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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 USUN NEW YORK 000866 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNGA UNSC KPKO
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SEPTEMBER 23 MEETING WITH TOP UN 
TROOP CONTRIBUTING COUNTRIES 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  001.2 OF 012 
 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY: Immediately following his address to 
the Open Debate of the UN General Assembly on September 
23, President Obama convened an unprecedented meeting 
with the Heads of State and Foreign Ministers of the 
top contributors of troops and police to UN 
peacekeeping operations.  President Obama expressed the 
United States' appreciation for their efforts.  He 
stated that "the United States is ready to do its part" 
to address key challenges now confronting UN 
peacekeeping.  He said the U.S. will "meet our 
financial obligations for UN peacekeeping operations in 
full and settle past debts that were accumulated 
between 2005 and 2009."  He stressed that the U.S. is 
"intensifying our diplomatic efforts to revitalize 
peace processes on Darfur, Sudan's North-South conflict 
and the DRC." He emphasized that the U.S. is "ready to 
increase and improve our bilateral efforts to train and 
equip others' peacekeepers," "to help the UN to 
mobilize missing critical enabling units," and "is 
willing to consider contributing more U.S. civilian 
police, civilian personnel, and military staff officers 
to UN missions."  He said the United States would 
"support bold new proposals to improve the 
effectiveness of UN support to its field operations." 
He added that "we will review our bilateral assistance 
to post-conflict societies and fragile states, and make 
building local capacity a priority."  Finally, 
President Obama indicated that the U.S. would "welcome 
discussions in the coming year on a vision for the 
future of UN peacekeeping." 
 
¶2.  (U) Eight Heads of State and Government-from 
Bangladesh, Ghana, Italy, Nepal, Pakistan, Rwanda, 
Senegal and Uruguay- attended and took the floor. 
Several praised President Obama's speech delivered 
before the General Assembly and thanked him for this 
initiative.  They called for greater alignment between 
peacekeeping mandates and the means available to 
implement them.  They highlighted difficulties with 
training and equipping their troops.  They appealed to 
the Security Council to consult them properly before 
revising mission mandates.  They stressed that 
peacekeeping operations must follow effective political 
and peace-making efforts and not be used as a "band- 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  002.2 OF 012 
 
 
aid" or substitute for them.  Several noted the 
imperative to find and pursue ways to secure the 
support of the host population.  The final speaker, 
President Vazquez of Uruguay, made an eloquent pitch 
for increased focus by peacekeepers on the protection 
of civilians, as the UN's credibility and legitimacy 
were at stake. 
 
¶3.  (U) President Obama pledged that the United States 
would follow up with troop contributing countries 
(TCCs) on the various concerns and challenges raised 
"on a bilateral as well as multilateral basis" to 
assure that the TCCs get the "support, respect and 
thanks they deserve." END SUMMARY. 
 
Opening remarks by POTUS 
------------------------ 
 
¶4.  (U) President Obama, joined by Secretary Clinton 
and Ambassador Rice, convened the meeting in a 
conference room at the United Nations building, shortly 
after the delivery of his address to the General 
Assembly.  The President explained that he had convened 
the meeting, "first and foremost, to say thank you" for 
the efforts and sacrifice of the countries contributing 
the largest number of troops and police to UN 
peacekeeping operations.  He expressed gratitude for 
the contributions of Bangladesh, Ghana, Nepal, Italy, 
Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal and Uruguay, represented at 
the meeting by their Heads of State and Government.  He 
offered appreciation for the contributions of Egypt, 
Ethiopia, Jordan and Nigeria, represented by their 
Foreign Ministers, and China, represented by the 
Permanent Representative to the United Nations. 
President Obama recognized the contribution of third- 
ranked contributor, India, which did not participate in 
the meeting, as well as of South Africa, France, 
Indonesia, Morocco, Benin, and Brazil (the 15th to 20th 
ranked contributors-which were not invited because of 
time constraints).  He recognized that more than 100 
countries provide uniformed personnel to UN 
peacekeeping operations.  He also welcomed the 
attendance of Mr. Alain LeRoy and Ms. Susana Malcorra, 
UN Under-Secretaries-General for Peacekeeping 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  003.2 OF 012 
 
 
Operations and for Field Support, respectively, and 
through them conveyed the United States' appreciation 
for the efforts of thousands of UN civilian staff in 
the field and at UN headquarters. 
 
