VZCZCXRO7741
OO RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV
DE RUEHC #6053/01 1972334
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 152323Z JUL 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 2484
INFO DARFUR COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 076053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SU CD
SUBJECT: TALKING POINTS FOR 7/16 UNAMID CONSULTATIONS 
 
In consultations on Wednesday, July 16, 2008, USUN may draw 
on the following points: 
 
The United States thanks Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for 
his report on the status of the UNAMID mission, but we deeply 
regret that there are so few positive developments to report. 
 We thank UNAMID for its efforts, under the most difficult of 
circumstances, and extend our deepest condolences to the 
victims of the July 8 attacks and to their families. 
 
We share the Secretary General's disappointment in the lack 
of progress in resolving the Darfur conflict and the slow 
pace of UNAMID deployment.  Nearly a year after Resolution 
1769 established UNAMID and six months after the UN assumed 
responsibility for Darfur peacekeeping from the AU, UNAMID 
has deployed barely 500 new troops.  UNAMID's slow deployment 
is seriously interfering with its ability to protect itself 
and to fulfill its mandate in Darfur.  This is without 
excuse.  The people of Darfur deserve better. The Security 
Council has sought to end the suffering of the people of 
Darfur but we have fallen short.  We must do better and we 
must do more.  The lives of UN peacekeepers and millions of 
innocent civilians depend on it. 
 
With that in mind, I  would like to make three points: 
 
------------------------ 
Deplore attack on UNAMID 
------------------------ 
First, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal 
July 8 attack on UNAMID personnel.  This attack on 
peacekeepers whose primary mission is to help stabilize the 
region was unprovoked, unwarranted, and unacceptable.  We 
demand that the perpetrators of this attack be identified and 
held accountable.  The attacks of last week are a clear 
indicator that UNAMID needs reinforcements and more robust 
arms to protect both itself and civilians.  We urge the 
Secretariat to take immediate steps to accelerate the 
deployment of UNAMID's troops.  If accommodations are 
necessary before those troops can deploy, then these 
accommodations must be provided now. 
 
 
----------------- 
UNAMID Deployment 
----------------- 
Second, we echo the Secretary General's frustration with the 
slow deployment of UNAMID forces.  The delays in deployment 
are unacceptable.  Since the start of this year, 190,000 
people have been displaced in Darfur, eight humanitarian aid 
workers have been killed, 125 humanitarian vehicles have been 
hijacked, 36 World Food Program drivers have gone missing, 
and ordinary civilians continue to bear the brunt of 
increased violence.  Conflict-related sexual and gender-based 
violence continues with impunity.  Women and girls, 
particularly those who are internally displaced, continue to 
be subjected to rape, gang rape, and beating by state actors, 
rebel factions, and armed groups. 
 
We encourage the members of the international community to 
re-energize their commitment to the success of UNAMID and to 
increase their efforts to fulfill their contributions to the 
mission.  More specifically, we urge troop contributors who 
have already made pledges to UNAMID to work with the UN to 
quickly deploy their personnel and equipment, and we urge all 
UN member states to consider pledging key enabling units 
(including tactical helicopters, utility helicopters, heavy 
transports, and combat engineers) that are still missing. 
 
We urge the UN to redouble its effort to construct suitable 
infrastructure for rapid UNAMID expansion as well as its 
efforts to ship contingent owned equipment to Darfur as 
quickly as possible.  We urge the UN to consider all options 
at its disposal to improve performance on these key points, 
whose slow progress continue to hinder UNAMID deployment and 
operations. 
 
We demand that the government of Sudan ensure the security 
and the free movement of UNAMID and its personnel, and indeed 
of all UN personnel in Sudan, notwithstanding the recent 
decisions of the ICC.  We welcome the statement by second 
Vice President Taha that Sudan will take no action against UN 
or NGO operations in Sudan.  We expect the Government of 
Sudan to abide by these principles. We further call on the 
Government of Sudan to remove all obstacles to the deployment 
of UNAMID personnel and equipment, particularly its 
opposition to non-African troops and personnel, and to 
facilitate the prompt provision of visas, customs and flight 
 
STATE 00076053  002 OF 002 
 
 
clearances.  We urge the Government of Sudan to abide fully 
and without qualifications by its Status of Forces Agreement 
(SOFA) and allow UNAMID full freedom of movement including 
unrestricted flights. 
 
We welcome the progress that UNAMID has made with the 
resources it has, particularly increases in aggressive 
long-distance patrolling, fire-wood escorts, and confidence 
and capacity-building measures.  We applaud the work UNAMID 
police forces have done to train Government police forces and 
hope that those forces will be able to better protect the 
people of Sudan. 
 
-------------------------- 
Adherence to Peace Process 
-------------------------- 
Finally, the use of violence by all sides in Darfur in their 
pursuit of political objectives is both deplorable and 
counter-productive, and only intensifies the suffering of the 
people of Darfur.  All parties must immediately cease 
hostilities as the first step in re-starting the political 
process.  We welcome the appointment of the Chief Mediator, 
Mr. Djibril Bassole, and we urge all parties to cooperate 
with his efforts. 
 
We agree with the Secretary General that peace in Darfur is 
"inextricably linked to peace and stability in the region" 
and call on the Governments of Chad and Sudan to work 
together to resolve their dispute in a manner that will 
benefit both countries.  We urge both Chad and Sudan to 
implement the Dakar Accord as an important step to 
stabilizing the region. 
 
---------- 
Conclusion 
---------- 
The United States remains steadfastly dedicated to the 
success of UNAMID.  As such, we urge all stakeholders to 
redouble their efforts to expedite deployment of UNAMID 
forces to the Darfur region.  We recognize that complete 
UNAMID deployment is crucial to full implementation of its 
mandate to protect civilians in Darfur.  The people of Darfur 
have already suffered too much and have waited too long for 
relief.  We all must do better to help them. 
RICE