ARGENTINA UNLIKELY TO SUPPORT US POSITION ON

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 001698 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC AMGT APER UNGA AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA UNLIKELY TO SUPPORT US POSITION ON HARMONIZATION OF CONDITIONS OF SERVICE REF: STATE 129988 ¶1. (SBU) Poloff presented reftel points to the MFA's Manuel Fernandez Salorio, the responsible officer in the Directorate for International Organization affairs, on December 12. Fernandez concurred with the USG concern about retention of personnel for peacekeeping operations and special political missions and understood our emphasis on career advancement and training opportunities in lieu of starting salaries. He also appreciated the importance of seeking a cost-effective approach given the current financial climate. ¶2. (SBU) Fernandez said that the Argentine Fifth Committee representative, in representing the G-77 on this issue, had been trying to play a responsible role in working toward a compromise between the UN Secretary General's proposal and what he described as the "EU proposal" from March. Fernandez understood the U.S. proposal had been questioned sharply by a number of delegations, including those from the EU, Japan and Russia, and that he thought there was little enthusiasm for it, particularly after the long work that had gone into a possible compromise between G-77 and EU positions. He indicated that while the GOA appreciated the information on the U.S. approach and would consider it fully, there was little likelihood his government would offer its support. WAYNE