A/S SILVERBERG'S MEETING WITH FRENCH MFA

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000015 SIPDIS SIPDIS 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 SIPDIS 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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 PEKALA