VZCZCXRO8379
OO RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUCNDT #0633/01 1981615
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161615Z JUL 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4619
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD IMMEDIATE 0679

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000633 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PREM IZ UNSC
SUBJECT: U.S.- U.N. HIGH-LEVEL STRATEGIC DIALOGUE ON IRAQ 
 
 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On July 11 the U.S. and the U.N. conducted 
a High-Level Strategic Dialogue on Iraq, comprised of a 
political component chaired by UN Under-Secretary-General for 
Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe and a security component 
chaired by Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security 
Sir David Veness.  Special Representative to the 
Secretary-General (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura and S/I David 
Satterfield participated in both portions of the brief from 
Iraq.  Satterfield served as the primary U.S. briefer for the 
political discussion and COL Kenneth Dahl of JCS and Acting 
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Colleen Getz served as 
the primary U.S. briefers for the security discussion.  Both 
de Mistura and Satterfield underscored the significantly 
improved security situation in Iraq.  SRSG de Mistura related 
his plan to expand UNAMI's footprint into Najaf, Samara, 
Ramadi, Mosul, and Kirkuk in the coming months, calling it a 
"major priority."  Acting DASD Getz informed de Mistura that 
the U.S. would provide UNAMI with one U.S. MILAD in the fall. 
 De Mistura asserted that MILADs have been critically 
important in the expansion of UNAMI's footprint, and thanked 
the U.S. for its pledge. All parties agreed that continuing 
UNAMI's current security arrangement with the U.S. beyond 
December 31, 2008 is critical.  De Mistura said the current 
UNAMI mandate was sufficient and would not need to be changed 
when it expires on August 10 and is extended.  Satterfield 
briefed on his conversation July 11 with FM Zebari in which 
Zebari anticipated a smooth rollover of the UNSCR authorizing 
UNAMI. 
 
¶2. (SBU) De Mistura confirmed that he intends to use the 
recently approved site in the Green Zone for the new UNAMI 
compound, even though some have suggested that building the 
UNAMI compound so close to the U.S. Embassy is dangerous. 
The UN is comfortable with this location and hopes 
construction will start by January 2009.  De Mistura 
recommended addressing GOI funding for the compound in 
September when Iraq sends its leaders to the UN General 
Assembly in New York.  End Summary. 
 
Iraq Overview 
 
¶3. (SBU) Satterfield led off with a general overview of the 
situation in Iraq and noted that the degree of cooperation 
between the U.S. and the UN has been excellent.  Security 
continues to improve in most areas around the country. 
Although the sources of threat to security, including al 
Qaeda, militias, and other armed criminal groups, remain 
active, recent operations by Iraqi and Coalition forces have 
diminished the ability of these groups to carry out attacks. 
Satterfield said, "we were surprised" by the Iraqi-led 
operation in Basra.  However, he underscored that the 
decision of PM Maliki to challenge the Shiite criminal groups 
received unprecedented support from the civilian population. 
 
¶4. (SBU) On national reconciliation, Satterfield suggested 
that the Provincial Powers Law was an important development, 
not only because it struck a good balance between federal and 
provincial powers, but also because it demonstrated the 
ability of Iraqi leaders and politicians to compromise on 
issues and breakdown political blocs.   The recently passed 
de-Ba'athification Law, as well as other outreach to those 
Sunnis and Shi'as who were previously engaged in violence, 
has contributed to the long-term goal of national 
reconciliation. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Satterfield stated that Iraq has made "break-neck 
progress" with regards to regional engagement.  He credited 
the successful Iraqi-led operations in Basra and Sadr City 
and the Hezbollah coup in West Beirut as the proximate 
reasons for increased regional engagement.  Egypt, Qatar, 
Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain are strengthening their 
diplomatic relationships with Iraq.  Regional dialogue with 
Saudi Arabia lags considerably behind the others and 
Satterfield was not "overly optimistic" that this will change 
anytime soon.  In response to a question posed by the UN 
Department of Political Affairs, Satterfield affirmed that 
while the channel remained open the U.S. currently has no 
plans to hold another round of bilateral talks with Iran, 
noting that the previous three rounds did not yield 
substantive results. 
 
