Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09UNVIEVIENNA105
2009-03-16 11:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
UNVIE
Cable title:  

UNODC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COSTA REITERATED CRIME

Tags:  PGOV UNAUS KCRM SNAR AF UNODC 
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O 161157Z MAR 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 
SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9149
INFO WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000105 


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2014
TAGS: PGOV UNAUS KCRM SNAR AF UNODC
SUBJECT: UNODC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COSTA REITERATED CRIME
LINKAGE WITH ONDCP AND INL

REF: A. 09UNVIEVIENNA 99

B. 09UNVIEVIENNA 72


Classified By: Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, reasons 1.4 (c) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000105


E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2014
TAGS: PGOV UNAUS KCRM SNAR AF UNODC
SUBJECT: UNODC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR COSTA REITERATED CRIME
LINKAGE WITH ONDCP AND INL

REF: A. 09UNVIEVIENNA 99

B. 09UNVIEVIENNA 72


Classified By: Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, reasons 1.4 (c) and (d).


1. (u) This cable contains an action request in paragraph 13.


2. (c) Summary. INL Assistant Secretary (A/S) David
Johnson, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Acting Director (AD) Ed Jurith, and Ambassador Schulte met
with Executive Director (ED) Antonio Costa March 13 on the
margins of the High-level segment of the 52nd UN Commission
on Narcotic Drugs (CND). Meeting participants discussed a
range of issues, including Costa's March 5 concept paper on
organized crime and the need to strengthen the crime
conventions. Costa emphasized the importance of treating
organized crime seriously, including through action to
strengthen the crime Conventions and possibly a UN General
Assembly review of organized crime as a threat to stability
and security. He clarified that any restructuring of UNODC
would not blur UNODC's balance between the normative and
technical assistance functions of his office, and he would
keep the Department of Treaty Affairs as a free-standing
entity. With regard to Afghanistan, A/S Johnson indicated
that detailed plans for the upcoming March Afghanistan
meeting were still pending, including Costa's request to
participate; Costa reported that UNODC was beginning to
grapple with assembling statistics on corruption in
Afghanistan in order to develop an updated political message.
Costa welcomed the announcement of the nomination of the new
Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil
Kerlikowske, Mr. Jurith's summary of the on-going process to
update U.S. National Drug Control strategy, and the
opportunity to meet the new ONDCP Director. End Summary.


Encouraging a Measured Interpretation of Costa's Report
-------------- --------------


3. (c) In a March 13 meeting, INL A/S David Johnson, AD
Jurith, Ambassador Schulte, Costa opened the meeting by
quoting Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora as
saying the press was yet again misinformed and not using good
faith in its reporting on Costa's March 5 concept paper,

"Organized Crime and Its Threat to Security: Tackling a
Disturbing Consequence of Drug Control." A/S Johnson noted
that it was important for Costa to ensure that the press
better understand that this paper did not intend to criticize
the crime conventions as being ineffective nor that a
successful drug control regime was weakening these
conventions. Costa responded that his report's key assertion
that organized crime is an "unintended consequence" of the
drug control regime had been made over a year ago and that
UNODC was being "honest." He added that he could not deny the
extraordinary threat posed by organized crime - and that this
crime was primarily drug-related.


4. (c) Noting that he had purposely "kept to the middle" on
this issue, Costa added that he was proud that UNODC and the
international community are now knowledgeable on what actions
to take to combat drugs around the world, from Thailand, to
Turkey, to Pakistan, to Colombia. He stressed that programs
on both the supply and demand side were now well-developed.
However, he emphasized, the international community has
formulated no answers on combating powerful organized crime
groups and remains ill-equipped to address the drug
trafficking problems in West Africa and the Caribbean.
Adding that the illicit drugs in these regions were fueling
money-laundering, organized crime and threats to security
such as the recent killings in Guinea Bissau, Costa stressed
that unless the international community addresses this issue,
the pressure against the crime Conventions will keep mounting.


5. (c) Costa then made a plea to the U.S. delegation and
"all member states" to take the crime conventions very
seriously. He proffered that Italy had not ratified one,
Japan another. Stating, "let's get serious," Costa
emphasized the need to promote the conventions so as not to
be faces with executing addicts and suppliers like in China
and Iran. In response to A/S Johnson's query regarding the
number of countries that have not ratified the Conventions,
Costa said most have actually ratified most of them but that
there had been no momentum for real action since the
Conference of Parties. For example, Costa reminded the
delegation that the U.S., China, Russia, and the UK, among
others, have not ratified the Firearm Protocol. Costa
inquired whether the new Administration would reinstate the
assault rifle ban (note: the U.S., nevertheless, is in full
compliance with this protocol). A/S Johnson reported that
Secretary Napolitano, in recent Congressional testimony, had
said the Administration had not yet developed a policy on the
issue so the question remained outstanding.


