Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06STATE196224
2006-12-07 00:47:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

HIGHLIGHTING THE U.S. ROLE IN THE UN CORRUPTION CONVENTION

Tags:  PREL OIIP KCOR KPAO KTIA UN 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8451
OO RUEHAT
DE RUEHC #6224/01 3410055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 070047Z DEC 06
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI IMMEDIATE 0625
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 196224 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS, UNVIE FOR BOLAND AND SOLOMON, AMMAN FOR PAO, JAKARTA FOR PAO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL OIIP KCOR KPAO KTIA UN
SUBJECT: HIGHLIGHTING THE U.S. ROLE IN THE UN CORRUPTION CONVENTION
(UNCAC) CONFERENCE

STATE 00196224 001.2 OF 004


MONTREAL FOR USICAO, ROME FOR USUN ROME, PARIS FOR USUNESCO,
NAIROBI FOR USUNEP

For Political Counselors, PAOs and NAS Directors from IO
Bureau.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 STATE 196224

SIPDIS

SIPDIS, UNVIE FOR BOLAND AND SOLOMON, AMMAN FOR PAO, JAKARTA FOR PAO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL OIIP KCOR KPAO KTIA UN
SUBJECT: HIGHLIGHTING THE U.S. ROLE IN THE UN CORRUPTION CONVENTION
(UNCAC) CONFERENCE

STATE 00196224 001.2 OF 004


MONTREAL FOR USICAO, ROME FOR USUN ROME, PARIS FOR USUNESCO,
NAIROBI FOR USUNEP

For Political Counselors, PAOs and NAS Directors from IO
Bureau.


1. (U) This is an ACTION REQUEST. Please see paras 7 and
9 for action.

--------------
Background
--------------


2. (U) On November 29, 2006, the United States became a
party to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption
(UNCAC). The Department issued a Media Note to that
effect on the same day. The UNCAC marks a milestone in
U.S. efforts to combat global corruption. UNCAC is the
first international anticorruption agreement to be applied
on a global scale. It is a comprehensive treaty that
contains, inter alia, two particularly innovative
chapters; one that commits governments to take preventive
measures against corruption; and another that develops a
framework for international cooperation on asset
recovery. As of November 29, UNCAC had 140 signatories
and 80 parties, including the United States.


3. (U) The First Conference of States Parties (COSP) for
UNCAC will take place at the Dead Sea, Jordan, from
December 10 to 14, 2006. The U.S. Delegation to the COSP
will be lead by Bureau of International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement (INL) Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS)
Elizabeth Verville. The COSP in Jordan is expected to
begin to consider ways that parties can best promote
implementation of the UNCAC. The role of technical
assistance to promote implementation of the UNCAC is also
anticipated to be a major focus of the Conference. As we
did during the UNCAC negotiations, the U.S. will take an
active role in seeking to shape and influence the results
of the Conference.


4. (U) To take advantage of this unique moment, IO, INL,
EB, and IIP have coordinated with regional bureaus to
develop a PD Strategy that takes advantage of this
unprecedented occasion. The PD Strategy enunciated in
this cable highlights the leading U.S. role in negotiating
and concluding the UNCAC, as well as the long-standing and
on-going U.S. commitment to fighting corruption

internationally. We believe this strategy will augment
posts' existing anti-corruption programs. It will also
help posts to emphasize that international consensus and
political will now exist to change behaviors and practices
that enable corruption to occur.


5. (U) The PD strategy that Washington has developed draws
heavily on existing tools, such DVCs, web chats, and print
and web publications, to deliver messages on four broad
themes. At the same time there is sufficient flexibility
to permit participating posts to tailor content to meet
the needs of their specific markets.

