UNSCR 1373: NEW CTC CHAIRMAN SEEKS U.S. INPUT

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000077

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR IO/PSC:JSANDAGE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC
SUBJECT: UNSCR 1373: NEW CTC CHAIRMAN SEEKS U.S. INPUT

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED


1. (SBU) BEGIN SUMMARY: At a January 29 meeting with newly
appointed Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) Chairman,
Panamanian PermRep Ricardo Arias, Ambassador Wolff and
Ambassador Sanders offered U.S. views on the CTC's work and
expressed support for Arias's leadership. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Amb. Arias and his Security Council
counterterrorism team requested a meeting to discuss plans
for the CTC during his two-year term as its Chairman. Amb.
Wolff expressed hopes that the CTC would build on its
accomplishments and achieve better results in 2007, through a
concrete, action-oriented effort to help states improve their
implementation of resolution 1373. The CTC's uneasy
relationship with the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate
(CTED) had prevented it from achieving its full potential, he
said. Despite the past shaky relationship between the CTED
and the CTC, Wolff expressed confidence that CTED Executive
Director Javier Ruperez and his team would foster a positive
working relationship with Arias. Wolff then underscored that
based on their mandates, the CTC is to provide guidance and
supervision to CTED and not the other way around.


3. (SBU) Amb. Wolff also emphasized the need for the CTC and
CTED to move from requesting and reviewing reports toward
focusing on action-oriented work that will assist states in
their implementation of 1373. Wolff identified a need for
increased coordination with the Secretariat. He indicated
that the work of the Secretariat's Counterterrorism Task
Force, the CTC, and CTED must be aligned, particularly in
view of efforts to implement the General Assembly's CT
Strategy.


4. (SBU) Arias responded by inquiring about the U.S.
relationship with CTED. Wolff said CTED had been responsive
to U.S. concerns and cooperation is good. He noted that
while CTED had some initial growing pains, due in part to the
difficulties of putting together its staff, CTED now had
staff members in place and is ready to begin working
effectively and producing results. The recommendations in
the comprehensive report the CTC prepared for the Council's
second comprehensive review of CTED last December provide a
good roadmap for the CTC and CTED's work in 2007, and this
year will be a crucial one for the CTC and CTED because
CTED's initial mandate will expire on December 31, 2007.


5. (SBU) Arias also inquired about reporting requests and
CTC meetings. USUN said that there has been excessive
emphasis on reports and papers. Instead of papers, it would
be helpful for CTED to brief CTC members on matters of
importance. The 15-member committee currently meets once a
week, and Arias asked whether that may be too often. Wolff
noted no objection to reducing the frequency of the meetings
to meet work requirements. Our focus would remain on results,
not process.


6. (SBU) Arias also sought views on what the CTC should
focus on in its meetings. USUN replied that CTED's country
visits are a valuable tool and the oral briefings CTED
provides when it returns from those visits are useful for the
CTC. It was also noted that CTC meetings would be more
efficient if members have more time to review and digest the
proposals CTED circulates. Because CTED often only gave CTC
members two days before meetings to review documents, members
were not always prepared for the discussion.


7. (SBU) Arias also asked about changing the countries that
the CTC's three sub-committees consider to mirror more
closely CTED's configuration into three clusters that cover
different geographical regions. USUN noted that early in
2006, CTED had proposed changing the states considered by the
sub-committees to align their work with CTED's, but that the
CTC did not reach agreement. The UK and France, for example,
had expressed concern that the restructuring could politicize
the CTC's discussions because, rather than reviewing states
from all different regions, the sub-committees would only
consider states from the same region and thus might take a
narrower perspective. Wolff asserted that the U.S. would be
open to supporting such a restructuring if that would enhance
CTC's effectiveness.


8. (SBU) Arias also sought U.S. views on coordination among
the CTC, the 1267 Committee, and the 1540 Committee,
particularly with respect to information sharing and visits
to states. He remarked that some states still perceive a
CTED visit as punitive. He suggested that this perception
must be changed since CTED visits states to help them with
their implementation of resolution 1373. Generally, Arias
said the CTC should focus its energies on working to help
states with the will but not the capacity to implement

resolution 1373. Wolff stressed that, even though the
committees have different mandates, enhancing cooperation
among the three bodies will help avoid duplication, ease the
burden on states, and create positive synergies.
WOLFF