UN DPA ON SYG BAN KI-MOON'S MIDDLE EAST VISIT

S E C R E T USUN NEW YORK 000212 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR IO AND NEA FRONT OFFICE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2017 TAGS: PREL UNSC KPKO KPAL LE SY IS SUBJECT: UN DPA ON SYG BAN KI-MOON'S MIDDLE EAST VISIT CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ALEJANDRO D. WOLFF, PER 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: A/S SILVERBERG AND DAS DANIN MET WITH UN DPA MIDDLE EAST ADVISOR MICHAEL WILLIAMS MARCH 13 TO DISCUSS THE SYG'S FORTHCOMING MIDDLE EAST TRIP AND UPCOMING UNSCR 1701 REPORT. SYG BAN KI-MOON PLANS TO MEET WITH SARG PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASAD ON THE MARGINS OF THE ARAB LEAGUE MEETING IN RIYADH AND PROBABLY AGAIN DURING A LIKELY APRIL VISIT TO DAMASCUS. WILLIAMS SAID HE FAVORS ACTING ON UNIICS EXTENSION NOW AND DEALING WITH THE MORE COMPLEX AND CONTENTIOUS TRIBUNAL ISSUE LATER. A/S SILVERBERG CAUTIONED WILLIAMS THAT THE FORTHCOMING UNSCR 1701 REPORT SHOULD AVOID ANY LANGUAGE THAT IMPLICITLY PUTS PRESSURE ON ISRAEL TO BRING THE SHEBA'A ISSUE TO A CONCLUSION. DAS DANIN PROVIDED WILLIAMS WITH DETAILED U.S. INFORMATION ABOUT ARMS SMUGGLING INTO LEBANON. WILLIAMS SAID THAT HE WOULD WORK TO INCLUDE THIS INFORMATION IN THE JUNE UNSCR 1701 REPORT. END SUMMARY ¶2. (U) PARTICIPANTS: DPA MICHAEL WILLIAMS, IO A/S SILVERBERG, NEA DAS DANIN, ASSISTANT LEGAL ADVISER LINDA JACOBSON, USUN POLMIN COUNS BRENCICK, POLOFF (NOTETAKER). -------------- APRIL SYG VISIT TO DAMASCUS -------------- ¶3. (C) WILLIAMS DISCUSSED SYG BAN KI-MOON'S UPCOMING TRIP TO THE MIDDLE EAST IN CONNECTION WITH THE ARAB LEAGUE SUMMIT IN RIYADH. WILLIAMS EMPHASIZED THAT THE SECRETARIAT WANTED TO WORK OUT THE "CHOREOGRAPHY" CAREFULLY IN VIEW OF THE SECRETARY'S OVERLAPPING VISIT TO THE REGION. A/S SILVERBERG SIPDIS RESPONDED THAT WE HAD NO PROBLEM COORDINATING WITH THE SYG, BUT WANTED TO AVOID ANY IMPRESSION THAT THE SYG'S MEETINGS WITH THE SARG LEADERSHIP WERE IN ANYWAY ENDORSED BY THE U.S., WHICH HAD EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH THESE VISITS. WILLIAM CONFIRMED THAT THE SYG WILL MEET WITH BASHAR AL-ASAD IN RIYADH AND AGAIN DURING A SEPARATE APRIL VISIT TO DAMASCUS. WILLIAMS SAID HE HAD ARGUED VOCIFEROUSLY WITH HIS UN COLLEAGUES TO POSTPONE THE DAMASCUS VISIT. EU FM JAVIER SOLANA'S VISIT TO DAMASCUS, HOWEVER, MADE THE ARGUMENT FOR DELAY HARD TO SUSTAIN. ¶4. (C) A/S SILVERBERG ASKED ABOUT WHAT MESSAGES THE SYG PLANNED TO GIVE THE SARG LEADERSHIP. WILLIAMS SAID THE MESSAGES WOULD CENTER ON LEBANON AND THE NECESSITY OF SARG COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 1701, RESPECT FOR LEBANESE INDEPENDENCE, COOPERATION FULLY WITH UNIIIC. THE SYG WOULD ALSO UNDERLINE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TRIBUNAL AS A CONCLUSION TO THE INVESTIGATION AND WARN AGAINST ANY ATTEMPTS TO OBSTRUCT THE PROCESS. -------------- UNIIC EXTENSION -------------- ¶5. (C) A/S