ARMENIA FIRMLY SUPPORTS G-4 FRAMEWORK RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L YEREVAN 001277 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR IO AND EUR/CACEN E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/18/2010 TAGS: PREL AM UNGA SUBJECT: ARMENIA FIRMLY SUPPORTS G-4 FRAMEWORK RESOLUTION ON UN REFORM REF: A. STATE 132429 ¶B. YEREVAN 1263 Classified By: CDA A.F.Godfrey for reason 1.5 (b,d) ¶1. (C) CDA delivered ref a points on July 18 to Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Baiburtian. Baiburtian acknowledged the strength of the arguments presented, but said that Armenia's position to support the G-4 proposal (as reported in ref b) was firm. Armenia shared the U.S. view that reform should not be piecemeal and should not be rushed, Baiburtian said, but to be taken seriously, it needed to keep its bilateral commitments to the G-4 states. Some of these commitments were made long before the U.S. position became clear, Baiburtian asserted. ¶2. (C) Baiburtian said that there has been "intense dialogue" on this subject in recent days with a broad range of partners. The G-4 states continued to assure Armenia that they had the 128 votes necessary for success, but the Armenian Mission to the UN's own votecount cast some doubt on this. Even if it appeared that the G-4 vote would fail, Baiburtian said, Armenia would uphold its commitment to vote in support GODFREY