UNIDROIT REQUEST FOR VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS

UNCLAS ROME 000261 SIPDIS L/PIL FOR HAL BURMAN AND JEFF KOVARS; IO/EDA IO/S FOR LISA JACOBSON FROM FODAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC ABUD IT UNIDROIT SUBJECT: UNIDROIT REQUEST FOR VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS REF: ROME 06012 ¶1. SUMMARY AND ACTION REQUEST. THE ROME-BASED INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE UNIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LAW (UNIDROIT) HAS REQUESTED MEMBER GOVERNMENTS TO CONSIDER MAKING A ONE-TIME VOLUNTARY UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 00261 221549Z CONTRIBUTION TO ALLOW THE ORGANIZATION TO FULFILL ITS DEPOSITARY FUNCTIONS FOR THE CAPETOWN CONVENTION IN 2003. IN VIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONVENTION TO U.S. AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT INTERESTS, MISSION URGES FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION OF THE REQUEST. END SUMMARY. ¶2. UNIDROIT'S 56TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY (REFTEL) ADOPTED A RESOLUTION INVITING GOVERNMENTS TO PROVIDE ONE-TIME VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO ENABLE UNIDROIT TO CARRY OUT THE DEPOSITARY FUNCTIONS CONFERRED UPON IT UNDER THE CAPETOWN CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS IN MOBILE EQUIPMENT AND THE PROTOCOL ON MATTERS SPECIFIC TO AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT (TEXT FAXED TO L/PIL HAROLD BURMAN) UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THE REGULAR BUDGET PROVIDES SUFFICIENT RESOURCES. ¶3. THE ADDITIONAL COSTS, AS ORIGINALLY PROPOSED FOR THE 2003 BUDGET, ARE ESTIMATED AT 73,000 EUROS FOR AN ADDITIONAL STAFF MEMBER AND 25,000 EUROS FOR SOFTWARE. (COMMENT: THE CAPETOWN CONVENTION HAS AN UNUSUALLY COMPLEX SYSTEM OF DECLARATIONS (NO FEWER THAN 36 FROM WHICH STATES MAY PICK AND CHOOSE),THUS COMPLICATING THE TRADITIONAL DEPOSITARY FUNCTIONS OF NOTIFICATION AND REPORTING. END COMMENT). ¶4. AS REPORTED IN REFTELS, UNIDROIT MEMBERS WERE NOT IN A POSITION TO ADOPT A 2003 BUDGET WHICH INCLUDED THE ADDITIONAL COSTS OF SERVING AS DEPOSITARY. MEMBERS DID, HOWEVER, AGREE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FUNCTION. A NUMBER OF MEMBERS STATED THAT THEIR GOVERNMENTS WOULD BE IN A POSITION TO SUPPORT THE REQUEST IN THE 2004 BUDGET. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 00261 221549Z IN THE MEANTIME, IN LINE WITH THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION, UNIDROIT HAS REQUESTED MEMBER GOVERNMENTS TO GIVE FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION TO A CONTRIBUTION FOR 2003 TO ENABLE THE ORGANIZATION TO CARRY OUT ITS DEPOSITARY FUNCTIONS. ¶5. IN VIEW OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONVENTION TO U.S. AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT INTERESTS, MISSION URGES FAVORABLE CONSIDERATION OF THE REQUEST. HALL UNCLASSIFIED > 2003ROME00261 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED