PGA KERIM REQUESTS U.S. VIEWS ON INTERMEDIARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000310 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2018 TAGS: PREL KUNR UNSC GM JA IT BR IN PK SUBJECT: PGA KERIM REQUESTS U.S. VIEWS ON INTERMEDIARY SECURITY COUNCIL EXPANSION REF: A. USUN 258 ¶B. 2007 USUN 1225 Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request for Department guidance before the April 10 OEWG session. Please see para 6. ¶2. (U) Summary. President of the General Assembly (PGA) Serdjam Kerim requested a meeting with Amb Khalilzad on April 4 to discuss UNSC reform. Noting that he had received several proposals on UNSC expansion since he asked member states to submit ideas in December 2007, Kerim said he would convene the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on April 10 to seek reactions to the different proposals, and determine how to reconcile them to create one basis for the upcoming inter-governmental negotiations. Amb Khalilzad emphasized that we remain concerned about the slow pace of the broader UN reform that must accompany UNSC expansion, and, with respect to the Cyprus proposal (ref A),that expanding the Security Council to 22 members overall is excessive and would compromise the Council's effectiveness. Kerim asked Amb Khalilzad to consult with Washington and take a position on intermediary UNSC expansion and the other UN reforms the U.S. seeks. He urged the U.S. to develop its position soon in order to influence the upcoming inter-governmental negotiations. End Summary. Kerim to Convene OEWG on April 10 -------------- ¶3. (C) PGA Kerim said he would convene the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on April 10 to discuss the way forward on UNSC reform. Since the last OEWG meeting in December, when he asked member states to submit proposals to serve as a basis for inter-governmental negotiations, Kerim reported that he had received three inputs: a draft text from Cyprus, a letter from Italy on behalf of UFC countries, and a letter from Cape Verde on behalf of the African Group (ref A). During the April 10 OEWG meeting, he planned to seek reactions from member states to the three proposals, and then direct his Task Force to work with the membership to reconcile the three papers into one text on which to begin negotiations. In this respect, Kerim asked Amb Khalilzad for the U.S. position on the three proposals (reported ref A). Separately, the PGA's staff told USUN officers that Kerim would announce on April 10 the appointment of the Djibouti PermRep as an additional member of his Task Force, joining the PermReps of Bangladesh, Chile, and Portugal. Kerim reportedly made this appointment to assuage African concerns that they were not represented on the Task Force. U.S. Concerns About Reform Process -------------- ¶4. (C) Noting that we had not received instructions on the various proposals, Amb Khalilzad made four preliminary observations. First, he emphasized that we are open to UNSC expansion and have participated in discussions in New York in that spirit. Second, he underscored that UNSC expansion must be part of a broader UN reform effort, but expressed regret that other reform had not been linked to possible UNSC reform. Third, with respect to the Cypriot proposal, he noted that expanding the Council to 22 members overall would be excessive. The U.S. has always said that any expansion of the UNSC must be "modest" and preserve its effectiveness. Adding seven seats is an increase of fifty percent, an increase seemingly chosen to manage the politics of UNSC expansion, not to maintain the Council's effectiveness. Fourth, the OEWG (which operates by consensus) should remain the forum for discussions on UNSC expansion, to ensure the broadest possible support for any expansion plan. Kerim Wants U.S. Views on Intermediary SC Expansion -------------- ¶5. (C) Kerim asked Amb Khalilzad to consult with Washington and take a position on intermediary UNSC expansion soon (intermediary expansion would create new, longer-duration, non-permanent seats). Expressing his conviction that the intermediary approach to UNSC expansion is the only viable option, he suggested that all member states must take a position sooner or later, to ensure their views are reflected USUN NEW Y 00000310 002 OF 002 in the process and the substance of the negotiations that may begin soon. In response to Amb Khalilzad's point on the need for broader UN reform, Kerim recalled the upcoming April 8-9 UNGA debates on management reform and mandate review, and predicted that member states would soon make significant progress on these issues. He asked what other reforms the U.S. would seek in connection with UNSC expansion. Kerim supported the U.S. view that discussions should continue in the OEWG until member states reach agreement on a basis for negotiations. Once that agreement is reached, the negotiations would shift to the UNGA plenary, where most UNGA resolutions are negotiated and agreed. Action Request: Answer for Kerim -------------- ¶6. (C) It is not yet clear whether member states will be able to agree on a basis to conduct inter-governmental negotiations on UNSC reform. But it now seems likely that they will try, and that they will focus on the intermediary approach of creating new longer-duration, non-permanent seats to the Council. The lowest common denominator across the positions of the three groups -- the G-4, UFC, and the Africans -- would be to expand the Council to at least 25-26 seats in order to address concerns about under-representation of Africa on the current UNSC and give UFC countries a chance at securing some of the newly-created seats. In order to influence the shape of this debate and ensure it does not proceed contrary to our core interests, we should quietly lay down markers with Kerim and others (members of the Task Force, potential allies) on the shape/size of intermediary expansion and the other reforms we seek in exchange. Specifically, in light of the strategic considerations outlined in ref B, USUN seeks tactical guidance from the Department on the following issues before the April 10 OEWG session: U.S. position on intermediary UNSC expansion: -- Overall size of the Council -- Geographic allocation of new seats -- Review mechanism / possibility of conversion to permanent seats Other UN reforms to accompany intermediary expansion (possibilities below): -- Cap / ceiling on financial assessments for UNSC members -- Modification in UNGA voting rules (weighted voting, etc.) -- Oversight / transparency initiatives Khalilzad