Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07USUNNEWYORK405
2007-05-23 00:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:  

P5 WITH BAN, 5/18: SUDAN, DPKO RESTRUCTURING AND

Tags:  PREL UNSC KUNR AORC UNGA SU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0405/01 1430024
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 230024Z MAY 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1939
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000405 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2012
TAGS: PREL UNSC KUNR AORC UNGA SU
SUBJECT: P5 WITH BAN, 5/18: SUDAN, DPKO RESTRUCTURING AND
SECRETARIAT APPOINTMENTS

SIPDIS

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Permanent Representative, 1
.5 b,d.

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000405

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2012
TAGS: PREL UNSC KUNR AORC UNGA SU
SUBJECT: P5 WITH BAN, 5/18: SUDAN, DPKO RESTRUCTURING AND
SECRETARIAT APPOINTMENTS

SIPDIS

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, Permanent Representative, 1
.5 b,d.


1. (C) Summary. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with P-5
Ambassadors on May 18. Ban noted that he had some way still
to go to complete his high level appointments. He urged the
Council to be cautious in moving forward with sanctions
against Sudan lest it undermine the current "credible
progress." And he asked for more flexibility from the P-5 as
he sought to move forward his plan to restructure DPKO and
seek more positions and resources to manage expanding
peacekeeping operations. End Summary.


2. (SBU) P-5 Permanent Representatives met with
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon late on Friday, May 18 in the

SIPDIS
SYG's conference room on the 38th floor. The meeting was
requested by the P-5 to discuss high-level Secretariat
appointments, the restructuring of DPKO and Sudan/Darfur.
The Secretary-General was accompanied by U/SYG Pascoe, U/SYG
Holmes, U/SYG Guehenno, Chief of Staff Nambiar, and Deputy
Chief of Staff Kim Won-soo.

Russia: Worried about the lack of Russian appointments
--------------


3. (C) Russian PR Churkin led off the discussion by noting
that the SYG's proposed restructuring of DPKO was "on the
minds" of the UN membership. "Our concern," he said, "is the
steep rise in the cost of the whole thing." The Secretariat
needed to ensure that any increase in the number of personnel
was "kept reasonable". On the relationship between the
Security Council and the General Assembly (GA),Churkin said,
"Russia's conscience is clear" as it is firmly against the
Council infringing on the role and authority of the GA. At
the same time, there should also be "respect" for the
prerogatives of the Council. He noted that the SYG had
spoken to the GA instead of the Security Council upon
returning from his last visit to the Middle East. "We hope
you are not siding with the General Assembly in the 'epic
battle' between the two organs."


4. (C) Churkin said that he had been given a list of senior

staff appointments by the SYG. Traditionally, he noted, there
was an effort to ensure that the distribution of seats among
the five permanent members was balanced. Now, however, one
P-5 member has nine of these positions, while another has
none, he claimed. Clapping a hand on the back of Ambassador
Khalilzad, seated to his right, Churkin smiled broadly and
jokingly said that he would not name names, but "this should
be looked at closely." (The SYG quickly interjected that
"given the gravity of the situation," the Russian position
had been delivered in a "very nice way.")

China: Sudan should "grab this opportunity"
--------------


5. (C) Chinese DPR Liu said that China supported the reform
process. He called on the SYG to speed up some of his
appointments, in particular the High Representative for
Disarmament, a position that had been vacant for nearly six
months. On DPKO reform, Liu noted that the discussion was
now in the Fifth Committee, where there were "some EU and
G-77 concerns." He called on the SYG to ensure that
Secretariat officials were actively briefing on the substance

SIPDIS
of the proposal and explaining the intricacies of the
restructuring proposal. With regard to the SYG's briefing
of the GA, Liu said that China supported his efforts to brief
the various organs, but his reports should have a different
focus based on the mandate of each group.


6. (C) On Darfur, Liu said the recent briefing by SRSG
Eliasson had been "very encouraging". The Council has been
focusing on the peacekeeping aspect of the problem but was
now seized with the political process, too. China's view is
that efforts on the political process and peacekeeping should
proceed in parallel. In fact, Liu offered, the political
process is "more fundamental" as it is the means by which a
peace will be established for the peacekeepers to support.
The roadmap laid out by Eliasson is good, but he needs his
own team to support him, and reach out to all the internal
parties as well as the neighbors. The Council should use the
forthcoming month to speed up the political process. "We
need to tell the Sudanese that they need to grab this
opportunity," said Liu. There is currently an opportunity
for them to make the political deals necessary to improve the
situation.

France: Grave humanitarian situation in Sudan/Chad
--------------


7. (C) France's de La Sabliere told the SYG that he remained
focused on the humanitarian situation in Darfur. "Bashir


needs to understand," he said, "that the humanitarian
situation cannot deteriorate." This included includes
ensuring access to humanitarian agencies. De La Sabliere
urged U/SYG Holmes to brief the Council. He emphasized the
need for "timetables known to everyone" in order to advance
the political process, and avoid the continued stalling and
back-and-forth tactics by Khartoum. France wants an
efficient and credible" hybrid force. "We will pay a heavy
price," said de La Sabliere, if the force does not meet this
test. At the same time, though, we need to accelerate the
process of getting the hybrid into the field. He asked the
SYG for details on the status of the UN-AU Agreement. "We
need this agreement in order to put pressure on Sudan." On
Chad, de La Sabliere said that the assessment team going to
the country needed the mandate to negotiate protection for
the camps inside the Chad-Sudan border. What is happening in
the camps is "not acceptable". On the restructuring of DPKO,
de La Sabliere emphasized that the overall effort had to
ensure that the organization was strengthened through the
process of reform.