¶5.  (U) President Obama, describing peacekeeping as 
"one of the most important activities of the United 
Nations," stressed that UN operations prevent conflicts 
from restarting; from escalating; and from potentially 
provoking wider wars.  He said they enabled delivery of 
humanitarian aid to those in need and protect innocent 
civilians from physical violence.  He also noted that 
they help emerging democracies hold elections and 
strengthen the rule of law. 
 
¶6.  (U) President Obama outlined key challenges the 
U.S. believed now confronted UN peacekeeping 
operations.  First, UN peacekeeping operations often 
face faltering peace processes and critical shortfalls 
of well-trained and well-equipped troops, police, 
hospitals, engineers, transport and aviation units. 
Second, the UN's mission planning and support 
arrangements need to be retooled to reduce deployment 
delays, be more responsive to peacekeepers' needs on 
the ground, and ensure cost-effectiveness and 
efficiencies.  Third, too little attention is given to 
the peace-building and development priorities that need 
to accompany the peacekeeping work, including reform of 
the security and criminal justice sectors.  "If we do 
not help to build local capacity to deliver basic 
services, repair infrastructure, jump-start the 
economy, secure territory and uphold rule of law, we 
cannot expect international peacekeepers to depart 
without having to return," President Obama remarked. 
Fourth, he recognized that it is becoming more 
difficult for peacekeepers to protect civilians from 
physical violence, including sexual and gender-based 
violence.  "But," he added, "their ability to do so is 
often the yardstick by which local populations extend 
their trust and retain their welcome." 
 
¶7.  (U) President Obama stated that "the United States 
is ready to do its part" to address the challenges he 
outlined.  He said the US will "meet our financial 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  004.2 OF 012 
 
 
obligations for UN peacekeeping operations in full and 
settle past debts that were accumulated between 2005 
and 2009." He stressed that the US is "intensifying our 
diplomatic efforts to revitalize peace processes on 
Darfur, Sudan's North-South conflict and the DRC." He 
emphasized that the U.S. is "ready to increase and 
improve our bilateral efforts to train and equip 
others' peacekeepers," "to help the UN to mobilize 
missing critical enabling units," and "is willing to 
consider contributing more U.S. civilian police, 
civilian personnel, and military staff officers to UN 
missions."  He said the U.S. would "support bold new 
proposals to improve the effectiveness of UN support to 
its field operations."  He added that "we will review 
our bilateral assistance to post-conflict societies and 
fragile states, and make building local capacity a 
priority."  Finally, President Obama indicated that the 
U.S. would "welcome discussions in the coming year on a 
vision for the future of UN peacekeeping," and wanted 
to ensure that efforts are joined up. 
 
¶8.  (U) President Obama explained that, while these 
were all things the U.S. is considering and prepared to 
do, he wanted our ideas and plans to be informed by the 
contributors' insights and experiences.  He was 
interested in hearing about the challenges they face 
and about what they thought the UN and US could do to 
support and improve the overall effectiveness of UN 
peacekeeping. 
 
Discussion among Heads of State and Government 
--------------------------------------------- - 
¶9.  (U) President Obama gave the floor first to Prime 
Minister Hasina, acknowledging Bangladesh as the number 
one police contributor and second-ranked overall 
contributor with more than 9,000 uniformed personnel 
deployed.  Prime Minister Hasina spoke for 
approximately fifteen minutes to educate participants 
on Bangladesh's participation in 45 UN peacekeeping 
missions over the last 21 years.  Of note, she 
highlighted scars that still remained from tragedies 
Bangladeshi peacekeepers experienced in Somalia in the 
early 1990s.  She stressed that Bangladesh believed the 
success of UN peacekeeping operations hinged on their 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  005.2 OF 012 
 
 
impartiality and ability to win the local populations' 
hearts and minds. 
 
¶10.  (U) Prime Minister Hasina requested U.S. support 
for the Bangladesh Institute for Peace Support 
Operations Training (BIPSOT), established in 1999, to 
be used as a regional peacekeeping training center. 
She also sought U.S. and UN assistance in securing 
"military hardware" such as APCs, tanks, helicopters. 
Finally, Prime Minister Hasina pledged Bangladesh's 
continued participation in UN peacekeeping and hoped 
the U.S. would increase its own participation as well. 
She also invited the President to visit Bangladesh. 
 
