VZCZCXRO6749
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHKH #0573/01 1050829
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140829Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0553
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0156
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0027
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 000573 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/SPG, SE RICHARD WILLIAMSON, S/CRS, IO 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KPKO SOCI AU UNSC SU
SUBJECT: JANE HOLL LUTE PREVIEWS MESSAGE TO UNSC ON DARFUR 
 
REF: A) KHARTOUM 502 
B) KHARTOUM 434 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  United Nations outgoing Under-Secretary-General 
in the Department of Field Support (DFS) Jane Holl Lute said that 
the only way for the UN to deploy the bulk of UN-African Union 
Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) forces in 2008 was with the parallel 
provision of enabling assets, a point she intended to make at her 
April 22 briefing to the UN Security Council (UNSC).  Holl Lute 
indicated she was in agreement with the USG plan to make troops 
"deployable" according to UN standards by a certain date as long the 
UN maintained the latitude it needs to subsequently send them to the 
field as it sees fit.  END SUMMARY. 
 
DFS ON SAME PAGE WITH USG? 
-------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) In an April 13 meeting UN Under-Secretary-General Jane Holl 
Lute, on a four-day visit to Darfur, told FieldOff she had come to 
ground-truth the recently concluded UNAMID deployment plan and to 
ensure that deployment was moving as well as possible, given the 
logistical constraints crippling the mission.  She confirmed that 
the UN "wants to deploy the bulk of the force by the end of 2008," 
including most of the 19,000 military troops and an increased number 
of police units. 
 
¶3. (SBU) To do this, Holl Lute elaborated, would require the 
international community to make good on its pledges of help.  Rather 
than just being seen as "doing something" (she referred specifically 
to the "Gordon Brown Initiative," whereby the UK Prime Minister 
offered to host a summit in London for Sudanese government officials 
and rebel movement representatives in a latest diplomatic attempt to 
resume peace talks, create a lasting ceasefire and foster 
reconciliation efforts), Holl Lute recommended that the 
international community address the real needs of UNAMID, a point 
she intended to make at an April 22 briefing to the UNSC. 
 
¶4. (SBU) According to U/SYG Holl Lute, these needs include enabling 
assets necessary to prepare for the arrival of the new forces.  They 
included additional engineering capabilities, long-range transport, 
communications equipment and borehole drilling equipment [NOTE: Holl 
Lute made no mention of pre-existing as-yet undelivered engineering 
assets, including those for the Chinese in Nyala, which remain held 
up in customs due to UNAMID disputes with a local contractor. END 
NOTE].  Holl Lute confirmed that her trip to Darfur was meant to 
better inform this list of UNAMID needs, which she would then 
outline for the UNSC on April 22.  "The three most important things 
to troops on the field anywhere," Holl Lute declared, "are ways to 
connect back home [communications], means of getting back home 
[transportation], and not being wet and hungry for long periods in 
the meantime."  With regard to rations (which have been plaguing 
UNAMID for the past two weeks, with food either not reaching troops 
or not being consumable by the time it reaches troops) Holl Lute 
seemed surprised that ration shortages were an issue and assured 
that this situation was under control. [NOTE: For the past two 
weeks, UNAMID officials have been highlighting the rations shortage 
issue as the number one problem facing the mission. END NOTE]. 
 
¶5. (SBU) U/SYG Holl Lute was receptive to the plan explained by SPG 
representatives at a meeting of the Friends of UNAMID in New York 
during the week of April 6, whereby the USG is procuring equipment 
for troop-contributing countries in conformity with the UN's own 
articulated standards and is training and equipping these TCCs to 
deploy by a specific date.  Holl Lute cautioned, however, that 
essential to the success of this plan was assuring that TCCs know 
the type of "austere" conditions into which they are dispatching 
their forces.  Also essential, said Holl Lute, was that the UN 
maintained the "latitude" it needed to make final deployment 
decisions. 
 
UNANSWERED DEPLOYMENT QUESTIONS REMAIN 
-------------------------------------- 
¶6. (SBU) Despite this agreement, U/SYG Holl Lute and Acting Chief of 
Integrated Support Services (CISS) Nick Von Ruben saw some gaps in 
UNAMID deployment.  (Note: Von Ruben was formerly Holl Lute's Deputy 
and was asked by her to stay on until December as CISS after the 
intended appointment of Bruce McCaren fell through. End note.)  They 
identified helicopters as a persistent problem (despite the recent 
donation by actor George Clooney of over five million dollars 
earmarked for helicopter assets for UNAMID).  Holl Lute explained 
that UNAMID needs military helicopters outfitted with all the 
"add-ons" (including night vision capabiQQ)PH7oflying.  Both Holl Lute and Von 
Ruben stressed the need to 
match military helicopters with military pilots and to acquire the 
 
KHARTOUM 00000573  002 OF 002 
 
 
means to maintain these assets in order for them to be useful to the 
mission. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Acting CISS Von Ruben inquired about the status of the 
USG's training and equipping efforts for incoming UNAMID battalions. 
 Von Ruben acknowledged that the Ethiopian and Egyptian battalions 
were ready but expressed doubt at FieldOff's statement that at least 
one Rwanda battalion could have its equipment by June 1. 
 
¶8. (SBU) FieldOff asked U/SYG Holl Lute about the status of UN 
efforts to deploy the incoming Ethiopian battalion to Kulbus/Silea 
in Sector West, instead of to El Fasher in Sector North as 
originally planned (Ref B).  Holl Lute assured that this 
notification was on track and that the Ethiopian Government was on 
board, but she did not give specific indications that the requisite 
Note Verbale to the Ethiopian Mission had been sent in New York. 
Von Ruben confirmed that camp expansion was on track "per the Force 
Commander's priorities" (which included construction of a camp at 
Korma and expansion of camps in Kulbus and Silea, per reftels) to 
receive new assets from split battalions. In a more downbeat 
assessment, the Chinese Ambassador to Sudan told CDA Fernandez on 
April 13 that UNAMID had woefully underestimated the availability of 
water, not just at the Nyala supercamp being built but Chinese 
engineers, but also in North and West Darfur. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶9. (SBU) U/SYG Holl Lute's comment about the desire of the UN to 
deploy the bulk of its forces this year seems at odds with an 
earlier statement made by the Acting CISS that UNAMID was only 
capable of getting only 4,465 troops in by December 31 (Ref A).  The 
alarmist tone of two weeks ago has suddenly softened, due no doubt 
to the need to put a positive spin on deployment in the presence of 
his boss.  Despite the happy face, outstanding questions remain, 
including the need for definitive follow-up by the UN with the 
Ethiopians to assure proper deployment of that country's incoming 
battalion. 
 
¶10. (SBU) It appears that Holl Lute's visit may not be to judge 
conditions on the ground as much as to "ground-truth" her own 
preconceptions (which is constructive).  Her focus is on acquiring 
the necessary military assets for UNAMID, such as military 
helicopters (with pilots).  Holl Lute wants UNAMID to own the assets 
and not borrow them as it did with SKYLINK but the overall image 
post has described repeatedly remains: a UN mission that is 
disorganized, divided and under-equipped, with indifferent support 
from DPKO, and this is a reality that no number of high-level 
visitors from New York has yet been able to shake. 
 
¶11. (U) Tripoli minimize considered. 
 
FERNANDEZ