6. (c) Returning to the current state of the crime
conventions, A/S Johnson emphasized that we should be very
careful not to seem to say these conventions are failures but
rather should look at what can be done to strengthen them.
Costa again dismissed the more dramatic press coverage on his
report by noting that the press would always pick and choose
what to quote from his statements but that he was not going
to let that stifle his discussion of the issue. That being
said, Costa also acknowledged that he understood the U.S.
message and would pay greater attention to how his ideas were
presented. A/S Johnson added that the U.S. believed that
treaty functions are very important and they we must work
together to enhance and strengthen them. Acknowledging that
the crime conventions are relatively new compared to the drug
conventions and undergoing a late "teething process," Costa
added that member states did not really have a clear concept
for how to strengthen them. In order to stimulate better
focus on these conventions, Costa explained that UNODC was
starting to compile statistics on organized crime, while at
the same time promoting the ratification, implementation, and
understanding of the conventions.

Support for Regional GRULAC Cooperation
--------------


7. (c) Division of Operations Director Francis Maertens
interjected with information regarding GRULAC countries. He
explained that they were supportive of greater regional
programs to combat drugs and crime and had circulated a draft
CND resolution on implementation of the Santo Domingo Pact to
combat drugs and crime. Maertens noted that consensus on
this resolution at the CND next week would be an important
symbol of support. Costa added that there was true
enthusiasm in the GRULAC region for these initiatives
(although the Costa Rica meeting had been postponed) and
encouraged the U.S., as the region's northern side, to be a
stronger leader and supporter of these initiatives. A/S
Johnson noted that the U.S. had been planning to participate
in the upcoming Costa Rica meeting and agreed that the
countries in the region needed encouragement to work together
as regional partners. Costa agreed and reported that Mexico
was also supportive of these efforts.

Bringing Organized Crime to NY?
--------------


8. (c) Turning back more specifically to organized crime,
Costa reported that Mexico would like to invite the UNGA
President (incoming) to examine organized crime as a threat
to stability and security and that Mexico had solicited
UNODC's views on this proposal. Costa told the U.S.
delegation that he believes the idea is an interesting one
and could be handled in a similar way to the development of
the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy.

Maintaining Normative and Technical Balance in UNODC
-------------- --------------

9 (c) On the issue of possible structural changes in UNODC
(ref b),Costa provided background on UNODC's current funding
crisis and how that led to the need to freeze the Treaty
Affair Director position, but unequivocally stated that
"grapevine rumors" that this freezing would lead to the
disappearance of the Division of Treaty Affairs were entirely
unfounded. He told the U.S. delegation that he strongly
believed in the importance of the balance between normative
and operational functions of UNODC. Indeed, Costa added that
a blurring of this division would "breakdown" UNODC's
calibrated research/analysis/operations process.


Update on U.S. Drug Control Policy
--------------


10. (c) Mr. Jurith raised the issue of the newly nominated
ONDCP Director and his upcoming confirmation process, noting
that the confirmation process notwithstanding, ONDCP was
already developing strategies to implement the
Administration's increasing focus on reducing demand,
including programs such as drug courts and treatment and
prevention for those on probation and parole. As Mr. Jurith
explained, ONDCP believed outreach to the hard-core addict
population was very important and that programs must focus on
finding ways to bring them from the shadows into the
mainstream and hopefully treatment. Mr. Jurith added that
these new U.S. initiatives would not include all elements of
the broad spectrum of harm reduction. Mr. Jurith indicated
that the new strategy would be released early February 2010.
Costa said these were positive developments and indicated he
looked forward to meeting the new ONDCP Director in the
future.


Afghanistan Action
--------------


11. (c) Turning to Afghanistan, A/S Johnson reported that
information was still pending on the March 31 Afghanistan
meeting. Costa noted that the Secretary General and the
Secretary would cohost. Costa added that UNODC was starting
a survey to produce a report that would assist in creating a
platform to build an updated political message for
Afghanistan. Costa stated that the previous message about
regaining control in Afghanistan on a counter narcotics
strategy was a successful one as were UNODC's three
recommended pillars. According to Costa, "food for thought"
on the updated political message should include focusing
attention on corruption. To this end, reported Costa, UNODC
was inputting information into the survey to see what kind of
platform could be built.


12. (c) In response to A/S Johnson's query as to how would
a survey on corruption be created, Costa indicated his staff
was complaining but he believed the 367 surveyors in
Afghanistan could be used effectively in this regard.
Maertens added that he had heard from Afghan Finance Minister
Ashraf Ghani that illicit drug production in Afghanistan was
in the hands of 20 Afghan families. A/S Johnson replied that
drug production was not that tightly organized but had
understood that the UK believed large landowners controlled
operations in Helmand, and of course this issue depended to a
degree on how "family" is defined. Costa stated that he
believed cartels might be growing in Afghanistan as they had
in Colombia but that they had not "internationalized" yet and
operated only in Afghanistan. Raising the Trilateral
initiative (Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan) and the recent
Joint Planning Cell counter narcotics operation along their
border, Costa reported that the seizures were not that much,
but the political symbolism of this joint operation was an
important one. He added that Iran recognized this symbolism
and found the operation important but Pakistan had
complained. Nonetheless, the operation was an important one.

Action Request
--------------


13. (c) We would welcome reports from USUN on any Mexican
initiative to bring Organized Crime to the UNGA or UN
Security Council. End Action Request.


SCHULTE