BERNARD KOUCHNER'S CANDIDACY FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL

UNCLAS PARIS 006752 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/WE, INR/EUC, EUR/ERA, EUR/PPD, IO AND OES DEPT OF HHS FOR SECRETARY LEAVITT E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: FR PGOV WHO SUBJECT: BERNARD KOUCHNER'S CANDIDACY FOR DIRECTOR GENERAL OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) ¶1. (SBU) Bernard Kouchner met with the Ambassador October 12 to lobby for his candidacy as Director General of the World Health Organization. His purpose was not to seek outright U.S. support for his candidacy, but rather support for including him on the short list of final candidates. Kouchner reviewed his substantial qualifications and felicitous public profile for the position, and he stressed two objectives if elected -- better management/transparency/accountability, and concrete results in the field in particular against emerging diseases. ¶2. (SBU) Kouchner, who served as UN Special Representative in Kosovo from 1999 to 2001, and founded the NGOs "Doctors Without Borders" (which received the Nobel Peace prize in 1999) and "Doctors of the World," has a long and distinguished record of innovation in humanitarian assistance and health. Kouchner made a convincing case for himself as an outsider willing to tackle the entrenched bureaucratic interests that hamstring the WHO from within. He has experience leading large organizations; for example, he served for eight years as France's Minister of Health. His claim that he would focus on improving budgetary transparency and on bettering accountability for results at this UN specialized agency is supported by his record in France. Kouchner is also a world-class, humanitarian celebrity -- and, from our perspective in Paris, the clout that comes with that level of fame would help in bringing renewed visibility and vitality to the WHO in this era of deep crisis and great opportunity in global health. ¶3. (SBU) Also worth noting is the fact that Kouchner, consistently one of the most popular left-of-center political figures in France, was the only prominent political leader to publicly support the U.S. intervention in Iraq, a stance he has continued to defend on a humanitarian basis. He is generally well-disposed towards the U.S. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador's comment: Washington is in a position to judge the competing candidacies for this key and unexpected vacancy, but Kouchner,s record, experience, and outlook warrant a serious look. End Comment. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON