A/S SILVERBERG'S MEETING WITH FRENCH MFA

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000015

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2019
TAGS: AORC KWMN PHUM PREL UNGA EUN UNHRC FR
SUBJECT: A/S SILVERBERG'S MEETING WITH FRENCH MFA
COUNTERPART SYLVIE BERMANN

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah
Rosenblatt for reasons 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Assistant Secretary of State for
International Organization Affairs Kristen Silverberg met in
Paris on December 21 with her French counterpart, Sylvie
Bermann. They discussed a range of issues currently before
the UN Security Council (UNSC). Bermann pushed for a UNSC
endorsement of the results of the December 17 Paris
Palestinian Donors' Conference; Silverberg demurred, a
disagreement which highlighted continuing differences in the
U.S. and French approaches to UNSC resolutions that address
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Bermann resisted
committing to any Council reaction on the continuing
political crisis in Lebanon, noting the issue was being run
out of the French Presidency, rather than the MFA. Bermann
conveyed that the GOF also supports Lord Paddy Ashdown for
the High Representative post in Afghanistan. Bermann said
that, like the U.S., the GOF was satisfied with the results
of the December 19 Council session on Kosovo. Bermann said
France does not, at the moment, see any point in pushing UN
Secretary General (UNSYG) Ban Ki-Moon to react to the

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Council's most recent position on Kosovo's independence.
Silverberg said the U.S. will be looking for French support
in the Council on Burma.


2. (C) Silverberg pushed for discreet pressure on the UN
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) to speed
deployment of UN police in Sudan, and to come up with options
for more effective UN-led engagement in Somalia. Bermann
resisted both initiatives, defending the DPKO's efforts, and
cautioning against a repeat of the U.S. 1990s intervention in
Somalia. The GOF will push forward with June 2008 elections
in the Ivory Coast. The GOF will look for support in the
Council for adding language to MONUC's mandate that
explicitly calls for fighting violence against women in DRC.
France is also calling for a meeting of P-5 military attaches
New York to improve Council members understanding of military
matters. Bermann and Silverberg briefly discussed the new,
incoming UNSC members, noting that Croatia will be an
especially welcome addition, while Libya will be particularly
unpredictable. Silverberg asked for French support in
finding significant areas of cooperation on human rights at
the UN, noting U.S. frustration at the inability to secure
support form European allies for some human rights
initiatives. Bermann agreed to study the issue. END SUMMARY

POSSIBLE UNSC REACTION TO PARIS DONORS' CONFERENCE
-------------- --------------


3. (C) Recalling the success of the December 17 Paris
Palestinian Donors' Conference, Bermann told A/S Silverberg
during a December 21 meeting in Paris that the French Foreign
Ministry had asked Pierre Vimont, France's Ambassador to the
U.S., to engage Washington on generating a UNSC endorsement
of the conference's results. Bermann argued that UNSC
discussion of the situation in the Middle East, in light of
the positive developments of the Paris and Annapolis
conferences, is "vital," adding that such engagement by the
UNSC would be good for both Israel and Arab countries.
"Israel's refusal of all texts in the UNSC is not good for
Israel," Bermann stated.


4. (C) Silverberg agreed to consider the matter, then
explained that the U.S. had considered proposing a statement
of support from the Council after Annapolis but withdrew the
initiative after realizing that a balanced text would not be
possible and that further disagreement could negatively
impact ongoing efforts towards peace. Silverberg lamented
that not all members of the Council are prepared to negotiate
in good faith; countries like Qatar were more intent on
forcing a U.S. veto rather than on finding a consensus.
COMMENT: It was clear from the discussion that the U.S. and
France continue to have differing views on what represents a
balanced UNSC text that addresses the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. END COMMENT.

LEBANON
--------------


5. (C) Bermann admitted that the French Presidency, rather
than the MFA bureaucracy, runs France's Lebanon policy,
albeit with input from Foreign Minister Kouchner. Bermann
said that the MFA does not know GOF's next steps in Lebanon.
Silverberg pushed for some response from the Council with
regard to the continuing violation of UNSCR 1559, which calls
for a free and fair Presidential election process in Lebanon.
Silverberg pointed out that the Council had not yet reacted
to the current situation and that the U.S. hopes the UNSC
would at least consider a Presidential Statement (PRST).
Bermann was non-committal and noted she would speak to FM

Kouchner about the possibility of supporting a PRST.

