Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06USUNNEWYORK1086
2006-05-30 15:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:  

SYG SELECTION: SECURITY COUNCIL INFORMALS, MAY 25,

Tags:  PREL UNSC UN 
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VZCZCXYZ0038
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #1086/01 1501533
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301533Z MAY 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9179
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 001086 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2011
TAGS: PREL UNSC UN
SUBJECT: SYG SELECTION: SECURITY COUNCIL INFORMALS, MAY 25,
2006

REF: A. STATE 84674


B. USUN 1065

Classified By: Ambassador John Bolton, Permanent Representative, for re
asons 1.4 b,d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 001086

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2011
TAGS: PREL UNSC UN
SUBJECT: SYG SELECTION: SECURITY COUNCIL INFORMALS, MAY 25,
2006

REF: A. STATE 84674


B. USUN 1065

Classified By: Ambassador John Bolton, Permanent Representative, for re
asons 1.4 b,d.


1. (C) Summary. Security Council PRs met May 25 in "informal
informals" to discuss next steps in the process of selecting
the Secretary-General. Basic agreement was reached that the
Council would seek to announce in June its intention to
"begin the process" in July, though the form of that
announcement and the definition of what the Council intends
to do in July were left for future discussions. There was
general agreement that a public statement would encourage
additional candidates to come forward and would allow
candidates a chance to present their positions to Council
members and the broader membership. Some Council PRs also
focused on the growing divide among the general membership
and the calls for a greater General Assembly role in the
selection process, including the possibility of a resolution
calling on the Council to provide more than one
recommendation. Ambassador Sanders stressed that the U.S.
supported a flexible, open process, but that it must not be
formalized in such a way as to limit the flexibility of the
Council to carry out its Charter responsibilities and
recommend the best candidate for the job to the GA. The
French will convene another informal meeting May 31 to
continue the discussion. End Summary.


2. (C) Security Council Ambassadors met Thursday May 25 for
"informal informals" convened by French PR de La Sabliere to
discuss next steps in the selection process of the
Secretary-General (SYG). As agreed among the P5 in advance,

SIPDIS
de La Sabliere circulated a two-page paper that highlighted
elements of the process of previous elections and asked a
series of questions intended to guide members to agreement on
next steps.


3. (C) De La Sabliere opened by noting that the Security
Council had earlier agreed that the selection process should
be completed by late September or October to allow the new
SYG adequate transition time. In order to make that
deadline, it is important to start the "formal election
process" over the summer.

Respecting the "mood of the house"
--------------


4. (C) Much of the discussion focused on the issue of

transparency and the prevailing polarized atmosphere in the
General Assembly, including how to respond to the Indian/NAM
draft resolution that would call on the Security Council to
recommend more than one candidate (ref b).


5. (C) Denmark's Ellen Loj (incoming Security Council
President for June) emphasized the importance of transparency
and openness in the Security Council's decision-making
process so that the SYG is not "damaged" before he or she
takes office. "The Charter is the Charter," she said, "and
we need to respect it." But, referring to the polarized
atmosphere among the broader membership, she added, "We need
to take into account the mood of the house." Loj warned that
conducting the process "as we did it last time" might not be
enough to meet the demands of the broader membership.


6. (C) UK's Emyr Jones Parry noted that the idea floated by
certain NAM countries to demand more than one candidate from
the Security Council was a "recipe for disunity." The UK
believed that the Security Council should recommend only one
candidate, but that it should encourage greater General
Assembly (GA) participation in the process. Jones Parry
suggested that the Security Council should encourage
candidates to lay out their positions and agenda to the
broader membership. The Security Council should be willing
to listen to other views. It would be "reprehensible," Jones
Parry said, if it at the end of the process it appears that
the P5 decided on a candidate and imposed that choice on the
other members of the Council and the broader membership.
Instead, the Council should spell out a timetable and ensure
there are "no surprises."


7. (C) Jones Parry proposed that the Security Council
consider encouraging a debate in the GA on the overall
priorities of the organization and the kind of qualities that
member states wish to see in the next SYG. It would be
"rather good as a test of opinion," he said. If the Council
was seen to take account of that debate, "we might lance the
boil of the proposed NAM resolution." If the proposed
resolution were put to a vote, he added, it would "pass
handsomely" and "we would have a real inter-organ problem."


