SUPPORT FOR U.S. SPONSORED SOMALIA PIRACY SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000389 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2018 TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM SO SUBJECT: SUPPORT FOR U.S. SPONSORED SOMALIA PIRACY SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION REF: SECSTATE 39654 Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro Wolff for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request, please see paragraphs 3,4 and 5. -------------- Background -------------- ¶2. (C) USUN presented a draft resolution on acts of piracy off the Somali coast to the Security Council on April 28. France, UK, and Panama have already agreed to co-sponsor the text. In preliminary discussions with several Security Council delegations, two issues have emerged as the focus of debate: 1) the extent of Somali Transitional Federal Government,s (TFG) support for the resolution; and 2) the consistency of the resolution with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. -------------- Action Requests -------------- ¶3. (C) USUN requests that the TFG be engaged at an appropriately high-level and requested to write to the Security Council President confirming its support for the piracy resolution as submitted to the Security Council on April 28. Uncoordinated, TFG-proposed amendments in New York have been unhelpful to date. A strong statement of Somalia,s support for and specific consent to the maritime security actions authorized in the resolution under Chapter VII will expedite adoption. ¶4. (C) Second, USUN requests that the Department transmit a demarche to Security Council capitals requesting support and explaining the legal provisions of the piracy resolution. The demarche should include points explaining the necessity of a Chapter VII threat determination to provide interested states with the necessary authorities to carry out the acitivities described in this resolution, the limited geographical scope of this resolution (Somali territorial waters),and the consistency of the piracy resolution with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). ¶5. (C) To maximize the impact on our negotiations in New York, USUN requests that both of these actions be completed by May 7. Khalilzad