VZCZCXRO5783
OO RUEHIK RUEHPW RUEHTRO RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0238/01 0742355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 142355Z MAR 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3918
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000238 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC AF
SUBJECT: SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATES AFGHANISTAN; UNAMA 
RENEWAL IMMINENT 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary and comment: On March 12, the Security 
Council held an open debate on Afghanistan, with newly 
appointed Special Representative to the Secretary-General 
(SRSG) Kai Eide in attendance.  All 32 countries that spoke 
during the debate (including thel 15 members of the Security 
Council) expressed support for the UN to play the lead role 
in coordinating the civilian effort in Afghanistan and 
welcomed Eide's appointment as Special Representative.  The 
debate, remarkable for its consensus and signal of 
international commitment to Afghanistan, was also devoid of 
the usual rhetorical clashes between neighboring countries. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary and comment continued: Following the debate, 
Italy (as lead nation in the Security Council on Afghanistan 
matters) convened a meeting of the full Security Council, at 
expert level, to discuss the draft resolution renewing for 
one year the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission 
to Afghanistan (UNAMA).  The draft resolution is on track for 
adoption on Thursday, March 20.  Unhelpfully, the Libyan 
representative raised the oft-debated issues of civilian 
casualties and access to detainees.  Italy circulated a 
revised draft on March 13.  The Council has reached near 
consensus on outstanding issues.  End summary and comment. 
 
THE SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN 
 
¶3. (U) Jean-Marie Guehenno, the UN,s Under Secretary-General 
for Peacekeeping, opened the public session of the Security 
Council with a review of the UN,s recent report on 
Afghanistan.  The insurgency has proven to be more resilient 
and more ruthless than imagined, said Guehenno, while a 
massive illegal drug economy thrives in the vacuum of state 
authority.  He focused on recommendations contained within 
the report to "sharpen" UNAMA,s mandate.  The six "points of 
emphasis" are: 1) enhanced coordination with the Government 
of Afghanistan and the international community; 2) political 
outreach; 3) subnational governance; 4) humanitarian 
coordination; 5) elections and 6) strengthened coordination 
with ISAF.  Guehenno recalled that during the recent Tokyo 
meeting on Afghanistan, stakeholders agreed that the Joint 
Coordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB), which the UN and 
Afghanistan co-chair, is the primary coordination mechanism. 
Regarding ISAF and the UN, Guehenno said that the two have 
complementary but distinct mandates, and they need to 
coordinate their efforts in support of common goals in New 
York, Brussels, Kabul and the provinces. 
 
¶4. (U) After the meeting, Eide spoke to the press, and 
emphasized his appreciation for the strong support that the 
international community had expressed for him, for UNAMA, and 
for the concept of a "sharpened" mandate in close 
coordination with the Afghan government.  Eide emphasized the 
importance of elections preparation and reconciliation work, 
as well as the importance of working with NATO.  He also 
underscored the international community,s shared goal of 
Afghanistan,s long-term self-sufficiency.  Eide told the 
assembled press that he would travel to Iran and Pakistan in 
the near future.  On relations with the Afghan government, 
Eide emphasized that he was appointed to help the government 
deal with the many interested international stakeholders. 
 
¶5. (U) The 32 countries, including the 15 Security Council 
members, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Canada and 
Japan, all expressed support for the UN,s leading role in 
coordinating the civilian effort, and for the nomination of 
Kai Eide as new SRSG.  In addition to supporting UNAMA and 
Kai Eide, countries also expressed support for the 
Afghanistan Compact and the Afghanistan National Development 
Strategy.  Italy said "the international community needs to 
stay the course in Afghanistan, possibly with evolving 
modalities but certainly with unchanged determination." 
France and the UK echoed Italy,s strong support for a 
long-term international commitment, and detailed their 
dedication to assisting in both the civilian and military 
components of the international effort.  China expressed its 
appreciation of the efforts being made by UNAMA and ISAF and 
hoped that "the parties concerned, while carrying out 
military actions against terrorists, will strengthen their 
communication and cooperation with the Afghan security sector 
and UNAMA."  China, as well as Pakistan and Russia, 
emphasized the importance of UNAMA being guided by the 
principles of "fairness and neutrality."  Libya, South Africa 
and Indonesia underscored that the "use of force" cannot 
alone lead to success in Afghanistan. 
 
¶6. (U) In his intervention, Ambassador Khalilzad emphasized 
that "Afghanistan is a keystone in the effort to defeat 
terrorism, to weaken extremism, to create regional stability 
in Central and South Asia, to advance the needed political 
and economic transformation of the broader Middle East and to 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000238  002 OF 002 
 
 
reduce the threat of narcotics."  He said the UN should be 
proud of the role it has played in Afghanistan.  Kai Eide can 
"count on our support and we promise to work closely with 
him."  The Ambassador urged the Security Council to fully 
support UNAMA and its team, including by providing them with 
a mandate sufficiently robust to meet the expectations of the 
people and governmeet of Afghanistan and the international 
community. 
 
¶7. (U) Ambassador Tanin of Afghanistan called on the 
international community "to stay the course with firm 
determination and to prevent security nuances from weakening 
our resolve to achieve our shared goals."  He said 
Afghanistan has made "remarkable progress." Today, he said, 
"a greater part of Afghanistan is secure from terrorism and 
violence."  Tanin welcomed the UN,s "enhanced coordinating 
role" and expressed Afghanistan,s appreciation for the 
support and contributions of the UN and the international 
community. 
 
¶8. (U) Following the intervention by the Afghanistan PermRep, 
the following non-Security Council members also spoke: 
Slovenia (on behalf of the EU), Australia, New Zealand, 
Spain, South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, Iceland (on behalf of 
the five Nordic countries), Canada, Turkey, India, 
Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Kyrgyzstan (on 
behalf of members of the Collective Security Treaty 
Organization), and Kazakhstan.  Pakistan and India were 
nonconfrontational, and both expressed support for the UN and 
for Afghanistan.  Iran also gave a largely nonconfrontational 
speech, excluding a vow that Iran,s development assistance 
to Afghanistan will continue despite the Security Council,s 
"illegitimate sanctions."  Both Iran and Pakistan expressed 
hope that Afghan refugees in their respective countries would 
be repatriated in a "timely and promising manner." 
 
UNAMA RENEWAL: ADOPTION SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 20 
 
¶9. (SBU) Following informal consultations among the P5 and 
the Contact Group on Afghanistan, Italy convened on March 13 
the first meeting of the Security Council, at expert level, 
to discuss the draft resolution renewing for one year the 
mandate of UNAMA (the current mandate expires March 23). 
Experts reached broad agreement on the framework of the 
resolution, including operative language that echoed the 
UN,s call for a "sharpened mandate," although there are 
still some outstanding issues.  (Text of the latest draft was 
e-mailed to IO/UNP and SCA/A).  Expert negotiations resume 
March 17.  The resolution will likely go into "blue" on 
Wednesday, March 19, with adoption scheduled for Thursday, 
March 20. 
KHALILZAD