Update on Elections 
 
¶6. (SBU) On elections, de Mistura stressed the need to pass 
an election law by the end of July in order to ensure that 
elections would be held before the end of 2008.  The UN has 
assisted the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission in 
the setup of 522 centers for voter registration and 47,000 
Iraqis are being trained to assist in the registration 
process.  The UN is also looking into options for using 
international elections monitors, since such monitors would 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000633  002 OF 003 
 
 
increase the credibility of the elections. De Mistura noted 
that, with the exception of the issue of Kirkuk, the GoI is 
almost in agreement on a workable text to the election law, 
which will likely include provisions for a hybrid-open list 
and the participation of minorities.  Both de Mistura and 
Satterfield agreed that the Turkoman proposal for Kirkuk was 
preventing forward movement on the elections law.  De Mistura 
has relayed this message to the Turkomans, informing them 
that the elections cannot be "held hostage" by Kirkuk. 
Satterfield further noted that although the Arab bloc has 
continued to cling to the Turkoman proposal, CoR Speaker 
Mashadani will press for movement on the elections law. 
Finally, de Mistura cautioned that August-October would be a 
crucial time period, since various groups will seek to 
undermine Iraqi sovereignty in anticipation of the U.S. and 
Iraqi elections. 
 
Update on Disputed Internal Boundaries (DIBs) 
 
¶7. (SBU) On the issue of Article 140, SRSG de Mistura was 
relieved that the deadline for the resolution (June 30) had 
passed unnoticed.  With regards to the recently published UN 
report on disputed internal boundaries (DIBs), de Mistura 
expressed satisfaction that the various political blocs were 
directing their anger and frustration over the 
recommendations at the UN, rather than at each other.  De 
Mistura briefed on his recent conversations with the Kurds on 
the DIB process, noting that he had explained to them that 
the UN was not able to tailor a report to their 
specifications.  According to de Mistura, the various blocs 
must reach agreement either on the basis of the UN proposal 
or an Iraqi-generated proposal, although he noted that the UN 
report was really an analysis of the various options, rather 
than a specific proposal. 
 
Human Rights in Iraq 
 
¶8. (SBU) Deputy Director of OHCHR Craig Mokhiber 
characterized the human rights situation in Iraq as "grave 
and serious."  He noted the treatment of women and 
minorities, the targeting of Iraqi working professionals, and 
the treatment of detainees as major human rights issues in 
Iraq.  On a positive note, the UN is hopeful that the 
National Human Rights Commission Law will be passed by the 
GOI soon.  The UN is concerned with the increase in the 
number of detainees being held without charges.  The UN also 
noted that insurgents, including Sadrists during the recent 
operations in Sadr City, continue to use innocent civilians 
as human shields.  The UN expressed concern that MNF-I and 
ISF forces occasionally use disproportionate force against 
insurgents that causes harm to innocent civilians.  SRSG de 
Mistura praised the comprehensiveness of the UN human rights 
report and commended recent improvements in MNF-I and Iraqi 
detention centers, but called for more improvements in the 
near future.  He urged MNF-I to allow UNAMI personnel inside 
detention centers to assess their compliance with human 
rights standards.  S/I Satterfield commended the accuracy of 
the UN human rights report, and emphasized the considerable 
improvements in MNF-I detention centers made over the last 
year.  Satterfield noted that improvements must continue to 
be made to Iraqi detention centers.  He also mentioned the 
long-term goal of transitioning all Coalition Force detention 
facilities to Iraqi control. 
 
Humanitarian, Reconstruction, and Development in Iraq 
 
¶9. (SBU) Executive Director of UNHCR's office in New York 
Pierre Bertrand stated that 20 percent of the Iraqi 
population is currently displaced either inside or outside 
Iraq's borders.  Bertrand praised the Conference on 
Displacement that occurred this week in Baghdad, calling it a 
good example of a platform for reconciliation.   UNHCR's 260 
million USD appeal to address external displacement will 
likely be short 100 million USD, and the UN asked the U.S. to 
help close that financial gap.  Bertrand cautioned against a 
disorderly return of displaced Iraqis from locations outside 
the country, and lamented PM Maliki's unwillingness to assist 
Iraqi refugees currently in neighboring countries. 
Satterfield noted that PM Maliki feels that many of the 
refugees in places like Syria and Jordan are Baath-party 
sympathizers who reject a post-Saddam Iraq and don't want to 
go back to Iraq.  Satterfield stated that PM Maliki "won't 
budge" from this stance.  He cited the Balkans as an example 
of the negative repercussions that can result from an 
ill-prepared return of refugees.  SRSG de Mistura suggested 
that Iraq use its oil money to address the IDP/EDP problem, 
and pledged to continue to work on this issue with the GOI. 
On reconstruction and development, both de Mistura and 
Satterfield agreed that Iraq needs considerable help in 
properly using its money and resources to address economic 
and essential service needs.  SRSG de Mistura mentioned the 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000633  003 OF 003 
 
 
growing footprint of UNHCR, UNDP, the WHO, and UNICEF in 
Iraq, and mentioned the need for a senior advisor on 
agriculture from the FAO. 
 
Expanding UN Footprint 
 
¶10. (SBU) SRSG de Mistura stated that expanding UNAMI's 
footprint into Najaf, Sammara, Ramadi, Mosul, and Kirkuk is a 
"major priority" that will begin in the coming months.  He is 
also determined to increase UNAMI's self-sufficiency in Iraq. 
 All parties agreed that continuing UNAMI's current security 
arrangement with the U.S. beyond December 31, 2008 is 
critical.  De Mistura suggested that the ISF should take an 
expanded role in securing the UN in the long-term, to include 
having the ISF provide Quick Reaction Forces soon.  De 
Mistura recommended the formation of joint security working 
groups to conduct an assessment of the ISF and to look at 
their expanded role in regards to UN security.  De Mistura 
stated that the UNAMI mandate would not need to be changed 
when it expires on August 10 and is extended.  Satterfield 
briefed on his conversation July 11 with FM Zebari in which 
Zebari anticipated a smooth rollover of the UNSCR authorizing 
UNAMI. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense 
Colleen Getz informed de Mistura that the U.S. will provide 
UNAMI with one U.S. MILAD in the fall.  De Mistura asserted 
that MILADs have been critically important in the expansion 
of UNAMI's footprint.  The UN is concerned about the length 
of time it will take for its off-base missions to get 
approved by MNF-I once it moves to Najaf, Samara, Ramadi, 
Mosul, and Kirkuk.  The UN wishes to decrease the mission 
approval time from 21 days to 72 hours (Note: mission 
approval time for the UN in Baghdad is normally around 72 
hours. End Note).  De Mistura and Veness noted that as the UN 
footprint expands, logistics requirements would also increase 
considerably.  For example, the UN is considering adding 
helicopters to UNAMI's resources, and they are planning to 
begin with an initial deployment of helicopters to the north 
in the coming months. 
 
¶12. (SBU) De Mistura also confirmed that he intends to use 
the recently approved site in the Green Zone for the new 
UNAMI compound, even though some have suggested that building 
the UNAMI compound so close to the U.S. Embassy is dangerous. 
 The UN is comfortable with this location and hopes that 
construction will start by January 2009.  De Mistura 
recommended addressing the issue of GOI funding for the 
compound in September when Iraq's leaders attend the opening 
session of the UN General Assembly in New York.    At the 
meeting's conclusion, Veness proposed a follow-up visit by 
his team to Washington to continue discussion on 
security-related issues that were raised during this 
dialogue, to include advance planning for a UN/U.S. security 
agreement following the expiration of the MNF-I mandate at 
the end of 2008. 
 
¶13. (SBU) This message was cleared by S/I David Satterfield. 
Khalilzad