AFGHANISTAN
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6. (C) Silverberg conveyed that Paddy Ashdown has held
preliminary discussions with President Karzai, and that a
follow-up conversation was in the works to further define
Ashdown's role as UN High Representative to Afghanistan.
Silverberg added that UNSYG Ban Ki-Moon appears to be
supportive of Ashdown for the post. Bermann noted that
France would also back Ashdown, adding that the GOF was
prepared, at the appropriate time, to lobby other UNSC
members to support Ashdown's appointment. In an aside,
Bermann wondered if Ashdown's strong personality might, at
some point, generate "difficulties" with Karzai.

KOSOVO
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7. (C) Bermann said the GOF is satisfied with the December 19
UNSC session on Kosovo, noting that France's goal was to
demonstrate in the Council that 1) further negotiations would
not be useful, and 2) the EU is prepared to take on its
responsibilities in the region. Despite UNSYG Ban Ki-Moon's
current silence on the issue, the French do not feel that the
time is right to put additional pressure on the SYG to
publicly back the Quint's position. Silverberg said the U.S.
had some assurances from the SYG that he understood the Quint
position, and added that both the Secretary and Ambassador
Khalilzad are continuing to discuss the issue of Kosovo with
him.

BURMA
--------------


8. (C) Bermann argued for a more structured UNSC approach to
Burma, including clear benchmarks for a political
normalization process. Recognizing that any such movement in
the Council will be restricted by China's position, Bermann
stressed how addressing the issue in the Group of Friends is
helpful. Because interest in the issue has flagged,
Silverberg believes the Council must focus on clear
benchmarks to demonstrate to the Burmese government that the
international community is serious about supporting political
normalization in Burma. The U.S. asked UN Special Envoy
Gambari to brief the Council before his next trip to Burma,
with a view to having the Council ratify Gambari,s proposed
benchmarks in a statement. The U.S. is pushing Gambari to
extend his visit to Burma, until he exhausts all
possibilities for progress. Ideally, Gambari will be able to
tell the Burmese that he will brief the Council upon his
return to New York, adding some pressure on the regime to
cooperate.


9. (C) Bermann said France favored the U.S. approach, adding
however, that UNSC sanctions are out of the question given
Chinese intransigence on the issue. Silverberg noted that
the U.S. is also not optimistic about the possibility of
winning council approval for sanctions, while also noting
that the U.S. would keep all options open and will press on
with further unilateral sanctions, hoping the EU will follow.
Bermann reported that FM Kouchner was considering possible
"carrots" such as the fund mentioned in Singapore. The U.S.,
Silverberg noted, is not opposed to discussing carrots once
the Burmese government made some clear progress; until then,
talk of "carrots," in the U.S. view, would be premature.

SUDAN
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10. (C) The GOF believes it is important to continue placing
the responsibility for blocking progress in Darfur squarely
on the Sudanese regime, Bermann said, adding that the Council
must now also make it clear to the Sudanese that there will
be consequences if they do not support the peace process in
Darfur. Bermann said French officials had clearly explained
to the Sudanese that all rebels must participate and progress
must be made in the tripartite talks. Bermann added that
France continues to prepare for deployment of the EUFOR
Mission but noted that a lack of troop contributions and
helicopters is causing delays; the GOF now hopes to deploy in
late January or early February. It is hoped that UN police
can also deploy at that time to stabilize the border and
deter militia activity. Croatia told France that it might be
able to assist with helicopters (Croatia was recently paid in
helicopters by Russia for a debt owed by Russia). Silverberg
added that the U.S. is heavily involved in trying to secure
helicopters for the UN mission to Sudan.


11. (C) Bermann and Silverberg differed on the Department of

Peacekeeping Operation's (DPKO) responsibility for not moving
more quickly to deploy UN police in Darfur. Silverberg
argued that while we must publicly put pressure on the
Sudanese, it is also important to put discreet pressure on
DPKO to move faster; quick deployment is essential to the UN
hybrid operation's (UNAMID) credibility. While agreeing in
principle, Bermann was reluctant to blame DPKO (which is
headed by a French national) and asked that the U.S. keep its
pressure private in order to prevent countries like Egypt
from rushing to blame DPKO for what are essentially problems
caused by the Sudanese.