¶11.  (U) President Obama then turned to President 
Kagame, mentioning that he had reports of Rwandan 
troops performing admirably in Darfur, and noting that 
a Rwandan General had recently become Force Commander 
of the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur (UNAMID). 
President Kagame spoke briefly and candidly.  He 
expressed pride in Rwandan troops' performance and 
willingness to participate even more in future UN 
peacekeeping operations.  But, he believed there was a 
need to address shortfalls and shortcomings in training 
and logistics support for such troops.  President 
Kagame also cautioned against an overreliance on 
peacekeeping forces as a substitute for the domestic 
political will of the parties to make peace.  He 
emphasized the importance of peacekeeping being 
undertaken in conjunction with political processes and 
"not as an end in itself." He urged equal attention to 
the diplomatic and peace-making efforts required for 
there to be a "peace to keep" and for that peace to be 
sustainable. 
 
¶12.  (U) President Obama then invited Prime Minister 
Berlusconi to take the floor, acknowledging that Italy 
had led Europe's "return to UN peacekeeping", with a 
sizeable deployment to UNIFIL following hostilities 
between Israel and Hezbollah in the summer of 2006. 
President Obama also sought Prime Minister Berlusconi's 
views on formed police units, given that Italy hosted, 
with U.S. support, the Center for Excellence of 
Stability Police Units (COESPU).  Prime Minister 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  006.2 OF 012 
 
 
Berlusconi first praised President Obama's "wonderful 
speech" to the UN General Assembly.  "You expressed 
hopes that were shared by the majority of us Heads of 
State." 
 
¶13.  (U) Prime Minister Berlusconi couched his 
interventions on international peacekeeping in terms of 
supporting democracy building and winning the hearts 
and minds of local populations.  Italy had 30,000 
personnel rotating through various international 
missions (e.g., NATO, EU, UN).  This included 
Carabinieri (gendarme-type units), who offered an 
important capability to interact better with the local 
population.  They had been training-the-trainers in 
Afghanistan as a way to build local capacity.  In 
general, it was critical not to be perceived as an 
occupation force and to be seen as useful to the local 
people, such as through repairing hospitals, schools 
and infrastructure.   He pointed to Italy's efforts in 
the NATO-led ISAF in Afghanistan, where local 
commanders had been given resources and authority to 
assist local populations in these areas, as well as to 
offer them language training.  He suggested that UN 
missions would similarly benefit, were its commanders 
given similar authority and resources and not hamstrung 
by UN bureaucracy.  As concerns Italy's experience in 
UNIFIL, he saw no major problems and considered it a 
relatively well managed mission. 
 
¶14.  (U) President Obama then turned to President 
Zardari of Pakistan, acknowledging Pakistan as the top 
contributor with over 10,000 troops and police in 
several missions, including over 3,000 troops in both 
the DRC and Liberia.  President Zardari, too, praised 
President Obama's GA speech and applauded this 
initiative to acknowledge the contributors' efforts. 
He noted Pakistan was not only the top contributor, but 
one of the oldest, dating back 40 years.  Pakistan "is 
ready to do much more," he said, stressing that "we 
want to show that we are a responsible state...to show 
the world by our actions that we stand by our values." 
"Democracy may be young in Pakistan," he added "but, we 
will stand with you and the world wherever needed."  He 
noted a less frequently discussed benefit of PKOs 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  007.2 OF 012 
 
 
offering the opportunity for TCCs to co-mingle and 
cooperate across cultures.  He also expressed 
appreciation for the U.S. paying its bills, hoping that 
Pakistan would therefore soon receive what the UN 
apparently owed it. 
 
¶15.  (U) President Obama turned to President Mills of 
Ghana, which he acknowledged as a long-time contributor 
to UN peacekeeping operations and host of the Kofi 
Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre.  He 
asked President Mills to offer thoughts on how to 
expand the pool of well-trained and well-equipped 
uniformed personnel for future peacekeeping efforts, 
especially in Africa.  President Mills, too, praised 
President Obama's speech, saying that, like the one 
delivered in Accra, it once again reinforced that "you 
stand for change." Returning to peacekeeping, he 
reaffirmed his country's commitment to effective UN 
peacekeeping and willingness to share its experiences. 
He candidly confessed difficulties Ghana faced in 
sustaining its contributions in five UN missions, and 
that "resources could be a problem." The economic 
downturn made it all the more difficult for Ghana to 
equip its troops as it would want. 
 
