FRENCH ON BURMA/UNSC DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006908 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2015 TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV BM FR UNSC UNGA SUBJECT: FRENCH ON BURMA/UNSC DEMARCHE REF: STATE 185479 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah B. Rosenblatt for re asons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche on October 6 to MFA Burma desk officer Franck Vermeulen and UN/IO desk officer Benoit Guidee. Guidee offered as a "first response" (noting that the French mission to the UN was presenting the same response in New York) that the French are completely open to bringing the Burma issue before the UNSC. In that regard France could support a briefing by Special Envoy Razali Ismail or SRHR Pinheiro in either an informal or a formal session. ¶2. (C) Guidee underlined, however, the importance, in the case of a decision to seek a resolution or Presidential Statement, of verifying beforehand that it would be possible to count on the necessary nine votes in the case of a resolution in favor of doing so. Noting that China, Japan, the Philippines, Russia and Algeria were sure "nos", he stressed the importance of getting the two Latin-American members and the African states to join. Guidee repeated again that this was only a tactical concern, and that, the French are open to bringing the issue to the UNSC and see the evolution of events in Burma as very worrisome. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON