SYG SELECTION: FEBRUARY 24 P-5 CONSULTATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000379

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2011
TAGS: PREL UNSC UNGA
SUBJECT: SYG SELECTION: FEBRUARY 24 P-5 CONSULTATIONS

REF: STATE 30367

Classified By: Ambassador John R. Bolton, Permanent Representative, for
reasons 1.4 b,d.


1. (C) Summary. The Permanent Representatives of the P-5 met
Friday, February 24 to continue their private consultations
on the selection of the next Secretary General (SYG). They
agreed it was useful that the full membership of the Council
was already engaged in informal discussions on the subject
and that the Council should maintain momentum under future
Presidencies. The PRs agreed to suggest ideas for bilateral
consultations on the SYG selection to Argentine Ambassador
Mayoral (the Council President in March) and to encourage him
to hold an informal session in the Council during his
Presidency. There was agreement that a new SYG should be
elected, in the GA upon the recommendation of the Council, no
later than September or October. They opposed the idea of
electing a "ticket" of SYG and D/SYG, and noted that the
Council would have to ensure that efforts to engage the
General Assembly in the process did not deviate from the
Charter or undermine the prerogatives of the Council.
Ambassador Bolton emphasized the importance of a process that
generated a sufficient pool of candidates and allowed the P-5
to come to agreement prior to voting in the Council. End
Summary.


2. (C) P-5 Permanent Representatives (PRs) met February 24 to
continue their discussion on the SYG selection process,
following the full Security Council's "informal informals" on
the same subject earlier in the morning. French PR de La
Sabliere opened the discussion by noting that the U.S.
Presidency's efforts to conduct consultations on the issue
and involve the full membership of the Council "gave everyone
a sense of ownership" and was of "fundamental importance" in
the current atmosphere of distrust between the General
Assembly (GA) and the UNSC. "If we want the Charter
respected," he said, "then we must have the process on track
in the Council."


3. (U) De La Sabliere proposed three topics for discussion:
the timing of the selection; the idea of selecting a SYG and
D/SYG together; and the appropriate role for the GA.

Timing
--------------


4. (C) The PRs of France, Russia, China and the UK all
expressed support for finishing the selection process (GA
action on a UNSC recommendation) by late September or
October. De La Sabliere noted it would be impossible to know
how long the process would take, but suggested that "June or
July" would be an appropriate time to begin. Chinese PR Wang
noted that the Council's informal discussion on the issue was
already underway, and the Council needed to "keep up the
momentum" in the coming months. The UK's Jones Parry said
that "the show has already started" and needs to continue.

A ticket to nowhere
--------------


5. (C) The idea of having the Council select a D/SYG or Chief
Operating Officer as part of a "ticket" with a new SYG was
rejected. Russian PR Denisov noted that any formal Council
action or discussion on the D/SYG would alienate the wider GA
membership. The UK's Jones Parry said, while he was
extremely unhappy with the "haphazard, non-transparent"
process by which the SYG currently selected his Deputy and
Under Secretaries-General, that there was no reference in the
Charter to a role for the Council in the D/SYG selection. He
noted that it was the GA that created the D/SYG position
through a resolution (A/RES/52/12B). Wang said the Council
should "concentrate on selecting a SYG." De La Sabliere said
that he did not want the overall selection process to deviate
from the Charter "by a single comma" and he could therefore
not support the ticket approach. He did note, however, that
he saw "merit" in the idea of a deputy with management
authority and a clear delegation of responsibility from the
SYG.

GA Role
--------------


6. (C) In discussing the role of the General Assembly in the
selection process, de La Sabliere emphasized the importance
of staying within the bounds of the Charter and suggested
that the P-5 find a way to increase the Council's informal
contact with the President of the GA. He suggested that
formal efforts to provide opportunities for member states to
meet potential candidates, as has been suggested by some,
would be unwise, but he was prepared to consider informal
sessions "off the UN premises". Wang said that the Charter
was clear on the primary role of the UNSC, but the Council

would need to handle the issue with "particular care" or risk
damaging the broader reform discussion. He suggested that
candidates might approach GA members, including through the
regional groups, to present their candidacies, and he
repeated his call to "maintain the primary role of the
Council, while allowing others to feel part of the process."


7. (C) Jones Parry agreed with Wang, noting the need to give
member states "a sense of ownership" in the process. The P-5
would need to balance the "reality" of decision-making in the
P-5 with the needs of the rest of the Council and the "other
176" member states. Denisov stressed the importance of
transparency within the Council but said that he did not
think the ideas floated by the Canadian PR for greater GA
involvement would be problematic for the Council or infringe
on Council prerogatives. He also noted that the role for the
President of the GA called for by Resolution 51/241, which
was adopted by consensus in the GA, would similarly not
interfere with the Council's Charter obligations.

Next Steps
--------------


8. (C) PRs agreed that the process of consultation among all
fifteen Security Council members should consider under
Argentina's Presidency in March. The P-5 would continue to
consult and would offer suggestions to PR Mayoral next week,
including that he continue private discussions with members
on the issue and report informally to the Council before the
end of March. P-5 PRs plan to meet again on the issue next
month.


9. (C) Ambassador Bolton noted that the P-5 would have to
make certain that the process generated a sufficient pool of
candidates to ensure that the best possible candidate - from
whatever region - was eventually elected. He also noted that
the P-5 needs to come to consensus on a candidate before the
Council begins voting. All P-5 PRs agreed that an election
in the Council marked by repeated vetoes would be bad for the
Council and the organization as a whole.


10. (C) There was a brief discussion on regional rotation,
with everyone's positions well established, and brief
comments on the subject of "criteria". Chinese PR Wang
downplayed the importance of managerial ability, calling it
"important at the moment" but not as vital over the
long-term. Wang emphasized the need for a candidate of
sufficient "international stature."
BOLTON