WIESENTHAL CENTER APPEALS FOR UNGA ACTION AGAINST

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000184

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2018
TAGS: PREL UNGA PTER
SUBJECT: WIESENTHAL CENTER APPEALS FOR UNGA ACTION AGAINST
SUICIDE BOMBING


Classified By: Ambassador Khalilzad for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)


1. BEGIN SUMMARY: Representatives of the Simon Wiesenthal
Center appealed for Amb. Khalilzad's help in pushing the UN
General Assembly (UNGA) to convene a special session devoted
to condemning the scourge of suicide bombing. In a meeting
at USUN February 26, they also expressed concern about the
"Durban II" review conference, called for continued U.S.
leadership on Darfur, and pressed for U.S. action on Iran's
nuclear program. Amb Khalilzad welcomed the proposal to seek
an UNGA statement condemning suicide bombings, and committed
to re-engaging the Center's representatives once he had
identified the tactics necessary for success at the UN. END
SUMMARY.


2. Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and Dean of the Simon
Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the Center's
Associate Dean, Rabbi Meyer May, the Center's Executive
Director, and Mark Weitzman, the Director of the Center's
Task Force against Hate and Terrorism and the Center's Chief
Representative to the United Nations met with Amb. Khalilzad
at their request on February 26. Citing their plans to meet
with the Secretary-General later on February 26, they said
the Center wants the UNGA to convene a special session on
terrorism, particularly to condemn suicide bombing. They
sought Amb. Khalilzad's support for action in the UNGA and
his views on how best to frame the issue for the
Secretary-General.

SIPDIS


3. The group said that a special session of the General
Assembly could focus on the victims of suicide bombings and
highlight in particular that more suicide bombings are
committed against Muslims than against persons of any other
faith. The Center's representatives hoped that focusing the
UN on condemning suicide bombings would produce concrete
results, as opposed to the General Assembly's efforts to
develop a legal definition of terrorism, a contentious
political issue unlikely to bear fruit for many years.


4. The Wiesenthal Center has taken various measures to
heighten awareness of the costs of suicide bombings, they
said. Recently, for instance, the Center hosted a conference
featuring victims of suicide bombings from various faiths,
including Muslims and Hindus. The Center also has placed
full-page advertisements in the New York Times, the
International Herald Tribune, and Arab newspapers, calling
for a UNGA condemnation of suicide bombings. Rabbi Heir
questioning why the UN has convened special sessions on
various matters of international concern, such as drug
trafficking and global warming, but not terrorism.


5. Amb. Khalilzad said the Center's idea has merit and that
he wanted to give more tactical thought on how best achieve a
positive, substantive result through the UN. He also agreed
to consult with the Secretary-General on the Center's
proposal. Speculating on possible sources of support for
such an initiative, Amb Khalilzad noted that Afghanistan,
Iraq, and Algeria, for instance, have suffered from suicide
bombing attacks. In that context, Amb. Khalilzad noted that,
given the political sensitivities of the subject matter, both
the Wiesenthal Center and the United States Government might
need to work behind the scenes and allow other states to
spearhead the effort so as not to inadvertently engender
political opposition. The Center's representatives clarified
that their primary interest was to achieve a concrete result.
They thus said they welcomed Amb Khalilzad's guidance on
tactics and are prepared to step back if that was useful.


6. The Wiesenthal Center's representatives also expressed
concern about the "Durban II" review conference on racism,
calling the first Durban conference "anti-Semitic and
anti-American." Stressing that the United States shared such
concerns, Amb. Khalilzad said the United States had voted
against the UN budget last December because it provided
funding for a second conference.


7. The Center's representatives also appealed for continued
U.S. leadership on Darfur. Amb. Khalilzad responded that the
United States is taking the lead to press the UN to do more
on Darfur.


8. Finally, the Center's representatives sought an update on
U.S. efforts to counter Iranian nuclear proliferation. Amb.
Khalilzad said the United States hoped the Security Council
would adopt a resolution on Friday, although support from
Libya, South Africa, Indonesia, and Vietnam remained in doubt.
KHALILZAD