¶16.  (U) President Obama then gave the floor to 
President Wade of Senegal, noting that its largest 
deployments were in Darfur, DRC and Cote d'Ivoire. 
President Wade echoed praise for the GA speech and this 
initiative.  He expressed pride in Senegal's engagement 
in several peacekeeping missions around the world, 
including with Senegalese in command positions in two 
of them.  Senegal would soon be moving up from 13th to 
9th in the rankings of contributors, with additional 
deployments foreseen to Darfur.  He believed that 
Senegalese peacekeepers experience and track record 
accounted for why Guinea said it would not accept 
peacekeepers from any country, when tensions emerged 
between Guinea and Liberia.  On a related note, 
President Wade acknowledged peacekeepers' good behavior 
as critical to retaining their welcome locally. 
 
¶17.  (U) President Obama then called on Prime Minister 
Nepal of Nepal, noting that it has large numbers of 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  008.2 OF 012 
 
 
military and police personnel deployed in several very 
different types of missions-notably Lebanon, Haiti, 
Darfur, and Liberia.  Prime Minister Nepal 
congratulated POTUS for his "wonderful, inspiring 
speech" and commended this TCC meeting as a tangible 
demonstration of his Administration's commitment to 
multilateralism.  He paid tribute to fallen 
peacekeepers, said that Nepal was ready to contribute 
more and presented five challenges needing to be 
addressed.  First, he called for better defined and 
more innovative mission objectives and strategy. 
Second, he appealed for a more 'holistic approach,' 
since problems in conflict zones could not be addressed 
through any one instrument or tool alone.  Peacekeeping 
missions needed to be accompanied by peace-making 
efforts.  He also mentioned the importance of 
controlling the traffic of small arms in conflict 
zones.  Third, he stressed the importance of building 
consensus and unity of effort among all key actors 
engaged in the effort.  Fourth, he highlighted the need 
for flexibility and adaptability to unique political, 
logistics and regional challenges.  And fifth, he saw 
the need for greater training and logistics support. 
 
¶18.  (U) Prime Minister Nepal concluded his 
intervention by expressing regret that he was unable to 
get past the Secret Service the large Ghurka knife he 
intended to present President Obama as a symbol of 
Nepalese peacekeepers' bravery and as a token of his 
appreciation.  He invited President Obama to visit 
Nepal at his earliest opportunity.  President Obama 
undertook to have a word with the Secret Service, keen 
to get hold of his Ghurka knife. 
 
¶19.  (U) President Obama then called on President 
Vazquez to speak last, acknowledging Uruguay as a key 
contributor in Haiti and the DRC, a long-time 
contributor to UN peacekeeping over successive decades, 
and an active voice on peacekeeping reform.  He invited 
President Vazquez to reflect on challenges needing to 
be addressed in the coming year.   President Vazquez 
first congratulated POTUS for his "brilliant speech", 
delivered with "your head and your heart."  He saw this 
TCC meeting as an historic and unprecedented event, 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  009.2 OF 012 
 
 
illustrating that change was possible and welcome. 
 
