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