8. (C) De La Sabliere interjected that France strongly


opposed the idea of multiple candidates to be presented to
the GA. "What we need is a SYG," he said, "that is elected
by the whole of the international community, for the good of
the UN and the international community." He noted that he
had spoken to a number of NAM countries to emphasize that,
while France understands the desire for greater participation
in the process, the prospect of a debate over two candidates
in the GA would be a "disaster" for the UN.


9. (C) Tanzania's Augustine Mahiga noted that the NAM
Ministerial in Kuala Lumpur was going to focus on this issue
and make recommendations on how to increase the GA's role in
the selection process. Mahiga, clearly putting his Security
Council role ahead of that of the NAM, said the Council would
need to be ready to "know how to respond." Peru's Oswaldo de
Rivero cautioned that paying too much attention to the "mood
of the house" risked going against the Charter, which gave
primary responsibility to the Security Council.


10. (C) Ambassador Sanders noted that the U.S. supported a
process that was transparent but that preserved the Council's
flexibility to meet its Charter obligations and recommend the
best candidate for the position. In this regard, it was very
important that we not create formal processes for the GA that
limits the Council's flexibility. There is already an active
ongoing dialogue regarding the selection process. The U.S.
is talking to others about the process and "we hope you are
too." Additionally, each Council President has briefed the
GA President over the past few months. Council members
should not be defensive about what the Charter says about the
selection process, and should remind other members that a
resolution on the Council's process, while clearly not
binding, would only add to the bad atmosphere that pervades
the institution. We should discourage such a resolution, in
part by being as open and transparent as possible, but not
limit our freedom to react to what has historically been an
unpredictable process.


11. (C) Argentina suggested that the right way to address the
unhappiness in the GA would be to "limit the veto power" of
the P5 in the selection process. This would make the
appointment about "more than just the P5."


12. (C) Japan's Kenzo Oshima said that the issue of the
number of candidates was "very delicate" and would not be
solved at this early stage. He suggested that the issue be
"kept under review."

When to begin?
--------------


13. (C) The rest of the discussion focused on the timing of
the Council's "formal consideration" of candidates, exactly
what that process would entail, and how the Council would
notify the broader membership.


14. (C) De La Sabliere pushed that the Council needed to
"ring the bell" on the process in order to give candidates a
chance to make their candidacies known to the broader
membership before the Council got down to the business of
considering individual names and conducting straw polls. In
the past, the Council President has made a statement to the
press, but perhaps this time a letter to the President of the
General Assembly would display more transparency and
facilitate the process. De La Sabliere noted, and there was
consensus around the table, that in order to make the
September/October deadline, the Council now "has to move
ahead."


15. (C) Russia's Vitaly Churkin asked a series of practical
questions about what Council members mean when they say,
"begin the process." Churkin proposed sticking to precedent
in notifying the broader membership: "We should do what was
done before." The purpose of any notification should be to
indicate to the broader membership that the President of the
Council is ready to receive official nominations. Anything
more could conceivably put the Council in a position where
the GA declares only certain candidates as "screened" and
appropriate for Council consideration.


16. (C) Denmark's Loj said that the Council should signal its
intent to "intensify" the process and encourage regional
groups to meet with candidates. She argued that to fail to
send a letter would reinforce the sense that the Council was
not being transparent. "If we talk to the President of the
General Assembly privately, and then he circulates the
information, it will not be the Council that gets credit for
being transparent." Tanzania's Mahiga agreed. Argentina
suggested that the Council's communication should include a
general timetable.


17. (C) UK Political Coordinator Paul Johnston said that by


signaling a formal start to process, the Council was
indicating its readiness to draw up a candidate list and
begin the consideration of candidates. A short letter could
encourage candidates to come forward and to set out their
views. China suggested that the formal start of the process
would be defined by the receipt of official nominations by
the Council and the creation of an official Council list.

Next steps
--------------


18. (C) De La Sabliere closed by agreeing to host another
"informal informal" in a week's time (now scheduled for May
31),in advance of the Danish Presidency's first formal
Council session. In advance of that, France and Denmark
would begin work on the elements of a draft letter to the
President of the General Assembly. In addition, the Council
should consider additional talking points on the process
agreed on for use in the regular monthly meeting between the
President of the General Assembly and the President of the
Security Council.
BOLTON