¶20.  (U) President Vazquez noted that his was a nation 
of 3 million people which contributes 3,000 
peacekeepers.  He recognized this as a time of great 
difficulty for the UN system.  He exposited on three 
key challenges confronting UN peacekeeping involving 
support to missions, effectiveness, and adapting to 
realities on the ground.  First, the system needed to 
be strengthened and the "yawning gap" narrowed between 
the ambitious mandates the UN missions are given and 
the means available to implement them.  This would 
require widening the pool of countries which 
participate in this global "army of peace."  The total 
cost of UN peacekeeping, he added, was only 0.55% of 
global military expenditures.  Second, the peacekeeping 
missions needed to be made more effective.  Increased 
interaction between the Security Council, the TCCs and 
the Secretariat would help on that front.  The United 
States' commitment to strengthening that relationship 
was evident not only through this meeting, but in its 
early convening of discussion with TCCs on the mandate 
of the UN Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and the Security 
Council's willingness to engage TCCs through the 
Security Council's Working Group on Peacekeeping, 
chaired by Japan.  Third, peacekeeping missions needed 
to be more responsive to needs on the ground.  In this 
regard, Uruguay believed more attention was needed on 
protection of civilians, who today account for 8 out of 
10 casualties in conflicts, in contrast to 1 out of 10 
in World War I.  This focus should include respect for 
International Humanitarian Law, "the bedrock of 
international relations."  "Each PKO bears witness 
before the international community to the principles 
enshrined in the UN Charter and to international law," 
he proclaimed.  All involved needed to strengthen their 
commitment to progress in these areas; where so many 
innocent lives are lost, the UN's credibility and 
legitimacy were at stake.  The TCCs, the majority of 
which were from the developing world, had a critical 
role to play and wanted to be constructive.  He 
concluded by saying that "we assure you that your 
government's initiative has not gone unnoticed." 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  010.2 OF 012 
 
 
President Obama's summation 
--------------------------- 
¶21.  (U) President Obama concluded by summarizing key 
themes and points he had taken away from the 
discussion: 
 
- Peacekeeping mandates and means have to be better 
aligned; 
 
- The need for expanded training, and ensuring troops 
are adequately supplied and logistically supported; 
 
- The importance of better coordination and 
consultation with troop contributors before revision of 
mandates; 
 
- Peace-making efforts must accompany peacekeeping 
operations; peacekeeping cannot be used as a "band-aid" 
or substitute for necessary political processes; 
 
- Protection of civilians is "absolutely critical", one 
of the most difficult and important tasks for UN 
peacekeepers; 
 
- It is imperative to find and pursue ways to adapt to 
realities on the ground and to secure the support of 
the host population. 
 
¶22.  (U) President Obama closed by saying that "my 
Administration will work bilaterally as well as 
multilaterally to assure that you get the support, 
respect and thanks you deserve." He pledged that the 
United States would continue efforts based on the 
dialogue today, and follow up with TCCs on the various 
concerns and challenges raised, to bring attention to 
these issues. 
 
Statement to the Press 
---------------------- 
 
¶23.  (U) President Obama released the following 
statement to the press on conclusion of the meeting. 
BEGIN QUOTE: 
 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  011.2 OF 012 
 
 
Today I met with top troop and police contributing 
countries to UN missions to express appreciation for 
their sacrifice, and to exchange views on how to 
strengthen our efforts to meet common challenges.  UN 
peacekeeping can deliver important results by 
protecting civilians, helping to rebuild security, and 
advancing peace around the world.  From Sudan to 
Liberia to Haiti, peacekeeping operations are a cost- 
effective means for the United States and all nations 
to share the burden of promoting peace and security. 
 
Over the last ten years, the demands on peacekeeping 
have grown, and operations have become more complex. 
It is in all of our interests to improve the efficiency 
and effectiveness of these efforts.  To succeed, U.N. 
missions and contributors need to be better equipped 
and supported to fulfill ambitious mandates, be it 
securing territory or protecting civilians from 
violence, including sexual and gender-based violence. 
 
The United States is ready to do its part.  We have met 
our financial obligations for peacekeeping operations. 
We seek clear, credible, and achievable peacekeeping 
mandates in the UN Security Council.  We are 
intensifying diplomatic efforts to support fragile 
peace processes, including on Darfur, Sudan's North- 
South conflict, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
We are improving bilateral efforts to train and equip 
UN peacekeepers and to help the UN mobilize critical 
enabling units.  We are willing to consider 
contributing more U.S. civilian police, civilian 
personnel, and military staff officers to UN missions. 
We will support proposals to make UN mission planning 
and administrative and logistics support more 
effective.  And we are reviewing our assistance to 
countries that host UN peacekeeping operations, such as 
Haiti. 
 
To draw down UN peacekeeping operations responsibly and 
end them successfully, all of us must do more to help 
strengthen security and criminal justice sectors and to 
build up the capacity of governments.  Today's meeting 
was a productive discussion about identifying and 
addressing these gaps, and pursuing a program for 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000866  012.2 OF 012 
 
 
ongoing reform and the future success of UN 
peacekeeping.  END QUOTE. 
RICE