VZCZCXRO8203
PP RUEHGI RUEHMA RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #1096/01 3381749
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041749Z DEC 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7755
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 001096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO SU AF
SUBJECT: UNAMID SECURITY COUNCIL BRIEFING: GOS RESTRICTIONS 
NOT ACCEPTABLE 
 
¶1.  Summary:   A/SYG Mulet briefed the Security Council on 
November 30 on the Secretary General's report on the 
UN/African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).  Joint Chief 
Mediator (JCM) Djibril Bassole updated the Council on 
political process talks.  The Sudanese Perm Rep accused the 
UN of inaccurately reporting isolated incidents of armed 
conflict.  Ambassador Rice insisted that the UN not to be 
intimidated by the Government of Sudan (GoS) and to provide 
real time reporting on armed conflicts.  Council members 
discussed the deteriorating security and humanitarian 
situation, obstacles to peace, restrictions on UNAMID's 
freedom of movement, and UNAMID deployment.  End Summary. 
 
Mulet and Bassole Brief Council 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  In general remarks to the Council on November 30, 
Assistant Secretary General for the Department of 
Peacekeeping Operations Edmond Mulet stated that the security 
situation in Darfur remains unstable, and the United Nations 
is concerned about the welfare of two UNAMID workers 
kidnapped by armed attackers in August.  Mulet also described 
significant attacks between GoS and rebel movements.  He 
noted that Under Secretary-General Le Roy had presented a 
list of GoS violations of the Status of Forces Agreement 
(SOFA) to the Sudanese Mission in New York on October 14, 
underscoring the UN's concern with GoS restriction on 
UNAMID's freedom of movement. 
 
¶3.  JCM Bassole provided a read-out of the November 17 to 20 
meetings in Doha, and noted that civil society must be 
involved for peace to be sustainable.  Bassole stated that 
the refusal of some armed movements to participate should not 
impede the peace process.  He acknowledged the rebel 
unification efforts made by Libya and the United States.  He 
also noted that the African Union High Level Panel on 
Darfur's (AUPD) report identified the root causes of conflict 
in Darfur.  (Note: The AUPD report describes the root cause 
of conflict as the marginalization of the periphery by the 
Khartoum elite.  End Note.) 
 
¶4.  Sudanese Perm Rep Mohamad stated that the war in Darfur 
was over and the desire for peace had triumphed.  He 
characterized Sudanese cooperation with the UN as "boundless" 
and said that the Secretary-General's report was biased 
because it highlighted "isolated" incidents of fighting when 
most fighting had ceased.  Mohamad urged the UN to be more 
objective in its reporting. 
 
Security and Humanitarian Situation 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  China agreed with the Sudanese Perm Rep's remarks that 
peace had been consolidated, though most Council members 
discussed continuing clashes between GoS and armed movements, 
which indicate otherwise. Libya said that there had been less 
confrontation between belligerents.  Ambassador Rice said 
that when attacks occur like the September conflict in Korma, 
the Council needs to be informed immediately, and she asked 
the UN to include information about who bears responsibility 
for attacks.  Rice stressed that the Council needs to receive 
this information in real time and not on a quarterly basis. 
 
 
¶6.  France deplored the deterioration of the humanitarian 
situation and squarely placed the blame on the GoS expulsion 
of NGOs.  Ambassador Rice noted that international NGO 
presence in remote rural areas had decreased by fifty 
percent, affecting the ability to provide aid.  The UK 
expressed concern for UNAMID hostages and urged bringing 
perpetrators to justice. 
 
Political Process 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  Russia reiterated its readiness for the Council to take 
action against rebel movements refusing to participate in the 
peace process, and endorsed the AUPD recommendation that 
these rebels should be designated by the Council as 
terrorists. Vietnam also criticized rebel movements' refusal 
to participate, especially the Justice and Equality Movement 
(JEM).  Burkina Faso said that continued clashes do not 
facilitate peace talks. Croatia specified that the GoS 
engagement in armed conflict contradicted its stated intent 
to engage in peace negotiations. 
 
¶8.  Turkey stressed that the Doha track should be the only 
forum for peace negotiations, noting that the Council should 
carefully study AUPD recommendations.  China indicated it 
would pledge 500,000 USD to the UNDP political process trust 
fund, and France said it would provide one million euros. 
 
USUN NEW Y 00001096  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
Freedom of Movement for UNAMID 
------------------------------ 
 
¶9.  Security Council members universally agreed that GoS 
threats against UNAMID were not acceptable. Ambassador Rice 
condemned the GoS for threatening and denying access to 
UNAMID, noting this violates the SOFA. Rice noted that the 
Council relies on UNAMID for full reporting and urged the UN 
not to be intimidated by GoS actions. Russia stated that this 
issue should be resolved through dialogue with the GoS, to 
preserve its sovereignty. 
 
UNAMID Deployment 
----------------- 
 
¶10.  Ambassador Rice asked whether the UN would reach its 
target of 90 percent deployment by the end of the year, and 
Mulet responded that UNAMID would be eighty percent deployed 
by December 31 and ninety percent deployed by March 2010. 
Mulet also said that reaching one-hundred percent deployment 
would depend on the UN receiving additional pledges from 
member states.  Ambassador Rice also raised the GoS failure 
to issue visas to Western staff officers, noting that UNAMID 
was never intended to be an exclusively African peacekeeping 
force.  France agreed that failure to issue these visas and 
not being fully deployed were problematic.  Libya cautioned 
against defining UNAMID's success by time bound indicators. 
RICE