SILVERBERG SOUGHT WILLIAMS' VIEWS ON EXTENDING UNIIIC BEFORE THE SPECIAL TRIBUNAL IS ESTABLISHED. WILLIAMS SAID HE HAD COME AROUND TO THE VIEW THAT IT WAS BETTER TO ACT ON UNIIIC'S EXTENSION NOW AND DEAL WITH THE MORE COMPLEX AND CONTENTIOUS TRIBUNAL ISSUE LATER. -------------- SHEBA'A FARMS DELINEATION -------------- ¶6. (C) A/S SILVERBERG SAID THAT THE U.S. IS CONCERNED THAT THE FORTHCOMING UNSCR 1701 WILL CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT WOULD CREATE AN EXPECTATION THAT THE UN IS REVISITING THE LOCATION OF THE BLUE LINE. RATHER, THE UN SHOULD MAKE CLEAR THAT ITS ROLE UNDER 1701 IS TO DEVELOP PROPOSALS FOR A PROCESS TO HELP SYRIA AND LEBANON DELINEATE THEIR BORDER, BUT THE OUTCOME AND THE TERMS ARE THE PURVIEW OF THE SOVEREIGN COUNTRIES INVOLVED. THE REPORT SHOULD NOT CONTAIN ANY LANGUAGE THAT IMPLICITLY PUTS PRESSURE ON ISRAEL TO BRING THE SHEBA'A ISSUE TO A CONCLUSION. FURTHERMORE, THE REPORT SHOULD NOT OVERDRAMATIZE ANY NEW EVIDENCE. WE ALSO WISH TO AVOID FORESHADOWING THE OUTCOME OF NEGOTIATIONS ON SHEBA'A OR GIVING THE IMPRESSION THAT A RESOLUTION IS IMMINENT. ¶7. (C) WILLIAMS REPLIED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO "SURPRISES" IN THE UPCOMING REPORT AND THAT THE CARTOGRAPHER WOULD DELINEATE THE DISPUTED AREA WITHOUT COMMENTING ON SOVEREIGNTY. HE NOTED THAT THE REPORT WOULD DISCUSS METHODOLOGY AND DOCUMENTATION ON SHEBA'A AND THE LACK OF SYRIAN COOPERATION WITH THE CARTOGRAPHER'S ANALYSIS. WILLIAMS SAID HE IS UNDER STRONG PRESSURE WITHIN THE SECRETARIAT AND FROM THE EU DELEGATIONS, WHO ARE FIXATED ON SHEBA'A AS A KEY PEACE FACTOR, TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE AT LENGTH IN THE NEXT REPORT IN JUNE. THE UN WOULD HAVE TO EVENTUALLY "DEFINE THE AREA" BUT IT WOULD THEN BE UP TO THE PARTIES TO AGREE ON SOVEREIGNTY. ALA JACOBSON SAID THAT DEFINING THE AREA IN DISPUTE SO THE PARTIES CAN DEAL WITH THE DISPUTE WAS FINE AS LONG AS THE FRAMING OF THE INFORMATION DID NOT REOPEN THE DELINEATION OF THE BLUE LINE. WILLIAMS SAID THAT THE SECRETARIAT WOULD BE CAREFUL TO AVOID THIS IMPRESSION. -------------- HIZBALLAH ARMS SMUGGLING -------------- ¶8. (S/NF) DAS DANIN LAID OUT IN DETAIL U.S. INFORMATION ABOUT ARMS SMUGGLING INTO LEBANON AND PROVIDED WILLIAMS WITH A SANITIZED NON-PAPER CONTAINING INFORMATION ON HIZBALLAH REARMAMENT. WILLIAMS THANKED DANIN FOR THE INFORMATION AND REPORTED INTENSE DEBATE WITHIN THE SECRETARIAT REGARDING THE AVAILABLE INTELLIGENCE ON HIZBALLAH REARMAMENT. WILLIAMS SAID IT WAS TOO LATE TO REOPEN THE MARCH UNSCR 1701 REPORT TO INCLUDE THIS INFORMATION, BUT HE WOULD INCLUDE IT IN HIS ORAL BRIEFING TO THE COUNCIL AND THE JUNE 1701 REPORT. WILLIAMS SAID THE UPCOMING REPORT WOULD REFER TO THE EVIDENCE ON HIZBALLAH'S REARMAMENT AS "CLEAR AND SUBSTANTIAL." WILLIAMS URGED AMB FELTMAN TO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE UN IN THE WEEKS AHEAD ON THE ARMS SMUGGLING ISSUE. ¶9. (U) A/S SILVERBERG CLEARED THIS MESSAGE. WOLFF