INCOMING SYG BAN KI-MOON CANNOT ATTEND SALVADORAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 002266 SIPDIS "NOTE BY CIB: DO NOT/NOT PROCESS. GIVE TO EAO FOR GUIDANCE" SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV SUBJECT: INCOMING SYG BAN KI-MOON CANNOT ATTEND SALVADORAN PEACE CEREMONY BUT WILL SEND A REPRESENTATIVE REF: STATE 200427 Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, per 1.4 (b) and (d). (C) Per reftel, on December 19 Ambassador Wolff raised with incoming Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's Transition Team Chief Ambassador Kim the issue of appropriate UN attendance at the 16 January 2007 ceremony in El Salvador marking the 15th anniversary of that country's peace accords. Kim confirmed that Ban had informed the Salvadorans that he would not be able to attend the ceremony due to the press of other business in his first weeks in office, but would send a representative in his place. Kim reported that after hearing that Ban would be unavailable, the Salvadorans had asked if the incoming SYG could urge former UN SYG Perez de Cuellar -- who was SYG at the time the peace accords were signed -- to attend in his place. Kim said Ban was now considering whether to approach Perez de Cuellar. If the former SYG cannot attend, Kim suggested Ban could ask UN Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Ibrahim Gambari to go. WOLFF