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DE RUEHMN #0345/01 0941740
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FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7029
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0069
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 0132
RUMIAAA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL//J-5//

C O N F I D E N T I A L MONTEVIDEO 000345 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR WHA/BSC,IO/PHO AND PM/PPA 
SOUTHCOM FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017 
TAGS: PREL KPKO MOPS MARR UY
SUBJECT: URUGUAY ON THE PEACEKEEPING CHALLENGE AHEAD 
 
REF: A. STATE 027147 
     ¶B. 06 STATE 134133 
 
Classified By:  Ambassador Frank E. Baxter 
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: This telegram provides local context on the 
challenge of finding enough troops, military observers and 
police to staff new UN peacekeeping missions in Africa (ref 
A). Uruguay is likely to maintain its unmatched per capita 
contributions to PKO, and it appears well disposed to join 
some of the missions in Africa, probably Darfur/Chad. 
However, GOU officials have expressed some frustration with 
the way PKO has been managed.  They hope for improvements so 
that future opportunities are not lost. One problem seems to 
be a lack of effective communication between the UN's 
Department of Peace Keeping Operations (DPKO) and the 
military command here. For whatever reason, Uruguayan senior 
officers often find out late or never about upcoming PKO 
missions and related issues. Officials also complain that the 
UN is months in arrears on PKO payments for salaries and 
equipment. This places a heavy burden on the cash-strapped 
armed forces here. Finally, the GOU would welcome any 
DOS/GPOI funds that can be used to refurbish its PKO training 
area. End Summary. 
 
PKO and Foreign Policy 
---------------------- 
¶2. (C) Uruguay's foreign relations have historically 
reflected the efforts of a small nation to advocate 
self-determination, non-intervention, respect for human 
rights and the rule of law, the pacific settlement of 
disputes, and economic cooperation. Uruguay's enthusiastic 
participation in international peacekeeping operations can 
partly be attributed to the country's dedication and faith in 
international organizations.  Prestige, on-the-job training 
and economic benefits for the poorly-funded military services 
are other important considerations. Except for a few far-left 
radicals, there is no domestic opposition to PKO here. We 
note that Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos recently 
congratulated Uruguayan troops for their actions in Kinshasa. 
We also note that UY's MOD Azucena Berrutti -- a long-time 
Socialist and human rights activist -- recently told the 
Ambassador that, "Bringing peace is a most noble mission for 
our military." 
 
Problems 
-------- 
¶3. (C) However, if Uruguay's civilian leadership appears 
content with the political benefits of international PKO, it 
also tends to delegate most of the logistical and 
decision-making responsibilities for PKO to the UY military, 
mainly the Army. The apparent apathy -- whether by Uruguay's 
diplomatic mission in New York, the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA) here or UNDP's mission in Uruguay -- this trait 
translates into poor coordination and miscommunication 
between the end user (DPKO) and the service provider (the UY 
military high command). 
 
¶4. (C) For example, last August the Embassy demarched the MFA 
on the urgent need to send troops to Lebanon in support of 
UNIFIL (ref B). As far as we can tell we were the only 
country to do so and even the UN mission here did not 
demarche the MFA. (We note that the Foreign Minister is very 
anti-American and that sometimes US demarches can actually be 
counter-productive. End note.)  Senior army officers 
privately told us that they were inclined to provide troops 
to UNIFIL because it represented the "big leagues" of PKO. 
They also reported that President Vazquez was on board, but 
that a "special invitation" from DPKO to Uruguay was needed 
to provide political cover for such a risky mission. Whatever 
the reason, the invitation never materialized and 
consequently Uruguay never signed up for UNIFIL. Some UY 
officers blame Uruguay's liaison to DPKO (Col. Devercelli) 
for failing to follow through on the request for an 
invitation.  We do not know the full story, but it's 
disappointing that something as innocuous as a missing 
invitation could have prevented Uruguay from signing up for 
such an important mission. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In another area, some Uruguayan officers claim that 
the UN is $14 million in arrears on PKO reimbursements for 
equipment (9 months in the case of MINUSTAH in Haiti and 11 
months in the case of MONUC in DROC). They also assert that 
salaries for peace keepers are behind to the tune of $7 
million. If true, this represents $21 million in arrears to a 
military that can ill afford it. We note that the GOU 
recently scaled back its troop deployments from nine months 
to only six. Officials explained that the move was made to 
reduce disciplinary problems among returning vets and to 
lessen family stress associated with prolonged deployments. 
 
Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative 
----------------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) The Uruguayan military is also eager for more 
participation in GPOI. The UY military badly needs to 
refurbish its joint services PKO training area so that it can 
expand training opportunities for peace keepers here and 
abroad. Though a small country, Uruguay's instructors have 
gathered considerable expertise in the field over the course 
of many PKO missions, and they are willing to share it.  The 
Embassy supports Uruguay's efforts to privide more and better 
PKO trainers. 
 
Comment: 
------- 
¶7. (C) While the left-leaning GOU is often suspicious of US 
security cooperation, it has no qualms about participating in 
blue helmet operations.  Embassy considers Uruguay's 
continued, robust PKO participation to be in line with US 
national interests and have incorporated it as major goal in 
our Mission Strategic Plan (MSP). I frequently congratulate 
GOU officials for Uruguay's participation in PKO. Perhaps it 
is time to help them with something more concrete.  We would 
welcome any efforts by the Department to encourage the GOU's 
commitment to PKO, including assistance to resolve 
communications problems, clear up arrears and/or support 
Uruguay's greater participation in GPOI. End Comment. 
Baxter