DEMARCHE DELIVERED: DRAFT RESOLUTION ON THE DPRK

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000489 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PARM UNSC CS SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: DRAFT RESOLUTION ON THE DPRK REF: SECSTATE 60616 ¶1. (SBU) On June 12 we met with Costa Rican MFA Coordinator of U.N. Security Council issues Adriana Murillo and Disarmament Chief Carlos Cordero to discuss reftel talking points. In parallel we also contacted Elaine White, COS to FM Bruno Stagno. Murillo thanked us for the information, and expressed Costa Rica's support for the draft resolution. However, she expressed frustration at the lack of input that had been offered to Costa Rica and the other non-permanent members in the drafting process. Shortly after the UNSC vote, White confirmed that Costa Rica had voted in favor of the resolution, and that Stagno had been closely monitoring the issue. ¶2. (SBU) Murillo and Cordero also brought up the question of what comes next, and mentioned U.S. media reports that North Korea is already preparing for another nuclear test. They asked that we provide them with any information on future U.S. plans as soon as possible. Additionally, they expressed interest in the make-up of the expert panel that will be created under the new resolution, and hoped that there would be some kind of regional representation on the panel. ACTION REQUEST: We'd like to be able to provide further information as available. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: Murillo and Cordero clearly thought it amusing that we would present them "our ideas" on the new DPRK resolution at almost the same time the vote was taking place in New York. Given the late transmission of Reftel (only a few hours ahead of the scheduled vote),that was the best we could do. As readers in Washington and New York well know, Costa Rica considers itself to be a leader on international disarmament issues, and a conscientious player on the UNSC. The MFA was thus clearly disappointed that Costa Rica hadn't been given sufficient chance to "make its voice heard" on this issue. This is a familiar Tico refrain and an almost inevitable problem given the delay in clearing important demarches out of the Department, and the fast-moving developments in New York. Although we appreciate these difficulties, we reiterate what we have reported in the past. If we are seriously seeking Costa Rican support on key UNSC issues, we should either focus the action in New York, or provide more timely demarche instructions from Washington. CIANCHETTE