U.S.-EU TROIKA MEETING ON UNITED NATIONS ISSUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 000462 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2018 TAGS: PREL PHUM EUN SUBJECT: U.S.-EU TROIKA MEETING ON UNITED NATIONS ISSUES BRUSSELS 00000462 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Alyce Tidball, A/Minister Counselor for Political Affairs, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: IO PDAS James Warlick met with representatives of the European Union to discuss possible areas of U.S.-EU cooperation in the United Nations system. PDAS Warlick emphasized that the U.S. is committed to participation in multilateral fora and is determined to finds ways to make those organizations more effective, efficient and transparent. The EU encouraged an even greater commitment on the part of the U.S. in UN bodies, notably the Peace Building Commission and the Human Rights Council. Both sides said it was important to improve U.S.-EU coordination in multilateral fora, and agreed to suggest language to that effect in statements created for the upcoming U.S.-EU summit. END SUMMARY Peace Building Commission (PBC) -------------- ¶2. (C) All parties agreed that the PBC needs to demonstrate its effectiveness beyond cooperation already begun with Burundi and Sierra Leone. Slovenian Presidency Head of Delegation Blazka Kepic thanked the U.S. for its increased commitment to the PBC, and stated that the EU member states would support PBC assistance to Guinea Bissau as the next target country. Veronique Arnault from the European Commission (EC) said she would pass explicit instructions to the EC Delegation in New York to liaise with the U.S. on issues before the PBC. System Wide Coherence -------------- ¶3. (C) The EU and U.S. agreed on the importance of UN agencies coordinating and cooperating in each country. Kepic listed three areas of improvement necessary to increase UN coherence: national "ownership" of development projects, unified support from donor countries, and readiness of UN agencies to engage on this issue. Warlick urged caution in pushing this issue too hard, because of suspicion from the G-77 and the (NAM) that the U.S. and EU have a hidden agenda to cut development funding. Kepic agreed with that approach, saying it was important to carefully analyze the results of the 8 pilot projects before pushing ahead. UN Reform -------------- ¶4. (C) Human Rights Council (HRC): Kepic argued that the EU wants a strong, efficient and credible council, able to respond quickly to human rights violations. The EU will continue to support the system of special representatives and country specific mandates, arguing that both are necessary for the HRC to remain credible. Kepic promised on behalf of the EU and its Member States to lead by example during the Universal Periodic Review, to ensure frank and objective analyses by the council. Kepic reiterated the EU request for greater U.S. participation. Warlick described U.S. disappointment in the HRC and skepticism in its ability to be a credible body. However, he insisted the U.S. remains committed to pursuing human rights in the UN and other multinational fora, saying that the EU should expect the U.S. to continue to be active in the General Assembly's Third Committee. ¶5. (C) Durban: Kepic stated that she was not an expert on this topic and could not go into great detail, but said the EU agreed with the U.S. that Durban II should not be a repeat of Durban I. ¶6. (C) Management Reform: Although the multiple EU representatives had questions and requested specifics, there was no opposition to the U.S. suggestion of working for greater transparency and accountability throughout the UN system. It would be necessary to review adherence to accepted management standards, including whistle-blower protection, generally accepted accounting principles and making audit reports publicly available. Kepic asked the U.S. to remember that significant progress had already been made in this area; the U.S. responded that there is significant room for improvement. Budget and Fifth Committee -------------- ¶7. (C) Kepic said the EU agreed that budgetary BRUSSELS 00000462 002 OF 003 discipline is necessary, but the EU does not share the same sense of urgency as the U.S. Kepic pointed out that less than 30% of UN budget "add-ons" for the biennium involve discretionary spending, limiting what can be cut. Warlick emphasized that the U.S. cannot support a budget increase that could be as high as 25%. He hoped EU Member States, who along with the U.S. provide much of the UN's budget, will demand good faith measures to limit spending and cut redundant or obsolete programs. Rule of Law -------------- ¶8. (C) Warlick agreed with the EU on the importance of Rule of Law projects. Kepic argued for additional funding to the UN Secretariat to create a Rule of Law unit; the U.S. restated its position that the unit be created out of existing resources. Climate Change -------------- ¶9. (C) Kepic stressed the importance of persuading individuals and industry to make changes necessary to halt global warming. Although the EU and U.S. have different patterns of energy use, each can learn from shared best practices. The EU wants cooperation from all states who are major pollution emitters, while realizing that not all countries can realistically be held to the same standard. The EU supports the establishment of a UN organization to monitor and enforce international environmental standards. PDAS Warlick responded that while international environmental governance is an issue, there is no agreement yet on how to move forward with it. Monterrey Consensus -------------- ¶10. (C) Since France will hold the Presidency of the EU during the follow-up conference to Monterrey in Doha this December, the French delegation spoke for the EU during this portion of the discussion. In response to U.S. concerns that the G-77 could try to rewrite the Monterrey consensus, Head of Delegation Marc Giacomini provided a list of items that it will raise: 1) Third World Debt; 2) Official Development Assistance (ODA); 3) Best Practices; 4) Governance of the International Financial Institutions; 5) Millennium Development Goals and Qualitative Approaches; and 6) Private Sector Financing. Due Process and Counter Terrorism -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Under "all other business", the U.S. raised the issue of sanctions imposed under UN Security Council Resolution 1267, and recent cases in the European Court of Justice suggesting the procedure impinges on fundamental human rights. The EU listened to U.S. concerns, but concluded that it was not a CONUN competency and should be discussed at the COJUR. ¶12. (U) Next CONUN Troika was tentatively scheduled for 29 September 2008 in New York, pending approval from both sides. ¶13. (U) Meeting Participants PRESIDENCY (Slovenia) Ms. Blazka Kepic, Minister Plenipotentiary, Planning and Multilateral Political Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Nusa Majhenc, First Secretary, Planning and Multilateral Political Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Barbara Butinar, First Secretary, Planning and Multilateral Political Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs INCOMING PRESIDENCY (France) Mr. Marc Giacomini, Deputy Director, Directorate for UN and International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Natasha Butler, Permanent Representation of France to the EU COUNCIL SECRETARIAT Mr. Rafael de Bustamente Tello, UN Desk COMMISSION BRUSSELS 00000462 003.2 OF 003 Ms. Veronique Arnault, Director, Multilateral Relations and Human Rights, DG RELEX Ms. Christiane Bourloyannis, UN Unit, DG RELEX B Ms. Kristin de Peyron, UN Unit, DG RELEX B Mr. Valentin Gescher, U.S. Desk, DG RELEX C UNITED STATES IO PDAS James Warlick PolOff MURRAY .