VZCZCXRO0528
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHNJ #0189 0591554
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 281554Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY NDJAMENA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4986
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000189 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPKO PGOV PHUM PREL UNSC CD
SUBJECT: CHAD'S POSITION ON A UN BORDER FORCE HARDENING 
FURTHER 
 
REF: NDJAMENA 176 
 
¶1.  (U)  On February 28 the Ambassador was called to the 
Foreign Ministry to receive a statement from Acting Foreign 
Minister Djidda Moussa Outman clarifying Chad's reservations 
on proposals by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations 
(UNDPKO) to the UN Security Council (UNSC) for a peacekeeping 
operation in eastern Chad.  Djidda said he was presenting the 
same statement to other UNSC members represented in Ndjamena 
(i.e., France, China, Russia). 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Recalling discussions with the UNDPKO Technical 
Assistance Mission during its recent visit, Djidda said Chad 
had proposed a force of police and gendarmes units with a 
mandate to protect refugees and humanitarian workers.  He 
noted disagreement with the UNDPKO's proposals for a force 
with as many 11,000 personnel, a broader mandate, and 
significant military elements.  He added that it is 
unacceptable to have the 12 Sudanese refugee camps so close 
to the border with Sudan.  He referred to studies underway 
with UNHCR on proposals to shift the camps further into Chad. 
 He said the UNSC should take note of these discussions and 
asked the Ambassador to draw Washington's attention to Chad's 
concerns. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Probed further on Chad's views, Djidda expressed 
hope that the mandate for a force would include protection of 
Chadian IDP's.  He rejected consideration of any military 
elements, claiming that a civilian force of police and 
gendarmes would be sufficient.  He noted Chad's support for a 
force with aerial surveillance capabilities, but did not see 
the possibility of establishing observation posts along the 
border.  He said a Sudanese military delegation is in 
Ndjamena now for technical discussions on implementing the 
Tripoli agreement of February 2006, which was reaffirmed at 
the meetings in Tripoli last week and which includes plans 
for a joint Chado-Sudanese border force.  Chad, Djidda noted, 
is ready to contribute to this force, but the "other party" 
has been the obstacle. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  The Ambassador told Djidda the United States 
shared Chad's concerns with insecurity on its border and 
violence against civilian populations.  He said the United 
States supports an international force on the border as a way 
of addressing this problem.  He described U.S. efforts for 
peace in Darfur, including support for a hybrid force.  He 
urged Chad to work with the United States and its 
international partners on plans for an effective and 
acceptable force in eastern Chad. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Comment:  As noted in ref and previous messages, 
Chad's reservations about a UN force on its border are 
becoming more entrenched.  Discussions in New York need to 
take note of its concerns and consider steps to assuage them. 
 We have also been hearing frustrations voiced with 
increasing frequency over the continuing presence of the 
camps for Sudanese refugees in eastern Chad.  Two of them -- 
Ore Cassoni near Bahai and Am Nabak near Tine -- are indeed 
unacceptably close to the border, and UNHCR has been working 
to identify suitable sites for their relocation, so far 
without success.  Moving the other camps would pose even more 
daunting challenges.  End Comment 
WALL