SYG BAN ON AFGHANISTAN, LEBANON, SUDAN, BURMA AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 001128

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

IO FOR FRONT OFFICE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SU MOPS
SUBJECT: SYG BAN ON AFGHANISTAN, LEBANON, SUDAN, BURMA AND
UN BUDGET

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for Reasons 1.4 B/D.


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a one-on-one meeting with AMB Khalilzad on
December 5, SYG Ban said he is ready to accommodate the U.S.
on Paddy Ashdown's candidacy as SRSG for Afghanistan, but
could not accept a dual UN-NATO appointment. Ban agreed to
issue a statement urging the Lebanese to move forward with
electing a president. DPKO A/SYG Mullet and SYG Special
Advisor Kim Won Soo will meet with Sudanese officials at the
margins of the AU/EU Summit in Lisbon to try to resolve the
remaining UNAMID deployment issues. Ban is pressing the
Chinese to send a more helpful message on the importance of
the non-African components of UNAMID. Ban promised to raise
Burma during his upcoming regional visit to Asia. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) AFGHANISTAN: SYG Ban said he is flexible and ready to
accommodate the US on Paddy Ashdown's candidacy as SRSG for
Afghanistan, but that he needs President Karzai's support to
move forward. Ban said he could not support a dual-hatting
arrangement, i.e. a joint UN and NATO appointment.
Nonetheless, the UN wants to enhance coordination with ISAF.


3. (C) LEBANON: SYG Ban said he had spoken with Lebanese
Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri to encourage the Lebanese
to move forward with electing a president. Ban said he
thought a "package deal" that would tie the election of
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander Michael Sleiman to
other issues such as cabinet formation and the selection of a
Prime Minister was "wrong headed." Berri plans to introduce
a constitutional amendment that would allow Sleiman to serve
as president, despite his service in the armed forces, and
discounted rumors of a package deal as unfounded. Ban agreed
(at Amb. Khalilzad's request) to issue a statement urging the
Lebanese to move forward with electing a president.


4. (C) SUDAN: In regard to the AU/EU Summit in Lisbon, Ban
said he planned to send DPKO A/SYG Edmond Mullet and SYG
Deputy Chief of Staff Kim Won Soo to meet with Sudanese
officials on the margins of the summit to resolve the
remaining issues with UNAMID deployment. President Bashir
has not yet indicated whether he will meet with the UN
officials in Lisbon, but has promised to send a "high-level"
team.


5. (C) Ban said he is pressing the Chinese to send a more
helpful message on the importance of the non-African
components of UNAMID. Ban said he had warned the Chinese
that the rebels perceive the Chinese components of UNAMID as
"tainted" by their government's association with Sudanese
policies. The best way to counteract this perception would
be for the Chinese to send a strong message on the need to
deploy the non-African components of UNAMID expeditiously.


6. (C) BURMA: Ban promised to raise Burma during his upcoming
regional visit to Asia. Ban does not plan to visit Burma,
but will speak out on the issue during his trip.


7. (C) UN BUDGET: Amb. Khalilzad raised strong concerns about
the scope of the UN's proposed budget increase. He urged Ban
to present a consolidated budget with clear priorities. Ban
took note of Amb. Khalilzad's suggestion of a continuing
resolution to cover the UN budget until the Secretary General
revised it. Ban said all of the "add on" items, except DPA
expansion, originated as mandates from the General Assembly.

Khalilzad