AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES UN REFORM PRIORITIES WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 003113 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KUNR AORC PE UNSC SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES UN REFORM PRIORITIES WITH FOREIGN MINISTER RODRIGUEZ REF: A. LIMA 3075 ¶B. STATE 111657 ... id: 36700 date: 7/15/2005 23:02 refid: 05LIMA3113 origin: Embassy Lima classification: CONFIDENTIAL destination: 05LIMA3075 header: This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available. -------------- header ends -------------- C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 003113 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV KUNR AORC PE UNSC SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES UN REFORM PRIORITIES WITH FOREIGN MINISTER RODRIGUEZ REF: A. LIMA 3075 ¶B. STATE 111657 ¶C. LIMA 2748 Classified By: Ambassador Curtis Struble for Reason 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (SBU) On 7/13, the Ambassador discussed Ref B talking points on overall UN reform priorities of the USG with Foreign Minister Manuel Rodriguez; their exchange on Security Council Reform and the G-4 Resolution was reported in Ref A. The Ambassador emphasized the critical nature of the reform process for restoring credibility to the UN after the Oil for Food scandal, and highlighted our support for Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reform, the Democracy Fund, the new Peacebuilding Commission, and improved management practices under the leadership of U/SYG Christopher Burnham. The Ambassador stressed USG interest in the Comprehensive Convention on Terrorism (CCIT) and in implementing the Monterrey Consensus on development objectives, and he said we wanted to see these matters reflected in the outcome document of the September High-Level Event. ¶2. (C) Rodriguez said the GOP agreed with our emphasis on resisting terrorism and on the CCIT, and noted that he had hoped to see more activity by the UN Counterterrorism Committee in the wake of the recent London bombings. Rodriguez said Peru also agreed with the idea of creating a Peacebuilding Commission, which should be very operationally oriented. The only caveats Rodriguez registered re the new Commission were that it should not interfere with existing mechanisms, in particular the Security Council, and should recognize long-standing principles such as the right to legitimate self-defense. ¶3. (C) Regarding CHR reform, Rodriguez said that a way must be found to make this organization practical and relevant. Referring to Peru's reform proposal (described in Ref C),he indicated the need for creating a Council to evaluate situations in individual countries, and for an Oversight (Tutela) Group, to deal with crises like that in Sudan. Rodriguez stressed the need to do away with flawed mechanisms (like the 1503 Procedure) and to focus on what works. ¶4. (C) Rodriguez also addressed the general issue of the unwieldy nature of existing geographic groupings at the UN, and the need to reassess these alignments. He said existing structures are a reflection of Cold War, north-south polarities. Peru can work practically and effectively in the context of the South American Community, but encounters a much more disparate situation within the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC). With Cuba, for example, there is little communality for Peru to be able to engage on issues such as human rights, economics, or the UN budget. ¶5. (C) Turning to development issues, Rodriguez said he was aware of some imaginative social and economic proposals relating to the activities of the UN Development Program, and he wanted to see a more vigorous debate on implementing the principles of the Millennium Declaration and Monterrey, which should be the points of reference. The UN needed to pick up the pace on addressing development issues for certain groups, such as women, although this was a difficult topic to advance in areas like the Middle East. When the Ambassador contrasted two development models, one based on dependency, and the other based on the thinking of Peru's Hernando de Soto, which emphasizes mobilization of national resources and market incentives, Rodriguez acknowledged that the latter must be promoted, as development is basically an internal problem. ¶6. (C) EMBASSY COMMENT: Despite Rodriguez's favorable comments on the development policy framework supported by the U.S., we would still expect Peru to push for more Official Development Assistance, as that is traditionally an important issue for Peru's MFA. STRUBLE =======================CABLE ENDS============================