VZCZCXRO0097
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0813 2542245
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 102245Z SEP 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4925
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000813 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPKO UNSC LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: UNMIL DRAWDOWN - GETTING THE PACE RIGHT 
 
REF: STATE 95744 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In consultations on September 9, a majority 
of Security Council members favored the Secretary-General's 
recommendation for a modestly accelerated drawdown of the 
military component of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and 
the additional deployment of two formed police units (FPUs) 
to support peace and stability in the country.  France argued 
for further cuts in military forces and requested a technical 
briefing from DPKO to investigate this possibility. 
Following the meeting, USUN circulated a draft resolution 
incorporating the SYG's suggestions and extending UNMIL's 
mandate.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) In Security Council closed consultations on 
September 9, UNMIL SRSG Ellen Margrethe Loj focused on the 
fragility of recent gains in Liberia.  She said the 
government and international community are "starting from 
scratch," forced to build new institutions from the ground up 
rather than rehabilitate existing ones.  She discussed 
threats to Liberia's security at length, including recent 
incidents of mob violence, the destabilizing factor of mass 
unemployment (particularly among youth), widespread rape and 
gender-based violence and violence linked to illegal rubber 
tapping and exploitation of natural resources.  The SRSG then 
detailed the Secretary-General's proposal for adjusting the 
pace of UNMIL's drawdown by accelerating the withdrawal of 
military forces (from the 500 envisioned by the SYG in August 
2007 to 1,460 in the present report) but bolstering the 
international police presence through the deployment of two 
additional FPUs.  She said that as the Liberian National 
Police is an unarmed force, UNMIL's military capabilities are 
called upon daily in order to help maintain stability in the 
country. 
 
Ten members support SYG's plan 
------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Amb. DiCarlo spoke directly afterwards, voicing her 
support for the SYG's plan and stating that UNMIL's drawdown 
must be linked to Liberia's ability to provide for its own 
security.  In her second intervention, she noted U.S. 
bilateral security assistance to Liberia and stressed the 
continuing need for UNMIL's military forces in order to 
respond to incidents of mob violence including attacks on 
UNMIL.   South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam and Burkina Faso 
said they fully supported the SYG's recommendation, as did 
the Libyan PermRep, who praised the SYG's "cautious 
approach."  Belgium said that the SYG's drawdown plan was 
"adequate," while Croatia supported the SYG's plan for a 
gradual drawdown linked to benchmarks.  China said that 
Liberia was still in the "initial phase of peaceful 
reconstruction" and that it supported the SYG's plan.  Panama 
said it trusted the SYG's judgment and reminded members to 
take UNMIL's regional responsibilities into account before 
rushing to recommend an overly quick drawdown. 
 
Four line up against, one is "flexible" 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) France led the charge for a faster drawdown of 
UNMIL's military forces, arguing that the SYG's request for 
more police units indicated that the main threats faced by 
Liberia were of a civil rather than military nature.  French 
PR Ripert said that the SC needed to take into account the 
overall peacekeeping situation, including UNAMID in Darfur 
"where civilians are still being attacked" and MONUC in DRC, 
"a country twenty times larger than Liberia."  France 
requested a technical meeting of military experts in order to 
discuss the possibility of further cuts in UNMIL's military 
forces.  (NOTE: The French later specified to USUN that they 
believe either the military drawdown should be doubled or the 
renewal period of UNMIL should be reduced from one year to 
six months.  End note.)  The UK and Italy supported 
consideration of a more rapid drawdown, while Costa Rica 
backed France's call for an acceleration in the withdrawal of 
military units.  Russian DPR Dolgov called for "more decisive 
action" from the Security Council, but officials at the 
Russian mission later confirmed that Russia is "flexible" on 
the timetable for UNMIL's drawdown. 
 
Khalilzad