VZCZCXRO1727
OO RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0076/01 0421956
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 111956Z FEB 10
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8133
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000076 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2020 
TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC IS LE
SUBJECT: UNSC: DPKO BRIEFS ON RECOMMENDATIONS/CONCLUSIONS 
OF UNIFIL JOINT TECHNICAL REVIEW 
 
REF: 09 USUN NEW YORK 1102 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Alex D. Wolff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The Department of Peacekeeping Operations 
(DPKO) and UNIFIL's Strategic Military Cell (SMC) briefed 
Security Council members at an informal meeting on February 5 
on the key conclusions and recommendations of the Joint 
UNIFIL-DPKO Technical Review.  The review envisions no 
radical changes to the force or its overall strength but does 
seek to enhance its capabilities, responsiveness, 
flexibility, and reconnaissance.  The Secretary-General will 
write the Security Council by February 12, likely noting his 
approval of the recommendations, which will also be 
transmitted in his next quarterly report on the 
implementation of UNSCR 1701, due to the Council at the end 
of February.  No Council action is required before DPKO and 
UNIFIL begin implementation of the recommendations.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Wolfgang Weisbrod-Weber, Director of the Department 
of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)'s Asia and Middle East 
Division, and Major General Zahari Siregar (Indonesian), head 
of UNIFIL's Strategic Military Cell (SMC), briefed Security 
Council members at an informal meeting on February 5 
regarding the key conclusions and recommendations of the 
Joint UNIFIL-DPKO Technical Review.  (Note: USUN e-mailed to 
IO/UNP and IO/PSC the handout distributed at the meeting, 
entitled "Summary of recommendations of the Joint UNIFIL-DPKO 
Technical Review.  End note.) 
 
No radical changes to force 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) According to the DPKO/SMC briefing, the review does 
not recommend any radical changes to UNIFIL or its overall 
strength.  Rather, Weisbrod-Weber emphasized, the 
recommendations are designed to enhance UNIFIL's capabilities 
and improve its responsiveness, flexibility, and 
reconnaissance.  The land forces will continue to be divided 
into two brigade-level sectors with the same overall numbers, 
but the aim is to have a more task-oriented structure, 
according to General Siregar.  The East (Spain commands) and 
West (Italy commands) Sectors will be divided into Forward 
and Depth Areas.  The Forward Areas will control the Blue 
Line and carry out operational activities in the vicinity of 
the Blue Line with infantry battalions.  The Depth Areas will 
focus on continuous surveillance and prevent and deter any 
hostile activity, operating with mobile battalions with 
cameras and sensors.  Sector West will have two depth 
battalions; two forward battalions; and one reserve company 
(could also be used in Sector East).  Sector East will have 
three forward battalions and one depth battalion. 
 
Blue Line and Ghajar Task Forces; 
new investigative unit 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) The review recommends the creation of a Blue Line 
(BL) Task Force with two engineering companies with dedicated 
engineering capabilities to accelerate the process of marking 
the BL and construction of the BL patrol road.  (Note: 
Presently, UNIFIL has one engineering company.  End note.) 
General Siregar noted that this would allow a combat 
engineering company to operate in each sector.  The review 
also recommends the creation of a Ghajar Task Force composed 
of a "mono-national company-size unit (Gendarmerie, 
Carabinieri, or Guardia Civil) and a civil affairs component" 
to interface/coordinate with the LAF/IDF/local Ghajar 
Administrative Office.  The French expert asked DPKO if 
UNIFIL has the necessary authorities to administer northern 
Ghajar after an Israeli withdrawal.  Weisbrod-Weber responded 
that there is no need for an additional mandate as UNIFIL 
currently has the necessary authorities and Israel just needs 
to complete its withdrawal.  The review also recommends the 
establishment of a permanent technical investigation cell to 
supervise ongoing investigations of incidents and violations 
and ensure regular investigative follow-up, instead of the 
previous ad hoc arrangements.  The unit's staff would also 
have specific investigative skills, including forensic 
skills. 
 
Maritime Task Force 
------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The review recommends the regular deployment of 
nine ships in the Maritime Task Force, including a minimum of 
four frigates or three frigates and one corvette-sized ship 
plus four patrol boats and one support ship.  It also urged 
regular ship to task analysis so that there can be a gradual 
hand-over of capacities/responsibilities to the LAF Navy. 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000076  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
Air Assets/hospitals 
-------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The review does not recommend any change in the 
size or assets of UNIFIL's air operations but does suggest 
obtaining thermal imaging equipment to allow for nighttime 
operations, especially medevacs.  The review recommends 
eliminating one of UNIFIL's two hospitals and upgrading the 
remaining one in Naqoura. 
 
Headquarters/Liaison 
-------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The review recommends strengthening the Deputy 
Force Commander position in order to allow the Force 
Commander to focus on strategic issues and liaison with the 
two parties.  (Note: The UNIFIL Deputy Force Commander, an 
Indian national, is due to rotate out at the end of March, 
according to an SMC contact.  DPKO is currently reviewing 
successor candidates from South Korea, Malaysia, and Nepal. 
End note.)  The review further recommends the strengthening 
of the Liaison Section to enhance coordination between UNIFIL 
and the LAF and IDF and the continued pursuit of the 
establishment of a liaison office in Tel Aviv to further 
enhance liaison and allow for strategic-level dialogue with 
the IDF.  The review recommends formalizing a regular 
strategic dialogue mechanism between UNIFIL and the LAF to 
carry out regular analyses and set benchmarks reflecting the 
correlation between the capacity/responsibilities of UNIFIL 
vis-a-vis the capacity/responsibilities of the LAF.  It also 
recommends a separate study to address the issue of increased 
UNIFIL involvement in tracking/formalizing bilateral 
assistance to the LAF specifically tied to implementing its 
1701-mandated tasks. 
 
Next steps 
---------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The Secretary-General will send the Security 
Council a letter, likely by February 12, stating the main 
findings of the joint technical review (in line with his 
August 6, 2009 letter to the Council which suggested this 
review) and likely noting his approval of those findings. 
The main conclusions and recommendations will also be 
referenced in the Secretary-General's next quarterly 1701 
report, due to the Council at the end of February.  Then DPKO 
and UNIFIL will begin the process of implementing the 
recommendations. 
 
French Mission reaction 
----------------------- 
 
¶9.  (C) PolOff spoke February 9 with her French counterpart 
Benedicte de Montlaur who said she thought the Technical 
Review exercise was a good one but that the Council should 
not seek a text endorsing it since that could increase 
tensions within the Council.  Some members might attempt to 
broaden a text and have it also focus on either or both 
parties' violations of UNSCR 1701.  If there were strong 
calls for a Council reaction, she suggested that the Council 
agree to press elements limited to welcoming the review and 
the new UNIFIL Force Commander.  (Note: As recently as the 
Council's October 1701 consultations, the Council was divided 
on press elements, unable to agree on whether to call on the 
next Lebanese government to implement all relevant Security 
Council resolutions (USG preference) or only UNSCR 1701 
(Russian preference).  End note.) 
 
Lebanese Mission reaction 
------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (C) Lebanese Deputy Perm Rep Caroline Ziade attended the 
February 5 meeting.  She remarked that UNIFIL should do its 
utmost on liaison and coordination, including by establishing 
a UNIFIL office in Tel Aviv; that UNIFIL should prevent 
violations by all parties; and that Lebanon would do 
everything necessary to implement its obligations.  (Comment: 
USUN believes that the Lebanese mission, as one of the 
parties, should refrain from any non-technical questions at 
such meetings with Council members.  They have bilateral 
meetings with DPKO where they can articulate their political 
concerns.  End comment.)  Ziade told PolOff on February 9 
that Lebanon does not seek a Council product on the  review 
or from the Council's March 1701 consultations. 
 
Israeli mission 
--------------- 
 
¶11.  (C) Israeli Deputy Perm Rep Daniel Carmon had expressed 
concern to Ambassador Wolff that Lebanon, one of the parties, 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000076  003 OF 003 
 
 
would be in the room for DPKO's meeting with the Security 
Council while the Israeli mission would not be present.  DPKO 
confirmed to PolOff that it had briefed both the Lebanese and 
Israeli missions separately on the conclusions and 
recommendations of the review.  After the February 5 meeting, 
USUN shared the DPKO handout with the Israeli mission and 
offered an extensive readout of the meeting. 
RICE