VZCZCXYZ0015
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #8407 3241456
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201444Z NOV 07
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000

UNCLAS STATE 158407 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNSC PREL PGOV PHUM PREF SOCI
SUBJECT: U.S. STATEMENT ON PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS IN 
ARMED CONFLICT 
 
 
¶1.  (U)  USUN should draw from the statement in para 2 below 
during the UNSC Open Debate on Protection of Civilians in 
Armed Conflict scheduled for November 20, 2007. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  Begin statement. 
 
Mr. President, thank you for convening today,s important 
discussion.  I would also like to thank Under-Secretary 
Holmes for his insightful briefing. 
 
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The purpose of life. . . is to 
live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out 
eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences." 
People everywhere wish for a life of opportunity for 
themselves and for their children.  They want their nations 
to be successful, prosperous, and to ensure basic security 
and employment and educational opportunities. . . where each 
generation does better than its predecessor. 
 
There are many States throughout the world striving to 
provide such an environment for their people.  However, 
repressive regimes, the spread of global terrorism and 
extremism, intransigent poverty and other factors prevent 
many people from having their basic needs met and force them 
to live in fear. 
 
The Secretary General, in his October 28th Report on the 
Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, reminded us all 
that "Enshrined in all major moral, religious, and legal 
codes, and not specific to any particular culture or 
tradition, the protection of civilians is a human, political 
and legal imperative that recognizes the inherent dignity and 
worth of every human being.  It is a cause that unites us all 
in the responsibility to protect civilians from abuse, to 
mitigate the impact of warfare and to alleviate their 
suffering." 
 
With that in mind, the United States would like to encourage 
strong UNSC and mulitlateral collective action to deal with 
the source of humanitarian crises -- governments that 
deliberately target or do not protect their civilians.  For 
example, the humanitarian siutations are directly related to 
their political situations, specifically a lack 
accountability to their citizens and failure to provide basic 
services and to meet basic needs.  Humanitarian situations 
will continue until as long as the root problems remain 
unaddressed. 
 
First -- Ensuring humanitarian access to civilians in need. 
 
Humanitarian access to conflict areas is often hindered by 
lack of security and infrastructure.  However, in some cases, 
state and non-state actors flagrantly deny access, mobilizing 
direct attacks against humanitarian workers, and making it 
impossible to meet emergency needs.  Deliberate attacks on 
humanitarian workers remain a significant impediment to 
life-saving aid in many crises, and we must all work together 
to provide for the safety and security of relief workers as 
well as civilians. 
 
In the Darfur region of Sudan, where more than 4.2 million 
people depend on the lifeline that the international 
community provides, aid is frequently hindered due to 
government actions.  For example, a few weeks after U.N. 
officials spoke out against Sudanese authorities, forced 
removal of displaced persons from a camp in South Darfur 
State in October, the governor expelled the top UN 
humanitarian official in the state -- citing other reasons. 
This action was taken despite an agreement that the 
Government of Sudan and the United Nations signed in March to 
foster an improved working relationship and to provide a 
forum to address issues of concern.  The absence of key UN 
humanitarian staff to coordinate the international response 
will make it more difficult for humanitarian agencies to 
provide aid to more than one million people in South Darfur. 
 
The United States remains concerned about the lack of 
humanitarian access in many areas of conflict.  These 
humanitarian access issues stem from the political situation 
and the local government's lack of accountability to its 
people in providing for basic services and needs. 
Humanitarian issues of civilian protection will not be 
addressed without political change.  We understand then that 
the attainment of peace and stability in these countries is a 
gradual transition that will not occur overnight, and thus, 
there are immediate needs for civilians on the ground that 
should be addressed.  The United States recalls the 
obligations of parties to conflict, under applicable 
international law, to allow and facilitate passage of 
humanitarian relief to the extent feasible for civilians in 
need, and we urge all nations to follow-through on these 
important obligations.  Humanitarian agencies cannot assist 
people they cannot reach. 
 
Second -- Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict. 
 
The United States condemns sexual violence as an instrument 
of policy and calls on all Member States to end this gross 
injustice.  We were pleased by the recent adoption of the 
General Assembly resolution calling on states to end impunity 
by prosecuting and punishing those who use rape and other 
sexual violence to advance military or political objectives, 
to protect and support victims, and to develop and implement 
comprehensive strategies on prevention and prosecution of 
rape. 
 
