A/S HOOK'S MEETING WITH UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS FR 002313

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2018
TAGS: PREL UNESCO IS JO
SUBJECT: A/S HOOK'S MEETING WITH UNESCO DIRECTOR GENERAL

Classified by Ambassador Louise V. Oliver for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: DG Matsuura called for vigilance by Member States
regarding UNESCO's future, to lock in the gains made during his
tenure. He also expressed appreciation for the U.S.'s role in
literacy efforts, and was pleased Mrs. Bush would continue her work
for UNESCO beyond January 2009. End summary.


2. (C) IO Assistant Secretary Brian Hook met UNESCO's Director
General Koichiro Matsuura on 11 December 2008 at UNESCO headquarters.
Ambassador Oliver joined the meeting, along with Mission staffer
Ostroff IO special assistant McLinn as notetakers.


3. (C) DG Matsuura began by saying how pleased he was that Mrs. Bush
would be able to continue her work as UNESCO's Honorary Ambassador
for the United Nations Decade of Literacy. The DG then mentioned
that he would be inviting Mrs. Bush to attend a high level
consultative meeting on literacy at UNESCO on 26 January 2009. He
asked A/S Hook to thank Mrs. Bush for her decision to create a
literacy fund at UNESCO, an initiative which would continue after
President Bush leaves office.


4. (C) A/S Hook complimented the DG on the many positive steps he
had taken in furthering the UNTAI initiative, by instituting
important management reforms at UNESCO.


5. (C) Asked about the effect of the U.S. return to UNESCO, DG
Matsuura said that most important of the many positive elements is
the boost in literacy programs, again mentioning how Mrs. Bush had
greatly improved UNESCO's visibility on the subject. Matsuura said
that it would be "ridiculous" to imagine that UNESCO could move
forward on the key issues it is dealing with without the help of the
United States.


6. (C) Turning to Jerusalem's Mughrabi Gate issue,the DG said that
clearly all decisions at UNESCO on this sensitive topic must be taken
unanimously. The DG said that he was not pessimistic, and believes
that ultimately it can be worked out. He added that it is a
technical issue that must be handled by experts. Matsuura noted that
before his arrival at UNESO, Executive Board decisions on the subject
were made unilaterally and were, therefore, not implementable.
Matsuura said that if Member States are serious about the decisions
they take, they must be willing to make special efforts to reach
consensus. The DG said that while it is his duty to implement
decisions, he needs the cooperation of key parties to do so.


7. (C) When asked about the future of UNESCO, Matsuura said it is
still "too early" to make a judgment or forecast. He said that
Member States must be vigilant. Much more must be done to make the
organization more efficient, but Matsuura added that he does not want
to see a retreat from what has been accomplished. In response, A/S
Hook said that the DG position has always been significant, adding
that we will be looking to find strong leadership to replace him.


8. (C) A/S Hook ended the meeting by raising the issue of American
employment at UNESCO. The DG said that currently there are 36
Americans at UNESCO, but, despite the recent departure of Deputy
Assistant Director General for External Affairs, the number is
steadily increasing, though he admited that today, the U.S. is not
well represented at the senior levels. The DG mentioned that several
positions, including two D-Level jobs in the Education Sector would
be posted soon, and asked that we put forward strong candidates.

OLIVER