RUSSIA WILL CONSIDER UNSC MEETING ON BURMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 004900 SIPDIS SIPDIS IO/UNP PAUL WICKBERG EAP/MLS AARON COPE G KELLEY CURRIE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC BM RS SUBJECT: RUSSIA WILL CONSIDER UNSC MEETING ON BURMA REF: A. STATE 139713 ¶B. MOSCOW 4856 Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns for reasons 1.4 (b/d). ¶1. (C) Per ref A, the Ambassador urged Deputy Foreign Minister Losyukov on October 4 to support a formal UNSC meeting to hear the report of Special Advisor Gambari on his recent trip to Burma, followed by a UNSC Presidential Statement. Losyukov responded that he would have to consult with colleagues in the MFA, but does not believe the GOR will, or should, block a UNSC meeting on Burma. He also said that some form of a statement by the UNSC is "probably appropriate as an expression of our collective concern," and the GOR would consider carefully our suggested text. The GOR will listen to what Gambari has to say to the UNSC and pay particular attention to the ASEAN position. He cautioned, however, that the GOR still consider events in Burma "an internal affair" that do not threaten regional security. ¶2. (C) Expressing noticably more concern about developments in Burma than lower ranking MFA officials (ref B),Losyukov told Ambassador that the unrest is "very unfortunate - what happened is unacceptable." He explained that the GOR had pushed the Burmese regime to avoid excessive behavior and cooperate with the Gambari mission. Losyukov said that recent events had left him "personally very disappointed." Burns