VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKM #1660 3641357
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 291357Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1022
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0102

UNCLAS KAMPALA 001660 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IO/PSC TANAZ KHAMBATTA, AF/E NOLE GAREY 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO SO ET UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA: RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON UNSC RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING 
UNMISOM 
 
Ref: SECSTATE 134229 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Post communicated points in reftel 
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uganda on 
December 24 and followed up on December 29. Though 
Kampala was not an action addressee, Post delivered 
the points because Uganda will assume its seat on the 
UN Security Council (UNSC) on January 1, 2009.  The 
Government of Uganda (GOU) will likely raise these 
points in the UNSC if the debate on the resolution 
continues in the New Year.  The GOU welcomes the U.S. 
resolution, and strongly opposes the UK version, which 
does not call for a UN Mission in Somalia (UNMISOM). 
Furthermore, the GOU urges those drafting the 
resolution to broaden the mandate of the UNMISOM 
mission, adopting language to give forces a larger 
geographic area in which to operate, to establish and 
train national security institutions, and to canton 
forces associated with the Djibouti Peace Agreement 
(DPA).  The GOU also believes the resolution should 
call for capacity building of Somali judicial and 
administrative officials and describe the DPA as the 
"principal element" of the search for peace in 
Somalia.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Emboff met with Isaac Sebulime, head of the 
Department of Multilateral Treaties and Organizations 
at the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 
24, following up with a phone call on December 29 to 
discuss the competing UK version of the resolution, 
which does not authorize an UNMISOM.  Sebulime said 
Uganda welcomed the U.S. version of the draft, and 
strongly opposed the UK version of the same.  "There 
is no way [the UK proposal] can fly with us here," he 
said.  "It is not even a fraction of what we want." 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Uganda had five specific recommendations to 
make in regard to the U.S. draft: 
 
a) The geographic mandate of the UNMISOM mission 
should be broadened.  The United States should 
consider language in the resolution that more 
specifically allows UNMISOM to address the sources of 
insecurity outside of Mogadishu and "at least in the 
hinterland around Mogadishu" where the sources of 
insecurity were based, Sebulime said.  Otherwise, 
the UNMISOM personnel, locked in the city, would be 
"sitting ducks." 
 
b) The force should have a mandate to play a role in 
security sector reform, specifically creating and 
training a Somali National Army.  This role is 
critical in addressing the causes of insecurity in 
Somalia, which include the breakdown of security 
institutions, he said.  In addition, the international 
community should be able to raise funds for the paying 
of soldier salaries. 
 
c) The GOU recommends including language in paragraph 
14 describing the DPA as "the principal element" in 
the search for peace.  This is necessary to send a 
clear signal to the President of the Somali 
Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and to others in 
the region, including the Government of Eritrea, to 
ensure their support of the agreement does not wane, 
Sebulime said. 
 
d) The resolution should call for the cantonment of 
forces associated with the DPA in and around Mogadishu 
to encourage responsibility and accountability.   This 
will also facilitate their possible integration into 
national institutions later. 
 
e) Hand-in-hand with the peacekeeping mission, there 
should be government institution capacity building, 
particularly of administrative and judicial officials. 
"We are focusing too much on security sector reform," 
he said. "We should concentrate at least at some level 
on the capacity of those responsible for running the 
systems of government," he said. 
BROWNING