8. (SBU) He closed by noting that climate change was "on the
top" of new French President Sarkozy's agenda. The SYG
should provide some further thinking on how he plans to
handle the issue in connection with the GA session this fall.

UK: When's the time for sanctions?
--------------


9. (SBU) UK DPR Pearce asked the SYG a series of questions,
including how the P-5 might help advance the reform process
and ensure that all "goes smoothly." She asked the SYG
whether the Council, on its Mission to Sudan this summer,
should go to Khartoum if they were not also allowed to visit
Darfur. As a general matter, what could the P-5 do to
increase the pressure on Bashir? Suggesting that sanctions
and support for the Sudanese political process are not
mutually exclusive, Pearce asked the SYG, "When should the
Council start talking about sanctions?"

U.S.: Need for comprehensive progress in Sudan
--------------


10. (SBU) Ambassador Khalilzad said that there needed to be
progress on all three tracks simultaneously in Sudan - to
address the humanitarian situation, deploy a robust hybrid
force, and advance the political process. There needs to be
a clear set of timelines to help the Council and the
Secretariat manage the situation. The threat of sanctions,

SIPDIS
he noted, can support the overall effort to achieve our
political goals.

SYG: Appointments are "complex"; will keep moving on climate
change
--------------


11. (C) The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for
the opportunity to meet with the P-5. He noted that he came
to New York intending to make quick appointments at the
beginning of his term, but "found it so complex." Every
single appointment, he said, was linked to the GA, the
Security Council or "outside communities." At the same time,
every incumbent had a different contractual basis, and they
were often funded from different pots of money. "It has been
slow, and it might take more time," Ban said. Responding to
Churkin's comments about the lack of Russian nationals in
senior positions, Ban said that he understood the concern and
"would keep this in mind." He then noted that his
appointments were based first on qualifications; second on
ensuring a reasonable gender balance; and third on
maintaining a reasonable geographic balance.


12. (C) On the relationship between the Council, GA and the
Secretariat, Ban noted that his report to the GA following

SIPDIS
his recent trip was not intended to "disrespect" the Council.
He noted that he supported the Council's discussion of
climate change in April, when some delegations urged him to
stay away to avoid encouraging the Council's "encroachment".
He would continue his efforts on climate change, including
during the upcoming G-8 Summit in Germany. He said that the
UN would be expected to lead on the issue of climate change,
and therefore he would attempt to galvanize political will
through a high-level, interactive event on September 24 on
the margins of the General Debate. The goal was to leverage
this single-day discussion through existing groupings,
including the GA. Ban noted that he was coordinating closely
with the incoming President of the GA, who plans to focus on
the issue throughout his tenure. Ban hoped that the
September 24 meeting (and a possible small-group dinner on
the same day) would give "good guidance" to the Bali UNFCCC
meeting later in the year.


SYG on Darfur: "Credible Progress"
--------------


13. (C) On Darfur, the SYG said that Special Envoy Eliasson
had noted that "credible progress" was being made on the
political process and preparations for a hybrid force. He
said that he planned to send a message to Sudanese President
Bashir on humanitarian issues, calling for Sudan to disarm
the janjaweed; establish a ceasefire and bring an end to the
gunship attacks and aerial bombardment; facilitate progress
on peacekeeping efforts; and keep momentum towards the
deployment of the hybrid force. He said that the Security
Council's visit to Khartoum in June would be a good
opportunity and that he would encourage the Council to visit
Darfur, but understood that it would be difficult. At the
same time, he asked the Council not to neglect the
north/south relationship.


14. (C) Saying that he "did not want to defend" the Sudanese
regime, Ban noted that there had been credible progress on
both the peacekeeping and political tracks in recent months,
since he began his intensive consultations in February.
While there should be a "balanced mix" between negotiations
and pressure, he said, "I am quite concerned that the use of
sanctions at this time might lead to the Sudanese government
to balk at all of our efforts, and lead them to take a
hard-line response." Noting that he had discussed the issue
with Secretary Rice and others, Ban called on the Council to
consider the "consequences on the entire process" of a move
to sanctions. In response, France's de La Sabliere said to
Ban that he would soon face a "critical moment" with Bashir
where the SYG will need to have the full support of the Arab
community and the threat of sanctions in order to get Bashir
to do the right thing.

SYG and Guehenno: Resources required
--------------


15. (C) On DPKO restructuring, Ban asked the P-5 to "be more
flexible" to allow the Secretariat to "ramp up" in response
to the surge of peacekeeping activity. U/SYG Guehenno told
the P-5 that the restructuring itself was basically
cost-neutral. The bulk of the request for new positions
reflected both an ongoing effort to strengthen the capacity
of DPKO and the demands of the peacekeeping surge "which is
happening not tomorrow, but today," he said. Guehenno said
that when the UN sought capable contributions to the
strengthened UNIFIL following the July 2006 Israel-Lebanon
war, European capitals said that the idea of running 100,000
people in the field with only 700 officials at headquarters
created a significant "operational risk". He said that it
was inconsistent that countries were pushing to establish a
force in Darfur that would cost upwards of one billion
dollars, but objected to sixty-five million dollars to
strengthen UN capacity.


16. (C) In closing, Ambassador Khalilzad noted the importance
of continuous support for UNMIS and asked the SYG about the
appointment of a new SRSG for the mission. Ban said that he
had two people "short-listed" for the job, and now wanted to
interview them both. "It will be soon."
KHALILZAD