Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08USUNNEWYORK927
2008-10-10 23:17:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USUN New York
Cable title:
UNSC REFORM: GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SCHEDULES
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUCNDT #0927 2842317 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 102317Z OCT 08 FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5098 INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN IMMEDIATE 0965 RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 0987 RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO IMMEDIATE 0992 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 2037 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 2328 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 1016 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 8536
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000927
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNSC IN BR PK IT JP GM
SUBJECT: UNSC REFORM: GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SCHEDULES
START OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS FOR NOVEMBER 21,
2008
REF: USUN NEW YORK 840
Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000927
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNSC IN BR PK IT JP GM
SUBJECT: UNSC REFORM: GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SCHEDULES
START OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS FOR NOVEMBER 21,
2008
REF: USUN NEW YORK 840
Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
1. (SBU) In an October 10 letter addressed to all missions,
the President of the General Assembly (PGA) Miguel d'Escoto
Brockmann announced: (1) a meeting of the Open-ended Working
Group (OEWG) on November 11, 2008; and (2) an informal
plenary of the General Assembly on November 21, 2008, to
commence intergovernmental negotiations. He also announced
that the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan Zahir Tanin,
one of the Vice Presidents of the 63rd UN General Assembly,
would chair these sessions on his behalf. (Note: The General
Assembly Plenary discussion of Security Council reform is
still scheduled for November 13, 2008. End note.)
2. (SBU) The PGA's announcement accelerates the timetable
set forth in the consensus decision (now known as 62/557)
agreed to by the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly on
September 15, 2008. As detailed in reftel, that decision
called on the OEWG to "continue immediately to address...the
framework, modalities...in order to prepare and facilitate
intergovernmental negotiations." The Chairman of the OEWG
"will present the results of these consultations to an
informal plenary session of the General Assembly, no later
than February 1, 2009." It also decided, "taking into
consideration the results achieved so far in the OEWG,...to
commence intergovernmental negotiations in (an) informal
plenary of the General Assembly during the sixty-third
session of the General Assembly, but not later than February
28, 2009."
3. (C) The Italian Perm Rep, a leader of the Uniting for
Consensus (UFC) bloc, specifically requested today that the
P-5 intervene with the Group of Four (G-4) and the PGA to
question the rush to commence intergovernmental negotiations.
We are coordinating our reaction with Russia, China, and key
UFC members. We plan to meet with the PGA next week and tell
him that we consider his acceleration of the negotiating
timetable a breach of the spirit of the compromise that
facilitated the consensus agreement on September 15, and that
it risks setting back the reform process.
4. (C) Comment: We understand that G-4 member South Africa
was pressing the PGA to start intergovernmental negotiations
before the end of the year so that South Africa could go to
the African Union Summit in January and seek a modification
of the Ezulwini Consensus. (Note: The Ezulwini Consensus
requires African states to seek an expansion of the Security
Council that includes African permanent seats with veto
power. End note.) If negotiations are not already underway,
they will be told to start the negotiations based on the
previous decision and then will have to wait until the July
summit for any modifications. If negotiations have started,
South Africa will be able to argue that permanent seats with
the veto power are a sticking point and request flexibility
on the veto issue. End comment.
Khalilzad
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2018
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNSC IN BR PK IT JP GM
SUBJECT: UNSC REFORM: GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT SCHEDULES
START OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS FOR NOVEMBER 21,
2008
REF: USUN NEW YORK 840
Classified By: Ambassador Alejandro D. Wolff, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).
1. (SBU) In an October 10 letter addressed to all missions,
the President of the General Assembly (PGA) Miguel d'Escoto
Brockmann announced: (1) a meeting of the Open-ended Working
Group (OEWG) on November 11, 2008; and (2) an informal
plenary of the General Assembly on November 21, 2008, to
commence intergovernmental negotiations. He also announced
that the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan Zahir Tanin,
one of the Vice Presidents of the 63rd UN General Assembly,
would chair these sessions on his behalf. (Note: The General
Assembly Plenary discussion of Security Council reform is
still scheduled for November 13, 2008. End note.)
2. (SBU) The PGA's announcement accelerates the timetable
set forth in the consensus decision (now known as 62/557)
agreed to by the 62nd session of the UN General Assembly on
September 15, 2008. As detailed in reftel, that decision
called on the OEWG to "continue immediately to address...the
framework, modalities...in order to prepare and facilitate
intergovernmental negotiations." The Chairman of the OEWG
"will present the results of these consultations to an
informal plenary session of the General Assembly, no later
than February 1, 2009." It also decided, "taking into
consideration the results achieved so far in the OEWG,...to
commence intergovernmental negotiations in (an) informal
plenary of the General Assembly during the sixty-third
session of the General Assembly, but not later than February
28, 2009."
3. (C) The Italian Perm Rep, a leader of the Uniting for
Consensus (UFC) bloc, specifically requested today that the
P-5 intervene with the Group of Four (G-4) and the PGA to
question the rush to commence intergovernmental negotiations.
We are coordinating our reaction with Russia, China, and key
UFC members. We plan to meet with the PGA next week and tell
him that we consider his acceleration of the negotiating
timetable a breach of the spirit of the compromise that
facilitated the consensus agreement on September 15, and that
it risks setting back the reform process.
4. (C) Comment: We understand that G-4 member South Africa
was pressing the PGA to start intergovernmental negotiations
before the end of the year so that South Africa could go to
the African Union Summit in January and seek a modification
of the Ezulwini Consensus. (Note: The Ezulwini Consensus
requires African states to seek an expansion of the Security
Council that includes African permanent seats with veto
power. End note.) If negotiations are not already underway,
they will be told to start the negotiations based on the
previous decision and then will have to wait until the July
summit for any modifications. If negotiations have started,
South Africa will be able to argue that permanent seats with
the veto power are a sticking point and request flexibility
on the veto issue. End comment.
Khalilzad