UNSC: FRENCH RESIST ADDING PREAMBULAR LANGUAGE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000766 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV KPKO UNSC IS LE FR SUBJECT: UNSC: FRENCH RESIST ADDING PREAMBULAR LANGUAGE TO UNIFIL TECHNICAL ROLL-OVER DRAFT RESOLUTION REF: GOLDRICH/HALE/SCHEDLBAUER E-MAILS - 8/22/08 Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ). ¶1. (U) Action request in paragraph 4. ¶2. (C) Ambassador Wolff spoke August 22 with French Charge Jean-Pierre Lacroix to emphasize the U.S. request (contained in ref) to add a preambular paragraph to the current draft French text that would reiterate the 12th preambular paragraph in UNSCR 1773 (and the 12th operative paragraph of UNSCR 1701) which states: "Reaffirming UNIFIL's authority to take all necessary action in areas of deployment of its forces and as it deems within its capabilities, to ensure that its area of operations is not utilized for hostile activities of any kind and to resist attempts by forceful means to prevent it from discharging its mandate." Lacroix insisted that it made no sense to add the language into the text, given that this year's text is a pure technical roll-over, unlike last year's text (UNSCR 1773). Opening up the short draft at this point, particularly to add language already in the original resolution, is ill-advised, he noted, and likely would result in other delegations proposing amendments that France and the U.S. would view unfavorably. The French expert told PolOff separately August 25 that the Belgian and Italian missions, also UNIFIL troop contributors with the French, are against the addition of the preambular language. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Wolff also spoke with Israeli Charge Danny Carmon and shared with him Lacroix's reasons for not adding the language to the draft. While Wolff pressed Carmon to approach the French directly, Carmon said they would not be raising the matter with the French separately, preferring instead to stand united behind the U.S. approach to the French. Carmon noted, however, that ISRAEL did not want this to be a source of division between Paris and Washington, although they much preferred to add the paragraph from last year's resolution. ¶4. (C) Action request: USUN seeks instructions on the extent to which it should press for inclusion of this preambular paragraph, given that the resolution is scheduled for adoption on August 27. Is inclusion of this language a necessity? Are we prepared to block the UNIFIL renewal resolution over this language? End action request. Wolff