NZ ON UN REFORM AND THE BUDGET CAP

C O N F I D E N T I A L WELLINGTON 000489 SIPDIS SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR EAP/FO, EAP/ANP, AND IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNGA NZ SUBJECT: NZ ON UN REFORM AND THE BUDGET CAP REF: STATE 105146 Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Katherine Hadda, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On June 27, the DCM discussed reftel draft reform resolution with Joan Mosley, Director of the UN Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Mosley said she had already received and studied carefully the US-Australia-Japan paper. GNZ agrees completely with the paper's intent, she said, but wonders whether tabling it as a resolution was not a "high-risk" strategy that might "scare the G-77." Mosley said the Kiwi delegation in New York had told her there would be a JUSKCANZ meeting the morning of June 27 New York time to discuss the paper. The delegation also reported that the President of the General Assembly would be calling the main players together to see what could be done to get buy-in for as much of the reform package as possible by June 30. ¶2. (C) The DCM stressed to Mosley that the Congress would soon be going home to begin serious campaigning for the November elections, and would need to see some evidence of political will in New York for reform. If the General Assembly were to adjourn with a higher budget cap and no movement toward even modest reform, pressure within the Congress to cut US contributions to the UN budget could be overwhelming. ¶3. (C) MFAT's Americas Division also called us on the 27th to say that A/S Hill had phoned Deputy Foreign Secretary John McKinnon about the draft reform resolution. McCormick