UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, NYC MAYOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000487 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL UNGA SUBJECT: UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, NYC MAYOR BLOOMBERG, AND AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD DISCUSS SECURITY RELATED TO UN CMP REF: USUN 00803 Classified By: Classified By: Bruce C. Rashkow, Counselor, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. SUMMARY: New York City Mayor Bloomberg hosted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and USUN Ambassador Khalilzad on May 19th at Gracie Mansion to discuss security issues related to the $1.9 billion UN renovation project known as the Capital Master Plan (CMP). During the meeting Mayor Bloomberg indicated that the UN's needs for more set-back on First Avenue present less of a problem than the concerns raised elsewhere but that in any event, the city would be reluctant to assist the UN in dealing with the concerns until the UN could show that it had done the utmost to address those concerns. END SUMMARY. ¶2. SecQity. New York City Mayor Bloomberg hosted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and USUN Ambassador Khalilzad on May 19th at Gracie Mansion to discuss security issues related to the $1.9 billion UN renovation project known as the Capital Master Plan (CMP). UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was accompanied by CMP Executive Director Michael Adlerstein. Mayor Bloomberg was accompanied by his sister Marjorie Tiven, Commissioner for Consular Corps and Protocol, Ed Skyler, the Deputy Mayor for Operations, and Deputy Police Commissioner Richard Falkenrath. Ambassador Khalilizad was accompanied by USUN/MR Counselor Rashkow and USUN/MR Adviser LeRoy Potts. ¶3. The Secretary General began the meeting with an appeal to the Mayor for assistance with addressing some of the UN's security concerns raised by a March 19, 2008 report prepared for the UN by the security firm Kroll. The Kroll report raised concerns that has prompted consideration of additional setback, including setback on First Avenue, closure of the 42nd Street Off-Ramp, and additional setback in regard to the FDR drive. The Conference center above the FDR drive houses the Security Council and other regularly used meeting rooms. The Kroll report was prepared on the UN's understanding of "Host Government standards and acceptable security industry practices." ¶4. In recent weeks USUN has facilitated several meetings between the City of New York and the CMP office over the sensitive perimeter security issues regarding the UN headquarters compound. From these discussions the UN has revealed that it based its' renovation plans on protecting the UNHQ compound from the threat from a 500 pound bomb after consultation with the Host Government. In a meeting on May 12th, Deputy Commissioner Falkenrath advised the UN that the City, after reviewing the Kroll report and other past security studies, had serious security concerns in regard to the FDR Drive and the new temporary conference facility under construction on the North Lawn. The City advised against housing the Secretary General in the temporary conference building during the renovation of the Secretariat building and suggested housing him in UNDC I or II which have been recently hardened to protect against a substantially larger bomb. ¶5. Falkenrath suggested as a first step in considering newly identified security concerns that the UN conduct a "space characterization" study to identify areas of strategic importance to the UN such as the Security Council, the General Assembly, and critical infrastructure and further identify strategies for mitigating threats to high priority areas. The City asserted that a bomb threat from a 500 pound bomb is too low and that new city buildings that are being planned or now under construction are preparing for possible attacks by bombs up to as much as 5,000 pounds. Moreover, the Deputy Mayor recounted that recent bombings against UN facilities in Iraq and Algeria were substantially higher than 500 pounds. . ¶6. The Mayor said that a future request for additional setback on First Avenue is likely the easiest of the mitigation requests to resolve in the UN's favor. Falkenrath identified the threat to the FDR underpass -- on which sits the Conference building and the Security Council -- as the most acute threat facing the UN. ¶7. The Deputy Mayor said the City's standard practice is not to discuss mitigation efforts with developers unless they have taken reasonable measures themselves to address threat levels. In their request, the City suggested that the UN can upgrade its construction plans well beyond the threat from a 500 pound bomb to address a 2,000 pound bomb or even larger. Mayor Bloomberg added that he thought it unlikely the City would move the 42nd Street off ramp because of traffic flow. ¶8. The costs for additional hardening of the UNHQ have not been seriously assessed by the UN but officials believe this could add potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to the overall cost of the CMP if it is directed to protect the complex for a bomb blast from a 5,000 pound bomb. The UN indicated it wished to consult with the USG on what the standard should be for a high terrorist target such as the UN while at the same time emphasizing its desire to respect the compound's architectural integrity. The UN noted that any effort by the UN to seek more money from member states to pay for the CMP would create an issue for the GA. The UN also noted that Member States are likely to look to the USG to cover these added costs for protecting the compound. The UN also expressed concern about discussing reluctant to discuss the UN's security vulnerabilities in a public forum such as the General Assembly and its budget committee. On the other hand while agreeing in principle with the UN, the City believes the UN's security weaknesses are already likely known by those who may wish to do harm. ¶9. Fire Protection. Bloomberg then turned to address the city's long-standing dispute with the UN over fire safety improvements. On May 12th, the UN in a letter from Under-Secretary General for Management Alicia Barcena to Commissioner Tiven that the UN would not undertake a previously agreed to plan on compartmentalization and separation ( C&S) plan from floors 4 - 39. The UN believes that the investment in replacing and stalling doors, hardware, glazing, mechanical smoke dampers, electrical work, new exit signs and emergency lighting would be too costly and last only 4-9 months before it is torn out for the full scale renovation under the CMP. Bloomberg put the UN on notice that the City would be required to take steps to protect the public and in the absence of appropriate corrective action would prevent tours by NYC public school children if the C&S project is not completed. Citing recent construction accidents in the City as well as last summer's fire at the Deutsche Bank building in lower Manhattan in which 2 city fire fighters were killed, Bloomberg said the City was operating in a sensitive environment regarding fire safety issues. Bloomberg also indicated the City would not micromanage the CMP and would accept the UN's decision and would try to avoid a bitter public feud. Khalilzad