SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN MEETS WITH NYC MAYOR

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000287

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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