AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD MEETS WITH NEW PAKISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000826 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV PK SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR KHALILZAD MEETS WITH NEW PAKISTAN PERMREP, DISCUSSES FACT-FINDING COMMISSION Classified By: AMBASSADOR ZALMAY KHALILZAD, FOR REASONS 1.4 B/D ¶1. (C) Incoming Pakistan Permanent Representative to the UN Abdullah Hussain Haroon met September 10 with Ambassador Khalilzad for a brief courtesy call. During the meeting Haroon largely focused on Pakistan,s internal issues, and spoke about trips he made to the tribal regions, especially Swat. In his view, the problems there are largely economic, and if sufficient focus could be given to infrastructure development, the substantial local resources could be an engine of progress and growth. Haroon is a Karachi-based businessman with strong ties to the PPP. Dressed in a well-tailored suit, Haroon gave off a worldly air, and appeared more British than Pakistani. He was engaging and personable, and fond of telling anecdotes, to the extent that he turned to UN-related business only towards the end of the meeting. ¶2. (C) Haroon expressed Pakistan,s willingness to cooperate and coordinate, where possible, with the U.S. He urged Ambassador Khalilzad to help move forward the Secretary-General,s consideration of the UN's fact-finding commission into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. A decision to formally launch the commission would be very useful for President Zardari to bring back from his first official visit to the UN during the late September opening of the General Assembly. In a later meeting with the Secretary-General, Ambassador Khalilzad inquired about the state of play of the commission. SYG Ban said he was receiving conflicting advice from UN lawyers regarding the necessity of involving the Security Council. The SYG added that he had spoken with President Zardari, who asked the SYG to announce the commission as a deliverable during Zardari's upcoming visit to New York. USUN will follow up with the UN's Office of Legal Affairs regarding the state of play. ¶3. (C) On Security Council reform, Haroon said Pakistan would take advantage of its leading role within the UN to reach out and build bridges with other delegations. COMMENT: Haroon replaces Munir Akram, the veteran Pakistani PermRep who was both well versed in the UN world and extremely influential. Haroon, who has never served as a diplomat, will no doubt have a challenging few months as he works to master the same UN-specific knowledge and maintain the Pakistan Mission,s influence in the UN. His pro-British affinities may be problematic for Pakistan's unofficial leading role in the NAM caucus in New York. END COMMENT. Khalilzad