Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08PARIS2325
2008-12-24 11:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
FRENCH COOL ON SOMALIA PKO DRAFT, OPEN FOR
how-toVZCZCXRO4532 OO RUEHDE RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHTRO DE RUEHFR #2325 3591104 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 241104Z DEC 08 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY PARIS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5137 INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 1657 RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNSOM/SOMALIA COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002325
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2018
TAGS: PREL KPKO UNSC SO FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH COOL ON SOMALIA PKO DRAFT, OPEN FOR
LONG-TERM
REF: A. STATE 134229 B. PARIS 2304
Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Kathleen H. Allegrone. Rea
sons 1.4b,d
(C) IO DAS-Equivalent Fabien Penone and AF DAS-Equivalent
Helene Le Gal stated their strong disappointment on December
24 with the U.S. decision to move forward a draft resolution
to establish a UN peacekeeping operation in Somalia, though
they did not object to the long-term objective (Ref A).
Penone, who oversees UN peacekeeping policy within the MFA,
characterized the U.S. move to circulate the draft to the
entire Council as precipitous and stated the U.S. was in
breach of the understanding reached among the P-3. He could
not offer a formal response to the U.S. draft but protested
what he called inadequate consultation. He emphasized that
discussions should proceed in New York, but judged the U.S.
draft had clear gaps. Specifically, he rejected as
unrealistic the call for a donors conference by January 15 to
solicit contributions to a trust fund for AMISOM.
(C) More positively, Penone and Le Gal each spoke in favor of
the draft's two-step strategy to first reinforce AMISOM
capabilities and then transition to a UN PKO.. However, they
said there should be no authorization of a UN PKO without a
second, subsequent decision by the Security Council. Penone
also called for more precision on the proposed mandate and an
occasion for the SYG to offer supplemental views. Le Gal
indicated France was not hard set against standing up
UNMISOM, but wanted a more limited approach, both in terms of
manpower and geographic reach. UNMISOM should initially
focus on the security of the UN offices in Mogadishu only,
she said. Le Gal commented that French objections were not
financially motivated; however, like Penone, she criticized
USG haste and called attention to the broader peacekeeping
challenges facing DPKO, noting that Somalia could not be
treated as a standalone problem.
PEKALA