There is evidence that government forces and/or 
government-allied militias in Sudan have used rape as an 
instrument to further military or political objectives.  In 
Burma there are widespread reports of serious human rights 
abuses, including rape, by Burmese military personnel in 
conflict areas.  The circumstances of these rapes, which 
accompanied forced displacement intended to deny support to 
ethnic minority groups, and the routine impunity for 
perpetrators, strongly suggest that they are part of the 
government's effort to "pacify" and/or intensify its control 
over ethnic minorities. 
 
The U.S. has responded in many ways to the intolerable 
widespread violence against civilians, especially Darfur 
Sudanese women and girls.  At the behest of Secretary Rice, 
the U.S. Department of State and Agency for International 
Development (USAID) are implementing an initiative to target 
five key strategic areas to help address the issue of 
gender-based violence including: access to justice, human 
rights monitoring efforts, access to accurate information, 
and humanitarian protections to include clinical care.  The 
U.S. Department of State also supports programs which focus 
on prevention and response to gender-based violence for 
Darfur Sudanese refugees in Chad.  The United States urges 
all Member States to take similar concrete steps to end 
impunity for perpetrators and the use of rape as an 
instrument of war. 
 
Third -- Strengthen Refugee Protection and Maximize 
Opportunities for Refugees, and IDPs, Self-reliance. 
 
The United States continues to support strong and effective 
international responses to humanitarian crises. 
Unfortunately, protracted conflicts continue to create forced 
displacements of large numbers of civilians.  Renewed 
displacement in Somalia, Eastern Congo, and Sudan,s Darfur 
province are tragic reminders about the risks of civilians 
being deliberately targeted during armed conflicts. 
 
The United States continues to seek comprehensive approaches 
to resolve protracted refugee situations through support for 
durable solutions. We also seek innovative approaches to 
develop livelihood strategies and to maximize opportunities 
for refugees, self-reliance and empowerment. 
 
Where conflict is causing civilians to flee and seek asylum, 
we are actively working with other governments to provide 
protection to those in need.  We have made almost $200 
million available in 2007 to assist displaced Iraqis, 
including providing $39 million to date to the joint UNHCR -- 
UNICEF appeal for education of Iraqi children in Jordan and 
Syria.  We call on Member States to renew their commitment to 
uphold the right to asylum, to protect civilians from 
forcible return, and to provide durable solutions for 
refugees.  The United States is proud to have assisted 
approximately one million African refugees to return home 
over the past two years.  In addition, the U.S. is actively 
working with other governments to resolve the protracted 
situation of refugees, such as the Bhutanese in Nepal. 
 
Fourth -- Combating deliberate targeting of civilians. 
 
The Secretary-General,s report rightly underscores the 
importance of the principles of distinction and 
proportionality.  In resolution 1674, this Council recalled 
that the deliberate targeting of civilians as such in 
situations of armed conflict is a flagrant violation of 
international law, reiterated its condemnation of such 
practices in the strongest possible terms, and demanded that 
all parties immediately put an end to such practices.  Yet 
all too often we see parties to armed conflicts resorting to 
the deliberate targeting of the civilian population as a 
means to create a climate of fear. 
 
We saw for example a flagrant violation of international 
humanitarian law in the horrific terrorist attack earlier 
this month in Baghlan, Afghanistan where members of 
parliament, local officials, average citizens, and school 
children were brutally murdered. 
 
In our own military operations, we do everything feasible to 
avoid the loss of innocent life.  We are very concerned about 
civilian casualties, and we take deliberate precautions to 
minimize the risks to civilian populations. 
 
In Afghanistan, at every phase of an operation -- from 
beginning planning to conducting the operation -- precautions 
are taken to minimize the risks to civilians. 
 
This stands in glaring contrast to the terrorist groups who 
deliberately target civilians and attack our forces from 
civilian spaces.  It is well past time for all Member States 
to have zero tolerance for armed groups who deliberately 
target civilians or put civilians in harm,s way with the 
goal of spreading fear and destabilizing communities. 
 
(Conclusion) 
 
The U.S. applauds the Secretary-General,s systematic and 
thoughtful report on the protection of civilians in armed 
conflict.  The United States looks forward to considering the 
recommendations in this report. 
 
The U.S. appreciates OCHA,s efforts and desire to keep the 
Council apprised and informed.  We welcome the idea of OCHA 
inviting Security Council Members to informal OCHA briefings 
on situations seized by the Council but think a formal 
working group is unnecessary. 
 
In closing, the United States would like again commend 
OCHA,s work, together with its humanitarian partners, for 
its valuable work in providing life-saving assistance and 
advocating for the protection of civilians, particularly 
children, women, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups. 
 
End statement. 
RICE