VZCZCXRO9916
PP RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0649/01 1832143
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 022143Z JUL 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6841
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAB/AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN PRIORITY 1566
RUEHMV/AMEMBASSY MONROVIA PRIORITY 1496
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6842

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000649 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC XY LI IV
SUBJECT: UN SECRETARIAT TELLS THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO "STAY 
THE COURSE" IN LIBERIA 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000649  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  UN DPKO U/SYG Le Roy told the Security 
Council on June 25 that UN troops in Liberia should not be 
withdrawn too quickly, and that 8,000 should remain through 
the 2011 national elections.  He said training for the 
Liberian National Police needed to be brought back on track, 
and recommended against changing the UN police presence in 
Liberia.  Among Council members, only France overtly opposed 
Le Roy's troop-level recommendation, which was supported by a 
recent review of a technical assessment mission.  The UK 
suggested that the UN start planning now for an integrated 
mission "like in Sierra Leone" for Liberia after its 
election.  On Cote d'Ivoire, Le Roy said elections by 
November 29 were "possible, but not certain," and confirmed 
that both the President and Prime Minister had committed to 
him to respect the current electoral timeline.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations Under 
Secretary General Alain Le Roy briefed the Security Council 
on June 25 on the Secretary-General's special report on the 
UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and on his recent trip to 
Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire.  Le Roy noted the fragile state of 
peace in Liberia and called on the Council to "stay the 
course, "not to draw down troop levels precipitously.  He 
supported the technical assessment mission's (TAM) suggestion 
for the "phase three" drawdown to be completed in May instead 
of December, 2010, which will reduce troop levels from 10,000 
to 8,000 in country.  Le Roy agreed with the special report, 
which calls for maintaining troops at the 8,000 level through 
the 2011 elections, as well as its suggestion to then send a 
TAM to consider next steps in the drawdown based largely on 
the level of progress in security sector capacity-building. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Le Roy concurred with the TAM in holding UNMIL's 
police contingents at current levels of 1,375, saying the 
Liberian National Police force was neither credible, 
professional, nor effective.  He stressed training of the 
police must be gotten back on track.  Le Roy also described 
systemic problems within Liberia's justice and corrections 
systems, and cited mass jailbreaks as a recurrent phenomenon. 
 Le Roy said the holding of free, fair, transparent, and open 
elections should be a core benchmark for UNMIL. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador DiCarlo welcomed the Secretary-General's 
report and its suggestions to increase UNMIL's efficiency and 
effectiveness.  She said the drawdown plan as envisioned will 
result in a fifty percent reduction of UNMIL's forces over 
three years.  DiCarlo called Liberia a success story, but a 
fragile one, and said that its hard-won peace should not be 
jeopardized by having the UN depart too hastily.  She also 
said the 2011 Liberian elections will be a crucial milestone 
that will test the sustainability of peace.  Uganda, Mexico, 
Japan, Viet Nam, Burkina Faso, China, Russia, Croatia, Libya, 
Turkey, Costa Rica, and Austria all agreed with Ambassador 
DiCarlo in calling for no precipitous drawdown for UNMIL. 
 
¶5. (SBU) UK PermRep Sawers said he hoped to see the UN 
instill an integrated peacebuilding mission "like in Sierra 
Leone" following the 2011 national elections.  He requested 
the UN not wait until after the elections to plan for this 
mission.  Sawers said Liberia needs a self-sustained security 
sector before the UN could withdraw, and he expressed 
disappointment that the Liberian police force remains 
unreliable, corrupt, and is not trusted.  He said reforming 
and rebuilding the police should be the "highest priority." 
Sawers also repeated the question he posed to Liberian 
President Johnson-Sirleaf during the Council visit in May, by 
asking if the $660 million the UN spends on UNMIL (especially 
in light of Liberia's $280 million national budget) is the 
best use of UN resources.  (On rebuttal, Le Roy said the UK 
figures would be compelling only if UNMIL and Liberian 
budgets were somehow commingled.) 
 
¶6. (SBU) Japan also said the efforts to create a viable 
police force were not succeeding, and suggested more 
attention be paid to creating economic opportunities within 
Liberia. 
 
¶7. (SBU) French PermRep Ripert said UNMIL could afford to be 
more ambitious in its drawdown plan, and suggested the 
African Union could potentially take the place of UN troops. 
Ripert said there was no justification for a military 
presence in Liberia, commenting the army is doing police 
work, which "no UN country would allow its military to do." 
On the plans for UNMIL to offer emergency support to UNOCI, 
Ripert said French troops would intervene if necessary, and 
if French troops were not up to the task, UNMIL would not be 
able to help either. 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000649  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
COTE D'IVOIRE 
------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) On Cote d'Ivoire, Le Roy said both Prime Minister 
Soro and President Gbagbo confirmed to him their commitment 
to the November 29 election date.  He said elections were 
technically feasible by that date, but thought personally 
elections were "possible, but not certain" to be held as 
scheduled.  Le Roy said authorities must now ensure that 
there are no non-Ivoirians on the electoral list.  He was 
encouraged that the three main political parties had started 
their electoral campaigns. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Ripert was pleased with the prospects for elections, 
but remained cautious.  Burkina Faso requested UNOCI SRSG 
Choi brief the Council in July on the level of preparations 
in place for the election.  (NOTE:  UNOCI comes before the 
Security Council on July 23.  Its mandate expires July 31. 
END NOTE). 
 
RICE