Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PARIS127
2007-01-12 06:17:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
FRENCH URGE DELAY ON BURMA VOTE: NOT ENOUGH TIME
how-toVZCZCXYZ0006 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHFR #0127 0120617 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 120617Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4152 INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1087
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000127
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2017
TAGS: PARM FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH URGE DELAY ON BURMA VOTE: NOT ENOUGH TIME
TO CONVINCE INDONESIA
REF: STATE 1060
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 b and d.
(C) POLOFF delivered reftel demarche to Benoit Guide, desk
officer in the MFA,s International Organizations bureau on
January 11. He said the MFA was gratified to see that some
of the GOF's proposed changes were incorporated into the most
recent UNSCR text -- in particular, the removal of
&condemn8 (PP7) and the toning down of the language in PP11
that could read as intending to make possible invoking
Chapter VII. Guide suggested that the revised text is less
likely to elicit a Chinese veto and more likely to garner
Indonesia,s support.
(C) The MFA is concerned about the timing of the vote.
Guide said the like-minded countries would need more time to
convince Indonesia. He said the French impression is that
Indonesia does recognize that Burma poses a threat to
regional security and is not, in principle, opposed to the
text. To force the resolution to a vote prior to the ASEAN
Summit in Cebu on January 13 would put the Indonesians in the
difficult position of having to immediately justify an
affirmative vote to its neighbors. If the like-minded
countries cannot convince Indonesia to vote in favor of the
resolution before tomorrow, then the UNSC will have passed a
resolution without any support from Asian countries which are
the most directly concerned, a position Guide characterized
as &ambiguous at best and at worst very weak.8 Guide
urged the U.S. to consider postponing a vote until after the
ASEAN Summit, by which time Indonesia will be subject to less
peer pressure and might more easily be brought on board.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2017
TAGS: PARM FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH URGE DELAY ON BURMA VOTE: NOT ENOUGH TIME
TO CONVINCE INDONESIA
REF: STATE 1060
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 b and d.
(C) POLOFF delivered reftel demarche to Benoit Guide, desk
officer in the MFA,s International Organizations bureau on
January 11. He said the MFA was gratified to see that some
of the GOF's proposed changes were incorporated into the most
recent UNSCR text -- in particular, the removal of
&condemn8 (PP7) and the toning down of the language in PP11
that could read as intending to make possible invoking
Chapter VII. Guide suggested that the revised text is less
likely to elicit a Chinese veto and more likely to garner
Indonesia,s support.
(C) The MFA is concerned about the timing of the vote.
Guide said the like-minded countries would need more time to
convince Indonesia. He said the French impression is that
Indonesia does recognize that Burma poses a threat to
regional security and is not, in principle, opposed to the
text. To force the resolution to a vote prior to the ASEAN
Summit in Cebu on January 13 would put the Indonesians in the
difficult position of having to immediately justify an
affirmative vote to its neighbors. If the like-minded
countries cannot convince Indonesia to vote in favor of the
resolution before tomorrow, then the UNSC will have passed a
resolution without any support from Asian countries which are
the most directly concerned, a position Guide characterized
as &ambiguous at best and at worst very weak.8 Guide
urged the U.S. to consider postponing a vote until after the
ASEAN Summit, by which time Indonesia will be subject to less
peer pressure and might more easily be brought on board.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON