GERMANY'S UNGA PRIORITIES AND A PROPOSAL FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 001150 DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP (SUN),AF (BOWLES),EAP (VORDERSTRASSE),EUR (ELDRIDGE),NEA (VACCARRO),SCA (MAZZONE),WHA (BEN-YEHUDA) SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL UNGA GM KPAL IS SUBJECT: GERMANY'S UNGA PRIORITIES AND A PROPOSAL FOR ADDRESSING ONE-SIDED ISRAEL RESOLUTIONS REF: STATE 90254 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor George Glass for reasons 1. 4 (b,d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: MFA Deputy Head of the UNGA Division Julia Gross and Poloff discussed U.S. and German priorities for the 64th UNGA September 15. Gross noted that many of reftel priorities tracked those of Germany, including on climate change, peacekeeping, UN reform, and sustainable development. Gross provided Poloff with a paper entitled "EU Priorities for the 64th General Assembly of the United Nations," which Post forwarded separately. Gross also raised a proposal for reducing the number of resolutions that address the Israeli-Palestinian issue. See action request in para 3. End summary. ¶2. (C) Gross noted that MFA UNGA goals track many of the major goals discussed in reftel, as stated above. She noted similar goals with regard to disarmament and nonproliferation, promoting multilateralism, garnering international support for Afghanistan, UN reform, economic and sustainable development and climate change. Regarding the latter, Gross noted that Germany welcomes the U.S. Administration's focus on this issue. Gross also addressed several German priorities and views as follows: -- Progress on UNSC reform: Germany wants to take the issue out of the informal working group and place it in the informal plenary of UNGA, and continues to work with the G-4 on this issue; Germany will be campaigning for a non-permanent seat on the UNSC for 2011-12. -- Budget reform: the UN should have the resources it needs but Germany seeks to reduce the number of add-ons, promote transparency, and seek consensus decisions. -- Afghanistan: promote international support. -- Progress in the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security. -- Creation of a "composite gender entity" as part of reform of UN's gender-related institutions. -- Germany will introduce a resolution on the Rights of the Child and one on National Human Rights Institutions. ¶3. (C) Action request: Gross said that Germany agrees on the need to reduce and consolidate resolutions that disproportionately emphasize the Israeli-Palestinian issue. She said that MFA is proposing to convince Palestinian women's groups not to introduce a resolution critical of Israel at the Commission on the Status of Women -- noting that such a resolution would be the only country-specific resolution introduced in this forum -- but instead to see that the resolution's substance is transferred to more appropriate fora. Another option is to try to consolidate the 4-5 United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) resolutions into two resolutions. Gross said the MFA would welcome USG support to advance both of these proposals. Post seeks Department guidance in responding to these proposals. Murphy