(C) COTE D'IVOIRE: UK SHARES U.S. CONCERNS BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 007670 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/UNP, AF/W, AF/FO, EUR/WE, L E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC KPKO IC UK SUBJECT: (C) COTE D'IVOIRE: UK SHARES U.S. CONCERNS BUT DOES NOT WANT TO OPPOSE FRANCE IN UNSC REF: STATE 179974 Classified By: PolMinCouns Maura Connelly; reason 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (C) The UK shares U.S. concerns about the French draft UNSCR on Cote d'Ivoire (reftel) but wants to avoid being seen to lobby against France in the UNSC, according to FCO West Africa Section Head Jason Moore. He told Poloff October 30 that UKUN is working closely with USUN, hoping to reach an acceptable text closer to the language used by the African Union's Peace and Security Council. Given President Gbagbo's proven ability to manipulate the situation, a maximalist approach is needed, but it must remain within international law and precedent, Moore said, and there is no precedent for a UNSCR superseding the constitution of a sovereign state where the UN is not the executive. (We understand that the FCO Legal Adviser's office has discussed this point with L.) Moore said Gbagbo had written to Prime Minister Blair last week rejecting any formula that would set aside his country's national sovereignty in violation of the UN Charter. ¶2. (C) Moore found the French stance puzzling, because: - the hard line came from President Chirac personally but in no way implied a French willingness to serve as enforcer; - in HMG's view, it is obvious that the UNSC would damage its credibility if it made grand pronouncements that it cannot or will not enforce. ¶3. (C) Moore was also surprised that France had managed to line up the support of African Security Council members Ghana and Republic of Congo, and unsure how it had succeeded in doing so. (Tanzania's view is more in line with the UK's, according to Moore.) Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle