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