SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE CABLE ON UN ASSISTANCE

UNCLAS STATE 048527 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XY SUBJECT: SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE CABLE ON UN ASSISTANCE TO THE CGPCS ¶1. This is an action request see paragraph 2. ¶2. ACTION REQUEST: USUN is requested to demarche the UN Secretariat at the appropriate level to obtain the objectives in paragraph 3. USUN may draw from the background listed in paragraph 4-7 to achieve these objectives. USUN should inform the Secretariat that we are demarching them in our national capacity, not as the Chair of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS). ¶3. OBJECTIVES: USUN should pursue the following objectives when delivering this demarche: -- Suggest the UN Secretariat delay its "report" on "socio-economic projects in Somalia that have direct relation to addressing piracy on land" until the next plenary meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS),not the upcoming "urgent" CGPCS meeting on May 29; -- Limit any UN "report" to Working Group (WG) 4 of the CGPCS to Public Diplomacy/Public Affairs issues per the mandate of WG4; -- Request that the UN Secretariat only accept "taskings" from the CGPCS that are formally requested from the CGPCS Chair via letter to the UN Secretary-General. ¶4. BACKGROUND: On March 17, 2008 the CGPCS held its second plenary session in Cairo, Egypt. During this meeting, and the meeting in Cairo several days earlier of WG4 of the CGPCS (also chaired by Egypt),the Egyptian delegation was insistent on the UN preparing a report on possible alternatives to piracy for the people of Somalia. Evidently, UN Secretariat representatives (note: the UN is a participant in the CGPCS) agreed to take on this request for the UN. The final communique of the plenary, which all states did not have a chance to clear on before publishing, stated: "The Contact Group welcomed the UN's readiness to present at its next meeting a needs assessment on socio-economic projects that have direct-relation to addressing piracy on land." ¶5. Following the rise in incidents of piracy off the Somali coast in the last several months, including the attack of two U.S. flagged vessels in the Somalia basin, the United States called for an "urgent" meeting of the CGPCS to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on May ¶29. In preparation for this meeting, we have discovered the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS),in response to the CGPCS' March 17 communique, is preparing a "report" for the next WG4 meeting of the CGPCS, to be held on May 25 in Cairo. The report will consist of: a communications strategy, an actionable concept on job creation in Somalia, a number of proposals on increasing the livelihood of the people of Somalia, and proposals on establishing a Somalia coast guard. ¶6. The United States opposes the delivery of such a report to WG4 of the CGPCS because the mandate of this working group is limited to Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy activities. We support the UN delivering a recommended communications strategy to WG4 at the May 25 meeting. In general, the United States believes the CGPCS should focus its attentions only on direct actions to suppress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea and not on addressing the longstanding root causes of piracy in Somalia, which we feel could be addressed more appropriately through other bilateral and multilateral mechanisms, such as the Contact Group for Somalia and existing UN development programs. However, as we did agree to its inclusion in the CGPCS' March 17 Communique, we would not object to receiving such a report, as outlined above, from the UN to a future plenary meeting of the CGPCS. Unfortunately, as we already have a full agenda for the upcoming "urgent" meeting of the CGPCS, we would not support such a briefing at this time. ¶7. The United States very much appreciates the UN's partnership in suppressing piracy off the Somali coast. Different UN organizations in discharging their UN mandates will undoubtedly collect information that will be beneficial to the CGPCS. However, to avoid confusion in the future and to avoid the perception that the UN Secretariat works for the CGPCS, the United States would strongly recommend the UN require from the CGPCS chair a formal written request to the UN Secretary-General for UN assistance for each request. We believe this simple procedure will lead to better cooperation between the UN and CGPCS in the future. ¶8. REPORTING DEADLINE AND POC: USUN should deliver the demarche and report back any response by May 15, 2009. Please contact Joseph J. FitzGerald (IO/UNP) with any questions or for further information. CLINTON