ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS REPORT DISCUSSED IN UNGA

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 002289 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM UNGA SUBJECT: ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS REPORT DISCUSSED IN UNGA REF: USUN NEW YORK 002245 ¶1. Summary: On December 18, the General Assembly (GA) held an "informal" discussion on the Alliance of Civilization High-Level Group Report. Speaking at the GA were PM of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, PM of Spain Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, UN Secretary General (SYG) Kofi Annan, President of the GA Sheikha Haya, and delegates of Finland (for the EU), Venezuela, Azerbaijan (for the OIC),Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. While the Report called for the creation of a new High Representative for the Alliance to oversee the implementation of the Report, SYG made no mention of this or other specific next steps. The Spanish PM voiced his desire to see such a High Representative created, the Egyptian ambassador said Egypt would be introducing such a resolution in the GA, and the GA President announced she intended to convene an interactive GA debate in the summer of 2007. Other delegates, including the EU, did not express firm support for a new Alliance UN position. End Summary. Secretary General Skirts Next Steps SIPDIS -------------- ¶2. A High Level Group on the Alliance of Civilizations was established two years ago, with the PMs of Turkey and Spain as its co-chairs. Its Report was launched in November 2006 in Istanbul. As characterized by outgoing SYG Annan, "The Report's proposals -- in the areas of politics, media, education, youth and migration -- comprise an action plan to improve cross-cultural relations." The Report includes a call for the SYG to "appoint a High Representative for the Alliance of Civilization to oversee the implementation of the recommendations contained in the Report." SYG, however, made no promises about the creation of a High Representative or an office, or indeed about any specific next steps. He spoke in general of the need for action and not losing momentum created by the report. In addition to citing the UN as a forum for dialogue, he also mentioned that action should take place at the national level. (Note: It is unclear at this juncture what steps, if any, incoming SYG Ban Ki-moon intends to take vis-a-vis the Alliance Report's recommendations.) Some Express Support -------------- ¶3. The Spanish Prime Minister went further than any other speaker, saying that the Alliance will have a High Representative and a forum for discussion, and asking that the Friends of the Alliance (an informal group of countries that meets in NY) be made operational. (Note: Technically, it is not within the authority of the Spanish PM to appoint a High Representative at the UN, or create a forum, so his remarks should be seen as a statement of his desires, not a statement of fact.) ¶4. The next most forward-leaning speaker was the Ambassador of Egypt, who stated that the recommendations in the Alliance Report need endorsement by the GA in order for them to be implemented. (Note: Afterwards, an Egyptian delegate confirmed to ECOSOC Officer that Egypt intended to bring to the GA a resolution endorsing the appointment of a High Representative and the creation of an office and a forum. This will probably be done sometime before fall of 2007, during one of the GA's resumed sessions.) ¶5. Additionally, the President of the GA Sheikha Haya Rashid Al Khalifa (Bahrain) said, "I intend to convene an informal interactive thematic debate of the GA in the summer of 2007." In her speech, which quoted Diderot, Voltaire and Ibn Khaldun, she broadly endorsed the concept of tolerance. The representative of Saudi Arabia also spoke of operationalizing the report's recommendations. The Azerbaijani delegate, speaking for the Organization of Islamic Countries, said politics, not religion, was at the root of the problem, and expressed support for the Alliance. ¶6. Turkey's PM was mostly philosophical in his remarks, underlining that Islam is a tolerant, non-violent religion. The Yemeni delegate spoke along those same lines. The representative of Venezuela spoke of tolerance, Spain's historic role, and Turkey and Morocco's historic acceptance of the Jewish Diaspora. Venezuela was the only country to mention other religions besides Islam. Others Less So -------------- ¶7. On behalf of the EU, the Finnish Perm Rep spoke against extremism, said the EU "shared the goals" of the Alliance, and was "ready to discuss" further recommendations. She mentioned other similar initiatives for dialogue, including the European Neighborhood initiative and the role of civil society and the media. However, she made no commitments or endorsements of the actual recommendations, such as a forum or a High Representative. WOLFF