VZCZCXRO2784
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0332/01 0870115
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280115Z MAR 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6227
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000332 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU AF
SUBJECT: OCHA BRIEFS COUNCIL ON DARFUR 
 
¶1. Summary:  On March 20, OCHA Director Rashid Khalikov 
updated the Security Council in a public session on the 
humanitarian situation in Darfur in the wake of the 
Government of Sudan's (GOS) expulsion of key non-governmental 
organizations (NGOs).  Khalikov noted that since A/SYG 
Bragg's March 6 Council briefing, humanitarian response 
capacity had significantly eroded.  Sudanese Ambassador 
Mohamed Abdelmannan said that the Government of Sudan's 
"legitimate, sovereign decision" would not be reversed. 
Ambassador Rice strongly condemned the GOS's decision and 
said that Bashir and the GOS would be held accountable for 
each and every death resulting from their decision.  Almost 
all Council members urged the GOS to reverse its decision 
(even Libya expressed regret for the NGO expulsions), though 
some professed to understand GOS actions, noting that the ICC 
indictment had been a catalyst.  End Summary. 
 
Khalikov Briefs the Council 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  On March 29, Director for the UN Office of the 
Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Rashid Khalikov 
briefed the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in 
Darfur.  Khalikov noted that while the UN continued to 
advocate for reversal of the GOS decision to expel NGOs, the 
UN and GOS had agreed to complete a joint assessment to 
determine immediate gaps in food, health, nutrition, water 
and sanitation needs.  Khalikov said that the assessment 
would also address capacity for covering these immediate, 
life-threatening needs.  Khalikov noted with concern Bashir's 
March 15 remarks that all foreign humanitarian organizations 
in Sudan would be required to leave within one year.  He also 
said that the impact of the expulsions had been felt not only 
in Darfur, but also in the three areas of Slue Nile, Southern 
Kordofan and Abyei, noting that delivery of humanitarian 
assistance in those areas would be critical to implementation 
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the war 
between the north and south. 
 
Sudan Reacts 
------------ 
 
¶3.  Sudanese representative Abdelmannan characterized the 
expulsions as within Sudan's sovereign right.  He said that 
NGOs, as the "guests of Sudan" had a responsibility "not to 
enter the private rooms of their host."  Abdelmannan said 
that the GOS would never reverse its decision and noted that 
only 13 out of 118 NGOs had been expelled, a mere seven 
percent of these organizations.  He called on the Council to 
comprehensively address the situation in Darfur, and stated 
that the humanitarian situation had been exploited as a 
pretext for ICC action.  Abdelmannan also said that the ICC 
indictment threatened political negotiations, pointing to the 
statements of rebel groups following the March 4 decision. 
 
The Council Responds 
-------------------- 
 
¶4.  Ambassador Rice said that the United States would hold 
Bashir and his government accountable for every death caused 
by the callous and calculated expulsion of NGOs.  Rice urged 
the Council to speak with one voice, saying that member 
states could not afford to stand by while over one million 
people were at imminent risk of death.  Rice argued that 
Bashir's increasingly menacing rhetoric had further escalated 
the crisis.  She pointed out that despite the urgent efforts 
of the U.S., the UN and other member states to reverse the 
GOS decision, the Sudanese representative had indicated that 
his government would never reverse its expulsion order.  She 
reiterated that the Council must come together to protect the 
people of Darfur, noting that while Council members could 
disagree on other matters, saving the lives of innocent 
civilians should not be one of them.  She stated that the GOS 
had created the crisis and must act to end it. 
 
¶5.  The United Kingdom noted that its contribution towards 
humanitarian assistance in Sudan was the UK's single largest 
humanitarian effort in the world, and that the UK was the 
second-largest bilateral donor to Sudan.  The UK also said 
that it would hold the GOS responsible for the suffering its 
decision caused, pointing out that the GOS had violated 
humanitarian communiqus signed with the UN and provisions of 
the goodwill agreement signed on February 17 in Doha.  France 
characterized the humanitarian situation in Darfur as "one of 
the world's greatest emergency situations" and called upon 
all parties to cooperate to prevent further deterioration. 
France also reiterated that Sudan must cooperate with the ICC 
and that punishing its own population was absolutely the 
wrong response.  Austria said that the GOS has the primary 
responsibility to ensure food, shelter and health care for 
its people. 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000332  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶6.  Japan, as one of the major donors to Sudan, registered 
concern with the GOS remarks regarding the nationalization of 
relief efforts in Sudan.  Japan noted that implementation of 
assistance on such a large scale could not be accomplished 
without UN involvement and monitoring.  Japan also observed 
that the Council, in resolution 1828 (2008), had demanded 
full implementation of the Joint Communique between the GOS 
and UN concerning humanitarian access. Japan said the Council 
must ensure implementation of its decisions and that if the 
Council failed to do so, it should be held accountable to the 
international community.  Japan also stated that the ICC 
decision did not justify GOS failure to comply with Security 
Council resolutions. 
 
¶7.  Uganda called upon the GOS to reverse its decision to 
expel NGOs and disagreed with the representative of Sudan 
that only 7 percent of the NGO community had been affected. 
Uganda noted that the 13 NGOs expelled had provided 50 to 60 
percent of humanitarian assistance to Sudan. 
 
¶8.  China said that the ICC arrest warrant had adversely 
affected the situation in Darfur and reiterated that the 
Council should have a comprehensive discussion about Darfur 
to develop an integrated strategy that would address 
political process, peacekeeping, humanitarian relief, justice 
and economic reconstruction.  Russia commented that the 
decision to convene the Council had been made in haste, 
without preparation and reflected an absence of strategy 
concerning Darfur.  Russia said that the international 
community should continue its dialogue with the GOS 
concerning NGO activities on its territory, but agreed that 
political process, peacekeeping and justice must be addressed 
comprehensively. 
 
¶9.  Burkina Faso said that the GOS expulsion of NGOs could 
not be separated from the ICC indictment of Bashir and 
emphasized that the quest for justice should not create 
further suffering for the civilian population.  Libya, 
represented by the Deputy Permanent Representative, indicated 
that it would have preferred to defer the briefing by OCHA 
until completion of the joint assessment, and noted that the 
Council members who had insisted on the briefing had been 
silent when aircraft were bombing civilians in Gaza.  Libya 
expressed regret for the NGO expulsions but stated that the 
GOS decision had been understandable.  Libya also stated that 
the ICC indictment jeopardized the peace process and called 
on the Council to invoke article 16 of the Rome statute to 
defer prosecution of Bashir. 
 
¶10.  The European Union representative informed the Council 
of the March 16 conclusions reached by the Ministers for 
Foreign Affairs of the EU.  The EU called upon the GOS to 
reverse its decision and to ensure humanitarian assistance to 
the vulnerable people of Sudan. 
 
Sudanese Rejoinder 
------------------ 
 
¶11.  Sudanese Counsellor Hassan Hamid Hassan requested the 
floor for a second time and stated that characterizing 
Sudanese decisions as being taken by an individual violated 
diplomatic norms and the UN charter.  He said that decisions 
in Sudan had been taken by institutions and that Sudan was 
not a failed state.  Hassan reiterated that the GOS would not 
revoke its decision to expel NGOs and said that those NGOs 
had violated resolutions of the General Assembly regulating 
humanitarian work. 
Wolff