T&T MFA ON UPCOMING UN ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L PORT OF SPAIN 000807 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, IO/UNP (BETTS) E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2016 TAGS: PREL UNGA SMIG XL TD SUBJECT: T&T MFA ON UPCOMING UN ISSUES Classified By: A/DCM, A. David Miller for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Political Officer and Political Assistant/Reader met with Deputy Director of Multilateral Affairs, Ms. Roanna Gopaul, on July 5 to discuss the UN Security Council election. Gopaul indicated that T&T had not yet decided between Guatemala and Venezuela, and was well aware of the U.S. position. She noted that the issue was definitely on the agenda for the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting, but could not predict whether or not CARICOM would reach a consensus on the issue. ¶2. (C) Gopaul asked about the U.S. position on the upcoming election for Secretary General of the UN. Poloff emphasized that the U.S. would consider candidates based on merit and not on the principle of geographic rotation. Gopaul also mentioned a pre-UNGA high-level meeting on migration issues, and inquired if the U.S. had formulated a position to present at the meeting. Additionally, she noted that UNGA is an extraordinarily busy time for her division, with Multilateral Affairs staff often being sent to New York to augment the two-person mission there. In order to ensure a prompt response, she suggested that demarches to the MFA in the capital also be delivered to the T&T UN delegation in New York. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: We sense that T&T would prefer not to vote for Venezuela in the UNSC race, but, given the political sensitivities involved, would like to have a "CARICOM consensus" as cover to do so. Gopaul's remarks indicated that a consensus position is unlikely to materialize, giving all members the convenient cover of "ongoing CARICOM negotiations" to avoid tipping their hands. END COMMENT. SWEENEY