SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN MEETS WITH NYC MAYOR

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000287 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC KUNR UNGA SUBJECT: SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN MEETS WITH NYC MAYOR BLOOMBERG ¶1. SUMMARY. Ambassador Mark Wallace was asked by UN Under-Secretary for Management Alicia Barcena to attend an April 11 meeting between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the Secretary-General's office. Also in attendance were UN officials Bob Orr, Chef de Cabinet Vijay Nambiar, Deputy Chef de Cabinet Kim Won-soo and NYC officials, the Commissioner of the New York City Commission for the United Nations Marjorie Tiven and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta and his deputy. The topics raised at the meeting were the fire code violations at the UN Headquarters and the Capital Master Plan (CMP),climate change, and the possibility of having NYC police officers serve in peacekeeping missions. END SUMMARY. ¶2. FIRE CODE VIOLATIONS AND THE CAPITAL MASTER PLAN: Mayor Bloomberg raised the issue of the nearly 860 fire code violations at the UN Headquarters and commented to the Secretary-General that any other building in New York would SIPDIS have been shut down long ago due to the unsafe work conditions. Mayor Bloomberg noted to the Secretary-General that there is strong media interest on the topic of the safety of the Secretariat building and that he currently experiences a reprieve from the critics due to his 'honeymoon' period. However, Bloomberg added that once the 'honeymoon' period is over, if the issue is not addressed, it could harm the perceptions of the Secretary-General. Mayor Bloomberg indicated that the UN had delayed too long in responding to the violations. Secretary-General Ban replied that he was aware of the issue of the fire code violations and that he would work to address the matter expeditiously. Nonetheless, Ban noted that most of the concerns will be eliminated once the CMP in complete. The Mayor noted in response that the CMP would take a minimum of 7 years to complete and that period of time was too long to allow the safety concerns to go unanswered. Both Secretary-General Ban and Mayor Bloomberg committed that their experts would sit down to discuss and resolve this matter. ¶3. Under-Secretary Barcena informed Ambassador Wallace in the meeting that they would look to the US for any additional funding needed to bring the Secretariat building into NYC fire code compliance. Ambassador Wallace replied that safety was of paramount importance and that the UN must have a plan to address these concerns that satisfies NYC Fire Department officials. ¶4. CLIMATE CHANGE: Secretary-General Ban lauded Mayor Bloomberg's effort to SIPDIS confront climate change and specifically mentioned the Mayor's leadership on the issue among other US Mayors. Secretary-General Ban noted that the issue of climate change SIPDIS was a priority for his term and that he would be grateful for Mayor Bloomberg's assistance on the matter. Mayor Bloomberg agreed to lend his assistance to the Secretary-General. ¶5. NYPD PRESENCE IN PEACEKEEPING: Secretary-General Ban complimented Mayor Bloomberg on the SIPDIS scope and size of the NYPD, making particular note that many of the officers speak languages other than English. Ban raised the idea of soliciting the NYPD to participate in UN peacekeeping missions. Bloomberg replied that the idea was unique and that he would need to discuss the matter with his police commissioner and other experts in his administration. ¶6. Mayor Bloomberg departed the meeting to much press attention and interest as to what topics were discussed at his meeting with the Secretary-General; however, Mayor Bloomberg did not provide any remarks or interviews to the media at the UN Headquarters. WOLFF