--------------
Webchat Program
--------------


6. (U) On December 12, IIP will host a webchat on the
USG's global anti-corruption efforts and the U.S. role in
developing the UNCAC. The 60-minute chat, entitled
"Combating Corruption: The U.S. Role in Developing the
United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC),"
will begin at 7:00 am Washington time (12:00 noon GMT),
and feature, from Washington, IO DAS Gerald Anderson and
EB Bureau's Andew Haviland, and joining from Jordan, the
US Head of Delegation to UNCAC and INL Acting DAS,
Elizabeth Verville. The broad topic will be the U.S. role
in developing UNCAC and the USG's global anti-corruption
efforts. Subtopics may include, (1) countering corruption
through UN Reform; (2) the U.S. as good multilateral
citizen; (3) the economic costs of corruption; and (4)
U.S. methods of enforcing anti-corruption statutes. This
time slot of this chat is designed to reach the broadest
global participation, although the Department recognizes
that the timing of this chat may not be conducive to live
participation at some posts in some time zones. As with
other webchats, IIP will make a transcript available and
some of these principals would be available to augment
post-specific messages via a separate DVC, if desired.

STATE 00196224 002.2 OF 004


Posts should direct interested participants to visit IIP's
USINFO Webchat station at
http://unsinfo.state.gov/usinfo/Products/Webc hats.html for
information about how to join the discussion.
Participation requires a one-time registration at
http://webchat.state.gov/register/register.cf m. Questions
about how IIP webchats work can be directed to
usinfowebchat"at"state.gov. IIP webchats are designed to
accept questions in advance, allowing posts to
"participate" even if not during the live event itself.

-------------- --------------
--------------
Digital Video Conference (DVC) or Tele-Press Conference
(TPC) Programs
-------------- --------------
--------------


7. (U) ACTION REQUEST. Posts are encouraged to consider
whether a DVC or TPC event might also be useful and
appropriate for their respective market. Beginning Dec
7th, IO is prepared to facilitate requests from posts to
provide speakers on the themes noted in para 6 above or on
other corruption-related themes. While IO is particularly
interested in supporting topics directly related to the
UNCAC and the COSP; and to showcase the U.S. as a good
multilateral partner; under this multi-bureau cooperative
effort, we will work to facilitate other requests for
corruption-related programs. Requests should be directed
to POC: Jesse Curtis in IO/PPC via email
CurtisJS"at"state.gov (Unclass),
CurtisJS"at"state.sgov.gov (CLAN) or by phone at (202)
647-6882. Post are requested to copy their respective
desk and PD Action Officers on any requests. IIP Bureau
also reminds posts that anti-corruption has been
identified as part of a theme for its Strategic Speakers
Program and expects to offer speakers related to the
subject under that program as well.

--------------
IIP Bureau Support
--------------


8. (U) IIP Bureau is providing key support for this
multi-bureau strategy. IIP's electronic eJournal,
"Transforming the Culture of Corruption," will be released
on December 13, 2006--coinciding with the final days of
the COSP event in Jordan--and it will be highlighted on
the USINFO front page. Embassy webmasters will be alerted
in advance so that embassy web sites may link to it as
appropriate. The existing page, "Bribery and Corruption"
will link to all the most recent materials for the
overseas audience at
http://usinfo.state.gov/ei/economic_issues/br ibery_and_corr
uption.html. Each article will provide links to available
translations. Currently Google ranks this page at the top
for searches on "bribery and corruption" among more than
one million competing pages, and we are confident that, as
new material gets published, this prominence will
continue. In addition to the support from the Webchat and
DVC teams, USINFO (formerly Washington File) will cover
the conference and related corruption issues through
stories and features on USINFO. Posts are encouraged to
provide USINFO with additional story ideas or product
support that would be useful to the field.

--------------
Talking Points
--------------


9. (U) ACTION REQUEST. As part of this global public
diplomacy strategy, the Department is providing the below
previous-cleared press guidance talking points that were
prepared when the U.S. became a party to UNCAC. Posts are
encouraged to draw from these points and proactively
engage media and host country contacts and government
counterparts in discussing the UNCAC, the COSP event, USG
anti-corruption efforts, and related themes.

BEGIN SUGGESTED PRESS GUIDANCE TALKING POINTS.

Q: What is the significance of the United Nations
Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)?

-- UNCAC is the first international anticorruption
agreement to be applied on a global level. There are
currently 140 signatories and 80 parties, including the
United States, which became a party to UNCAC on November
29, 2006.

-- UNCAC is a focal point for international anticorruption
action. Many countries are already citing it as the new

STATE 00196224 003.2 OF 004


international standard for developing an effective
anticorruption regime. Among its provisions are two
innovative chapters, one that commits governments to take
a wide range of measures against corruption and a second
one that develops a framework for international
cooperation on asset recovery cases.

Q: The United States is already a party to two other
anti-corruption treaties, the OECD Convention on Combating
Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International
Business Transactions, and the Inter-American Convention
Against Corruption. Why is another Convention needed?
How does UNCAC differ from the other two?

-- UNCAC takes the international fight against corruption
to a new level. It is far more comprehensive in scope
than either the OECD Convention or the Inter-American
Convention. The OECD Convention focuses on Bribery of
Foreign Public Officials, and the Inter-American
Convention only requires action in the law enforcement
arena. UNCAC addresses corruption on multiple fronts. It
commits governments to take preventive measures,
criminalizes a wide range of corrupt conduct, and
establishes a framework for cooperation on asset
recovery. UNCAC is the only convention that addresses
asset recovery cases.

-- As a UN Convention, the UNCAC will apply to countries
outside the Americas and outside the Parties to the OECD
Convention, thus providing a global common framework to
combat corruption.

Q: The first Conference of States Parties to the
Convention (COSP) is scheduled to take place in Jordan in
December. What issues will the Conference address? What
role will the U.S. play?

-- We expect that the First Conference of States Parties
(COSP) will begin to consider ways that parties can best
promote implementation of the UNCAC. The role of
technical assistance to promote implementations will also
be a major focus. We would like to see a constructive
process that will facilitate providing effective technical
assistance.

-- The United States was active and very successful during
the negotiations, and we hope to have a similarly active
and influential role in the COSP process.

Q: Is technical assistance envisioned to assist countries
in their efforts to implement the Convention?

-- We expect that technical assistance will be needed by
some countries to implement certain UNCAC provisions.
UNCAC provides a basis for political commitment to take
action in these areas, and will provide a basis for the
United States and other donor countries to work
cooperatively and closely with other countries on fighting
corruption.

-- We expect that COSP will need to gather information on
UNCAC implementation in order to determine which countries
are committed to implementing UNCAC and willing to take
action.

Q: How will the Convention advance U.S. foreign policy
goals? How does it fit in with the broader U.S.
anti-corruption agenda?

-- As President Bush said in transmitting UNCAC to the
U.S. Senate, the fight against corruption is a foreign
policy priority for the U.S. Corruption adversely affects
many of our broader foreign policy goals: Corruption
facilitates crime and terrorism, hinders sustainable
development, threatens democracy and prevents U.S.
business from obtaining international contracts.

-- UNCAC will be a critical tool for enhancing U.S.
international anticorruption efforts. UNCAC takes all the
best provisions from existing regional anticorruption
agreements and combines them in one comprehensive
document. Thus all regions of the globe will be operating
from a common framework. The global nature of UNCAC
allows countries to develop and share expertise in a wide
range of areas, including preventive measures, law
enforcement, and asset recovery.

-- UNCAC is already becoming the standard for fighting
corruption. The U.S. is already using UNCAC as the
centerpiece to promote anticorruption action in other
multilateral fora, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC) and the Middle East Governance for

STATE 00196224 004.2 OF 004


Development Initiative. UNCAC will make it easier for the
United States to press the global community to take needed
and effective action against corruption.

-- The anticorruption regime anticipated by UNCAC provides
a model for international action and cooperation. It is
one that is consistent with U.S. standards and will
provide a basis for the United States to increase our
leadership in this area.

END SUGGESTED PRESS GUIDANCE TALKING POINTS.


10. (U) Minimize Considered.
RICE