VZCZCXRO9679
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0909/01 2871149
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141149Z OCT 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7345
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 2528
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0303

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000909 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO AF
SUBJECT: UN SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING BY SRSG KAI EIDE AND 
DEBATE 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  On September 29, the Security Council held a 
quarterly debate on UNAMA.  SRSG Kai Eide briefed the Council 
on behalf of UNAMA concentrating on elections, new government 
formation, reconciliation, security and international 
coordination.  Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta's remarks 
focused on elections and the need for long-term and 
comprehensive stabilization and humanitarian, reconstruction 
and developmental assistance.  All Security Council members 
spoke at the debate, most calling for continued patience as 
the Independent Election Commission and Electoral Complaints 
Commission continue to investigate and adjudicate incidents 
of fraud and certify final election results, and the need for 
the new Afghan government to form quickly.  Many welcomed 
UNAMA's development of benchmarks and indicators of progress 
as a useful metric for the Security Council to measure 
progress in Afghanistan.  End summary. 
 
 
INTERVENTIONS BY UNAMA & AFGHANISTAN 
 
¶2. (U) In the September 29 quarterly Security Council debate 
on the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) SRSG for 
UNAMA Kai Eide's briefing focused on the near-term 
presidential election certifications which are expected to be 
announced in early October, the need for rapid formation of a 
new government and agenda, reconciliation, security, and 
continued coordination of the priorities and allocation of 
international development assistance.  Eide emphasized that 
the election campaign included public engagement and a real 
debate between political alternatives that was entirely new 
for Afghanistan.  He stressed that while fraud and 
irregularities have been committed by election officials, 
candidates, supporters and government officials, the 
Electoral Complaint Commission and Independent Election 
Commission are on track, working together, to certify the 
final election results.  Eide called on the future Afghan 
president to appoint a government which can inspire 
confidence in its citizenry and the international community 
and to formulate an agenda which corresponds to the concerns 
of the people - a government that intensifies the struggle 
against corruption, strengthens respect for the rule of law, 
ends the culture of impunity and promotes social and economic 
justice.  He underscored that training, mentoring and 
equipping of the Afghan army and police cannot be a U.S. 
effort alone, and called for wider engagement from other 
countries in both manpower and financial resources.  The SRSG 
also referenced calls for a new international conference on 
Afghanistan, and suggested it take place in Kabul, at the 
ministerial level and in the established JCMB format to 
provide a strong political signal that would underscore the 
Afghan government's assumption of greater responsibilities 
for the country's future with the international community 
gradually taking on a more supporting role. 
 
¶3. (U) Afghan Foreign Minister Spanta took the floor next and 
began by thanking the international community for the strong 
support shown to Afghanistan after decades of instability. 
He called the recent election an "important milestone" in his 
country's ongoing democratic transformation, while also 
acknowledging the voting fraud and irregularities which took 
place.  He urged Council members to focus on the big picture, 
which was that elections had been held, and stated that the 
international community's respect and support for Afghanistan 
and its final electoral decisions were necessary for the 
success of the new government.  Minister Spanta also 
discussed the need to hold an international conference in 
Kabul, in the near future, to discuss good governance, 
reintegration of insurgents into civilian life, and regional 
cooperation.  Minister Spanta called Afghanistan's 
relationship with Pakistan of the "utmost importance" and 
noted there has been a cooperative atmosphere between 
Afghanistan and the new civilian government in Pakistan in 
recent months.  In closing, the Minister stated that UNAMA 
must play a leading role in shaping Afghanistan's future, and 
that they are currently well-positioned for this important 
role. 
 
 
INTERVENTIONS BY SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS 
 
¶4. (U) Most delegations welcomed the news of the recent 
elections in Afghanistan, despite the reports of 
irregularities, and called for patience as the Independent 
Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission 
continue to investigate and adjudicate incidents of fraud and 
certify the final elections results.  Representatives from 
Japan, Croatia, Austria, Burkina Faso, and Mexico conveyed 
full confidence in the Electoral Complaints Commission to 
quickly and successfully handle all fraud allegations.  Costa 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000909  002 OF 002 
 
 
Rica added that the number of complaints is alarming, and 
that the prolonged wait for election results is jeopardizing 
the success of the election.  Likewise, the Russian 
representative expressed his country's hopes for a rapid 
conclusion of the elections process, and its expectation that 
the new government be rapidly formed.  The delegations of 
Vietnam and Costa Rica expressed the desire that the lessons 
learned during this election be remembered in 2010, when 
parliamentary elections will take 
place in Afghanistan. 
 
¶5. (U) Civilian casualties and targeting of humanitarian 
workers were condemned by the governments of Vietnam, 
Croatia, Austria, the United Kingdom, Libya, Mexico, Costa 
Rica, Uganda, and Russia.  Most Council members welcomed 
General McChrystal's approach of prioritizing the protection 
of the civilian population.  Russia recognized ISAF's renewed 
efforts to minimize civilian casualties but said such efforts 
were not sufficient, and concluded that civilian casualties 
remain too high and called for in-depth investigations in 
each situation where such casualties have occurred.  Libya's 
statement was most critical of civilian casualties, in 
keeping with its past statements, and equated civilian 
casualties caused by ISAF to those killed at the hands of the 
Taliban.  The Libyan deputy PermRep expressed his alarm at 
ISAF's failure to suppress insurgency forces, alleging that 
many Afghans join the insurgency not only as a result of 
social and political marginalization, but also as a direct 
reaction to the atrocities committed by international forces. 
 He declared that stability will require reintegration, and 
that a cease-fire with the Taliban is the first step towards 
this stability.  He reiterated his feeling that ISAF's main 
objective should be to provide a stable setting for democracy 
to take root, and that the international community should 
concentrate on withdrawing forces as soon as possible. 
(Comment: In the U.S. speech Ambassador DiCarlo responded by 
saying she wanted to register her objections to some of the 
Libyan comments, which she characterized as "unhelpful.") 
 
¶6. (U) A number of Council members welcomed President 
Karzai's recent signing of the law prohibiting violence 
against women.  Austria, Costa Rica, Burkina Faso, and the 
United Kingdom expressed ongoing concern regarding the Shia 
Personal Status law which was noted as running counter to 
Afghan's constitution and to international agreements to 
which Afghanistan is signatory. 
 
¶7. (U) Members welcomed the benchmarks included in the 
recently released UNAMA report as a more concrete way to 
measure progress in Afghanistan and the region as a whole. 
Representatives from Vietnam, Croatia, Austria, the United 
Kingdom, and Uganda specifically noted the utility of these 
benchmarks and their expectation that these benchmarks would 
be subject to further review and modification by the Afghan 
government and the international community through their 
representatives in Kabul. 
RICE