AMBASSADOR URGES FRANCE TO SUPPORT CONSENSUS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001266

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/16/2019
TAGS: PARM PREL FR
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR URGES FRANCE TO SUPPORT CONSENSUS ON
NUCLEAR SUMMIT DRAFT

Classified By: Ambassador Charles Rivkin, Reasons 1.4(b),(d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: As negotiations on the draft resolution for
the UN Security Council Summit on Nonproliferation and
Disarmament continue in New York, Post is strongly
emphasizing to the French the importance of reaching P5
consensus. So far, the GOF message remains one of concern
that a resolution without tough language referring to
proliferation threats will set a dangerous precedent for the
2010 Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference (NPT RevCon)
that they and President Sarkozy will likely find hard to
accept. On September 15, Ambassador urged NSA Levitte to
support P5 consensus on U.S. suggested language in OP7 of the
current draft text. Levitte said he would look into the
issue, but noted France would consider "strange" Russian or
Chinese disagreement with inclusion of a paragraph on the
regional crisis that recalls existing resolutions that have
not been implemented. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Ambassador Rivkin called President Sarkozy's
Diplomatic Advisor (NSA-equivalent) Jean-David Levitte on the
evening of September 15 to press the GOF to support the
latest draft proposal, underlining that the suggested
language for OP7 achieves all our objectives while also
allowing for P5 consensus. Levitte said he had already
expressed to NSA Jones that it was very important for France
to have a paragraph that recalls existing resolutions that
have not been implemented. He added that it would be strange
if Russia or China disagreed with this approach, although he
admitted that he was not on top of the latest language and
would look into the matter.


3. (C) France was double tracking its diplomatic efforts in
New York with Embassy Paris earlier the same day, emphasizing
with us the need for a tough focus on nonproliferation in the
text. MFA NPT officer Celine Jurgensen approached POLOFF
during an unrelated meeting September 15 to say that Paris
had just sent new instructions to French diplomats in New
York and emphasized French frustration with the proposed
language of the draft resolution. While acknowledging that
negotiations on the draft are ongoing, Jurgensen said she
wanted to remind the USG that there is pressure from the
"very highest levels" of the French government to ensure that
this summit focuses strongly on nonproliferation threats.


4. (C) Jurgensen went on to add that any text agreed upon at
the summit would be used as a precedent during the 2010 NPT
RevCon, so it is critical that it tackle nonproliferation
challenges head on. France has reluctantly agreed to drop
any specific mention of Iran and North Korea in the
resolution (though she added that Japanese diplomats had told
the French their instructions continue to demand that North
Korea be mentioned by name). Jurgensen said, however, it
will be hard to present President Sarkozy with a draft of the
resolution that does not take into account the priority he
himself places on countering the threat to French security
posed by specific proliferator countries.
RIVKIN