Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PARIS4752
2007-12-20 17:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

FRENCH MFA POSITION ON UN BUDGET FAVORS TARGETED

Tags:  AORC UNGA XA XD FR 
pdf how-to read a cable
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OO RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #4752 3541704
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 201704Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1537
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES IMMEDIATE
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE 1081
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 1737
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 0728
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 2195
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE 1462
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 2615
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON IMMEDIATE 0407
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1447
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004752 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO/MPR DAVID LEIS
USUN FOR BRUCE RASHKOW

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2017
TAGS: AORC UNGA XA XD FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA POSITION ON UN BUDGET FAVORS TARGETED
CUTS

REF: USUN 1180 STATE 168902

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblat, 1.4 (b/d)
.

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 004752

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO/MPR DAVID LEIS
USUN FOR BRUCE RASHKOW

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/20/2017
TAGS: AORC UNGA XA XD FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH MFA POSITION ON UN BUDGET FAVORS TARGETED
CUTS

REF: USUN 1180 STATE 168902

Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblat, 1.4 (b/d)
.


1. (C) We carried out reftel demarche on December 20 with
MFA IO Desk Officer Olivier Guerot. He said that France, in
tandem with the UK and Germany, had been working to identify
specific areas where budget savings could be realized and had
come up with about USD 200 million that could be saved. For
details, he said that USUN should consult with the French UN
delegation.


2. (C) Guerot said that France shared U.S. concerns about
controlling the UN budget and that France was aware of UN
budget figures that were habitually either inflated or
underestimated, leading to uncertainty about what actual
costs would be. He mentioned the Special Political Mission
and how certain costs associated with Iraq had not been
accurately estimated.


3. (C) As opposed to the U.S., France, the UK, and Germany
were trying to identify specific areas where savings could be
made, rather than a general approach based on a spending cap
determined on a percentage basis. This process led to the
USD 200 million in savings he mentioned. He cautioned that,
while France, the UK, and Germany were in agreement on this
approach, not all EU partners shared this view. EU partners
were working closely on this issue in Brussels and the EU
would, hopefully, present a more unified view to the UN.


4. (C) That said, Guerot said that reftel Option B, of the
two presented, seemed closer to the French approach. He said
that Option B in paragraph two of Ref B was unclear as to the
base cost to which the 7 percent increase would apply.


5. (C) Guerot again encouraged the USUN to consult closely
with the French UN delegation, and reiterated France's shared
concern with the U.S. on controlling the UN's budget. He
also asked that the U.S. study the results of the
French/UK/German targeted savings and perhaps consicer
adopting this approach.


Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm


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