SOMALIA
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12. (C) Bermann said that France agrees that the
international community needs to reinforce its support for
Somalia, while cautioning that the Council must act carefully
in order to avoid a repeat of the U.S. intervention in the
early 1990s. France would like to see the start of a
political normalization process in Somalia and remains open
to considering any UNSC actions that might support that. The
GOF, Bermann told us, will be providing assistance to the
Burundian contingent in Somalia and is also assisting the WFP
Somalia aid project until January. While that project is
exclusively one of humanitarian assistance, Bermann suggested
it nonetheless also deters the warring parties because it is
a clear reminder of continued international attention on the
crisis in Somalia. Bermann noted that the UNSC has finally
built up the DPKO's credibility, particularly through its
missions in the Congo and Lebanon, and stressed that the
Council must be careful to choose missions where DPKO can
have a positive impact. Silverberg said the U.S. will
continue to push DPKO to provide options for further, more
effective, UN-led involvement in Somalia. Bermann added that
the French Ambassador to the UN is out ahead of Paris on the
issue.

IVORY COAST
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13. (C) In Bermann's estimation, the situation appears to be
improving in the Ivory Coast and the GOF is optimistic that
the June 2008 elections will occur as planned. Renewal of
the UN Mission's mandate is scheduled for January 4, but
because of Economic Community of Western African States
(ECOWAS) and the EU mission, a month-long technical rollover
period will be needed before the mandate is renewed. France
does not expect significant revisions to the mandate and will
stay focused on the electoral process.

CONGO
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14. (C) The UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (MONUC) operates under one of the strongest PKO
mandates, and it must maintain its credibility, Bermann
stressed. France is concerned about the situation in the
east of the DRC, and believes that it is vital to the UN's
credibility that MONUC be perceived as strong. Bermann went
on to say that security sector reform in the DRC must be a
priority for the UN and for the EU. In addition, Bermann
said that France would be pushing for further implementation
of UNSCR 1325, noting that rights violations against women in
the DRC are at unacceptable levels (Bermann was referring
here to the DRC in general and not to violations by
peacekeepers). UNSCR 1325 and the MONUC provide an
opportunity for the UN to find the means to react to the
violence against women. Bermann suggested that adding a unit
to PKO to address rights violations against women might be
useful. Silverberg agreed in principle and said the U.S.
would want to be supportive.

MILITARY ATTACHES MEETING IN NY
--------------


15. (C) Bermann asked for U.S. support in convening a P-5
military attaches' meeting in order to raise the Council's
military expertise. Silverberg agreed to get back to Bermann
on that as soon as possible.

NEW UNSC MEMBERS
--------------


16. (C) Silverberg and Bermann agreed that the incoming
January 2008 UNSC members appear to be pragmatic in their
approaches, though both expressed some concern about Libya's
unpredictability. Bermann said she will visit Tripoli in
January and hopes there to get a better sense of the Libyan
government's decision-making structures. Both agreed that
Vietnam is technically prepared, but worried that Vietnam

will not be able to withstand Chinese pressure on the Burma
issue. Silverberg suggested that pushing Hanoi towards
Jakarta might be a good course of action, which could help
Vietnam deal with the competing pressures in the Council.
Bermann added that Croatia would be a welcome addition to the
Council, and that the new-member African states look poised
to be productive, except perhaps on the Ivory Coast issue.

HUMAN RIGHTS
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17. (C) Silverberg explained that the U.S. would like to
define a human rights initiative at the UN on which the U.S.,
EU, and Canada can cooperate. Silverberg noted that after
unsuccessful attempts in the General Assembly to adopt a
strong resolution condemning state-sponsored rape or a
declaration on political prisoners, the U.S. nonetheless
still looks forward to working with our allies to demonstrate
a real commitment to human rights. Bermann agreed to
consider the possibilities. (NOTE: This discussion was cut
short due to time constraints.)


18. (U) Assistant Secretary Silverberg has cleared this
message.


Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm


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