A MID-TERM LOOK AT SPAIN'S SECURITY COUNCIL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 003600

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2014
TAGS: PREL SP UNSC UN
SUBJECT: A MID-TERM LOOK AT SPAIN'S SECURITY COUNCIL
PRESIDENCY


Classified By: Acting Political Counselor Robert J. Riley for reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Poloff discussed Spain's Security Council
September presidency with Juan Manuel Gonzalez de Linares,
MFA Deputy Director of United Nations Affairs, and Enrique de
Yturriaga Saldanha, MFA head of UNSC Issues. Both stressed
that Spain has tried to be an "honest broker" as the head of
the UNSC, where Spain's advocacy of issues has been toned
down. Spain's priorities during their presidency include: a
discussion among UNSC foreign ministers on the "civilian
aspects of conflict management and peace building;" the
crises in Sudan and Congo; the ongoing stability and
reconstruction efforts in Iraq; peacekeeping efforts in Haiti
and Afghanistan; counter-terrorism; UNSC mandates and reports
in Ethiopia and Eritrea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cyprus; and
continued instability in the Middle East. Spain is
interested in structural reform of the UN to include UNSC
enlargement, but not an expansion of permanent members, and
there is currently a debate within the MFA over how to
proceed with the reform. END SUMMARY

CONFLICT MANAGEMENT SESSION


2. (U) Spain would like to take advantage of the presence
of many foreign ministers in New York on September 22 to
discuss what the GOS is terming the "civilian aspects of
conflict management and peace building." Spain has
distributed a discussion document to members of the UNSC and
looks forward to making this discussion the highlight of its
presidency.

CRISES IN SUDAN AND CONGO


3. (C) The crises in Sudan and Congo continue to be high
priorities. Spain has been involved in trying to achieve
acceptable language for an additional UNSC resolution on the
Darfur crisis in Sudan. Spain favored many elements of a US
draft resolution on Darfur, but placed greater emphasis on
the role of the African Union and the construction of
international commissions to review human rights abuses.
Spain favors MONUC troop expansion in the Congo. Spain has
been working with other UNSC members on proposals to expand
MONUC into new regions and add a rapid force that would help
maintain the arms embargo and assist in the Congolese
electoral process.

IRAQ


4. (U) On Iraq, Spain was eager to see the results of
reports on the Multinational Force from the U.S. and the
Secretary General's office. The GOS views these reports as

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important because they are the first reports since
sovereignty was transferred to the Iraqis from the Coalition
Provisional Authority. UNSG Special Representative for Iraq
Ashraf Qazi briefed the UNSC on the situation in Iraq
September 14. His briefing noted that the "vicious cycle of
violence" is undermining UN efforts to rebuild Iraq.

HAITI AND AFGHANISTAN


5. (U) UN missions in Haiti and Afghanistan continue to be
important to Spain because of the deployment of Spanish
troops in peacekeeping operations in those countries. The
Spanish Council of Ministers authorized the sending of 200
Spanish troops to Haiti as part of a joint Moroccan-Spanish
battalion on September 10, and the Ministry of Defense has
said Spanish troops will be operational in Afghanistan by
September 27. There will be a report by the UNSG on the
current situation in Haiti on September 26.

COUNTER-TERRORISM


6. (C) Gonzalez de Linares stressed that Spain would like
to make UNSC efforts more efficient and dynamic. Former
Spanish ambassador to the U.S. Javier Ruperez is now the
Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive
Directorate at the Assistant Secretary-General level, and
Spain would like to build on his experience with the issue.
Yturriaga stressed that the issue of counter-terrorism was
very important to Spain, but that Spain would likely work
through committees to promote the issue and that there
probably would not be UNSC action during their Presidency.

ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA


7. (U) The UNSC unanimously adopted UNSCR 1560 to extend
the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) on September

14. Spain along with other UNSC members is concerned about
the lack of progress in the border demarcation between
Ethiopia and Eritrea.

OTHER MANDATES


8. (U) The UNSC will review mandates in Liberia and Sierra
Leone before the end of the month. The UNSG will also
introduce a report by the end of the month on the next steps
in Cyprus, and there should also be an update on the UN's
peacekeeping mission in Bougainville.

THE MIDDLE EAST


9. (C) Spain will continue to welcome proposals that
enhance security and stability in the region. Spain is
following developments very closely in the recent UNSC
resolution pressuring Syria to respect Lebanese sovereignty.
Both Linares de Gonzalez and Yturriaga agreed that
unanticipated issues concerning the Middle East were likely
to come before the UNSC during Spain's presidency.

SECURITY COUNCIL STRUCTURAL REFORM


10. (C) Both Gonzalez de Linares and Yturriaga said that
Spain supports any UNSC reform that would serve the interests
of all member states and improve the efficiency of the UNSC.
Spain does not favor more permanent members of the UNSC, but
additional nonpermanent members could provide a more
representative UNSC. Spain would like to see more
cooperation between the UNSC, UNGA, and ECOSOC.


11. (C) Yturriaga told Poloff that there are differing
views in the MFA on the issue. Some members of the MFA want
permanent UNSC members to only have veto power over issues in
Chapter 7 of the UN charter; they would like to require at
least two vetoes by permanent members for all other issues.


12. (C) There will be a panel report on UN structural
reform before December that will include UNSC structural
reform ideas. The report likely will fuel discussion on
possible changes in the UNSC. Spain does not have an
official positions on many of the likely reform ideas, but
there is clearly a lively debate within the MFA over what a
more representative UNSC would look like.
ARGYROS