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DE RUEHC #8865 2042214
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O 222209Z JUL 08
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TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000
INFO UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
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UNCLAS STATE 078865 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR UNSC IC
SUBJECT: COTE D'IVOIRE: JULY 24, 2008 UN SECURITY COUNCIL 
CONSULTATIONS 
 
¶1.  (U) The Security Council will hold consultations on Cote 
d'Ivoire on July 24, 2008.  USUN may draw on the talking 
points in paragraph 2. 
 
¶2.  Begin points: 
 
-- I would like to thank Ambassador Choi for his briefing. 
 
-- We congratulate the parties on their continuing efforts to 
fulfill their obligations under the Ouagadougou Political 
Agreement, and again thank the Facilitator, President 
Compaore, for his dedication to the peace process. 
 
-- The U.S. welcomes the progress made to date in preparing 
for the November 30 elections.  These elections are an 
opportunity to reestablish trust among all parties in Cote 
d'Ivoire.  They must exemplify the importance to the 
country's future stability and prosperity of opening the 
political process and economic opportunity to all Ivorians. 
 
-- We hope that it will be possible to accelerate the 
technical preparations to ensure that the elections are 
conducted as planned.  We fully support the role that the 
Special Representative of the Secretary-General will play in 
certifying that the elections are free, open, fair and 
transparent. 
 
-- We hope that there will be more rapid progress on 
disarmament and demobilization of combatants.  This is 
critical in guaranteeing a secure environment throughout the 
country.  It is a vital step in rebuilding an inclusive, 
democratic security sector. 
 
-- The U.S. is also concerned about the low rate of surrender 
of weapons, and the very possibly connected rise in crime. 
We urge the leadership of the Defense and Security Forces of 
Cote d'Ivoire and of the Forces Nouvelles to sign the 
memorandum of understanding on the responsibility of the 
impartial forces to supervise storage of weapons that have 
been surrendered. 
 
-- As the Secretary-General noted in his report, disarmament 
and dismantling of militia groups is a key element in the 
restoration of security.  We urge militia leaders to 
cooperate with the Government in bringing this about. 
 
-- We look forward to continuing progress in establishing 
national administration throughout the country and on 
building the national civic service. 
 
-- The United States appreciates the candor and concern shown 
in the report's discussion of the serious problem of 
the lack of impunity for sexual violence against women.  We 
applaud and support UNOCI's efforts to address this issue, 
and to promote and protect human rights in Cote d'Ivoire, in 
particular the rights of women and children. 
We note in particular the training programs both for mission 
personnel and for those working in the Ivorian legal and 
judicial systems. 
 
-- We also welcome the steps the mission is taking to 
underscore the UN's zero-tolerance policy for sexual 
misconduct 
by its personnel.  The U.S. will be very interested in the 
results of the investigations into allegations of 
such misconduct by UNOCI peacekeepers. 
 
-- In conclusion, the U.S. supports the renewal of UNOCI's 
current mandate and strength, and looks forward to the 
Secretary-General's recommendations in his next report  on a 
drawdown plan. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-- 
End points. 
RICE