence and Weapons Flow
------------------------------------------

2. On October 28, the Special Representative of the
Secretary General to the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Ashraf
Qazi briefed the Council on the Secretary General's October
21 report. Qazi identified lack of trust between the parties
as the greatest obstacle to CPA implementation. He
recognized U.S. efforts to reinvigorate international
engagement with Sudan and spoke favorably of the U.S. Sudan
strategy presented by the Secretary, Ambassador Rice and
Special Envoy Gration on October 19.

3. Qazi discussed the surge in violence in the South, noting
that women and children had been the primary victims,
something that has not been seen before in tribal conflicts.
Qazi said that easy access to weapons had fueled this
violence, and he urged the international community to
consider mechanisms that would curb the availability of
weapons in the South.

4. Qazi also described the UN's three-pronged approach to
protection of civilians: encouraging the Government of
Southern Sudan (GOSS) to take the lead in protecting
civilians in order to instill public confidence in the
government; strengthening UNMIS' state-level presence; and
using military patrols to complement civil staff presence in
hot spots. Qazi said that UNMIS had considered using as a
model the joint protection teams established in the UN
Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) but
concluded that this model would not be appropriate for UNMIS.

Council: A Comprehensive Approach to Sudan
------------------------------------------

5. Ambassador Rice briefed the Council on the three
strategic objectives of U.S. Sudan policy: a definitive end
to conflict in Darfur; effective implementation of the CPA
leading to a peaceful post-2011 Sudan or an orderly path
toward two separate and viable states; and ensuring that
Sudan does not provide safe haven for terrorists. Rice
expressed concern over the ability of Sudanese to participate
meaningfully in elections, increasing violence in the South,
and deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Ambassador
Rice asked Qazi whether the Secretariat had information about
the source for the influx of weapons in the South and
requested clarification about why the MONUC joint protection
team model was not applicable to UNMIS.

6. France and the UK urged the Secretariat to fill vacant
leadership positions in UNMIS. Russia observed that the
situation in Darfur could negatively impact the CPA. Turkey
and Vietnam agreed that resolution of the conflict in Darfur
and CPA implementation must be addressed together, and Turkey
cautioned that rebels should see April 2010 as a deadline and
participate in elections or risk losing legitimacy. Uganda
and Costa Rica urged the Council to examine the Lord's
Resistance Army (LRA) threat from a regional perspective.
China and Libya focused on positive developments in Sudan:
the peaceful acceptance by both parties of the Abyei border
decision, adoption of the national election law and
establishment of the National Election Council.

Qazi Responds
-------------

7. Responding to Ambassador Rice's question about the source
of weapons flows to the South, Qazi said that the Secretariat
had no concrete evidence but was aware of deep suspicions
held by GOSS officials that Khartoum was providing arms.
Qazi said that UNMIS did not have a mandate to investigate
weapons trafficking and could merely monitor, observe, and
verify the presence of weapons. Regarding the joint
protection team model, Qazi said that the difference between
UNMIS and MONUC was that MONUC is a Chapter 7 mission,

USUN NEW Y 00000984 002 OF 002

whereas UNMIS is a Chapter 6 mission with a limited mandate
for protection of civilians. He also noted that UNMIS has
civilian presence throughout Sudan, unlike MONUC.
Rice

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