C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 012917

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM UNSC RS BO
SUBJECT: DFM YAKOVENKO: "DISAPPOINTMENT" OVER US RAISING OF
BELARUS IN SECURITY COUNCIL


Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Daniel Russell: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) On December 13, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Aleksandr Yakovenko called the Ambassador to register
"concern and disappointment" over U.S. efforts in the
Security Council to raise the plight of Belarusian opposition
leader Aleksandr Kozulin, despite Belarus not being on the
UNSC agenda. Yakovenko said that the GOR sought to work
effectively with the United States in the Security Council;
in order to do so, he reiterated, both countries needed to
coordinate on the agenda ahead of time. Yakovenko
underscored that he was calling on instructions from the
Foreign Minister. The Ambassador undertook to convey the GOR
message.


2. (SBU) At Yakovenko's request, acting Director of the
International Organizations Department Vladimir Zayemskiy
subsequently reviewed this issue in detail with the DCM.
Zayemskiy stated that the U.S. at the December 12 Security
Council consultative session had committed two procedural
fouls. First, the U.S. had insisted on raising Kozulin's
plight despite the fact that Belarus was not on the agreed
agenda for the meeting; the UNSC had a well-established
procedure to fix the agenda for consultative sessions.
Zayemskiy acknowledged that the U.S. representative had
stated that he was acting under instruction from Washington.
Second, Zayemskiy alleged that the U.S. had briefed
journalists on the consultative session and its attempts to
raise Kozulin's plight; the consultative sessions are closed
door meetings and the established procedure is that, if there
is to be a press statement, it is agreed to by participants
at the session.


3. (SBU) Zayemskiy emphasized that the U.S. and Russia
almost never had procedural differences at the Security
Council. He claimed, in fact, that U.S. and Russian
positions on UN procedural issues were very close. Zayemskiy
urged that, whatever our differences on substance, our
longtime productive working relationship at the UNSC
benefited from mutual observance of well-established
procedures, to which both of our delegations should strictly
adhere.
BURNS