Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09UNVIEVIENNA468
2009-10-14 08:23:00
UNCLASSIFIED
UNVIE
Cable title:
UNCITRAL Sorieul Hails U.S. Support, More Needed
how-toVZCZCXYZ0002 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHUNV #0468 2870823 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 140823Z OCT 09 FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0179 INFO RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 1487 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1783 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 0331 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME 0607 RUEHXX/GENEVA IO MISSIONS COLLECTIVE RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 1155
UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000468
DEPT FOR L/PIL, L/CID, L/EB
EMBASSIES FOR ECON/POL
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EINV ETRD UNCITRAL AU UN
SUBJECT: UNCITRAL Sorieul Hails U.S. Support, More Needed
-------
SUMMARY
-------
UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000468
DEPT FOR L/PIL, L/CID, L/EB
EMBASSIES FOR ECON/POL
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EINV ETRD UNCITRAL AU UN
SUBJECT: UNCITRAL Sorieul Hails U.S. Support, More Needed
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) benefits from
unwavering U.S. support, and hopes that it can count on the U.S. for
support for an increased budget as well as political assistance in
helping UNCITRAL strike the right balance between its technical work
and political visibility. In an introductory meeting with
Ambassador Davies, UNCITRAL Director Renaud Sorieul also strongly
complimented the contributions of U.S. delegations to UNCITRAL
meetings and working groups and expressed the hope that the U.S.
would better coordinate its bilateral technical legal assistance in
developing countries with UNCITRAL's own assistance work.
Ambassador Davies expressed support for UNCITRAL's work and his
commitment to regular UNVIE engagement with the commission. END
SUMMARY.
2. On October 5, Ambassador Davies met with UNCITRAL Director Renaud
Sorieul. Noting that Ambassador Davies had just arrived a few weeks
prior, Sorieul expressed his appreciation for the Ambassador making
time so early in his tenure to visit UNCITRAL, especially, as
Sorieul noted, in light of the evolving situation with Iran and the
IAEA. After receiving a briefing on the background of UNCITRAL's
mandate and work, Ambassador Davies asked Sorieul what the U.S.
could do to help. Sorieul praised the cooperation UNCITRAL has with
the U.S. delegation, as well as the substantive sophistication and
preparedness U.S. representatives bring to the table during meetings
and working group sessions. As Sorieul stressed, "Your delegation
is fantastic. Its ability to coordinate among the various U.S.
agencies, and to speak with one voice on very complex issues, is
impressive." However, Sorieul added, the U.S. could "do a better
job" in disseminating UNICTRAL tools and documents for use by
bilateral U.S. assistance programs in the field. For example,
Sorieul recounted how some USAID projects in developing countries
trying to re-invent the wheel when it comes to trade law technical
assistance, instead of using existing UNICTRAL products Sorieul
stressed that these UNCITRAL products were actually "heavily
influenced" by U.S. input and thus largely consistent with U.S.
objectives. Sorieul stated that with better promotion of UNCITRAL
by U.S. aid providers, duplication of work in the field would be
greatly reduced, as would the potential for confusion among
recipients. Ambassador Davies expressed his support for UNCITRAL's
work and his commitment to continued UNVIE engagement.
3. Sorieul also asked for USG support in the UN's Fifth Committee
for UNCITRAL to receive additional UN regular budget resources. The
imbalance UNCITRAL experiences between demand for assistance and
resources available, Sorieul contended, was "ridiculous". As he
opined, UNCITRAL's organizational structure still reflects "1960
realities". For example, he emphasized that UNCITRAL had eleven
attorneys in 1968, but only fourteen currently. Sorieul worried
that UNCITRAL's static funding situation is a result of "political
ignorance" of its work and importance to member states. Sorieul
noted that while UNCITRAL's work has so far not been politicized,
relative to other UN bodies, UNCITRAL needed to achieve a certain
"political visibility" in order to more effectively continue its
impressive work.
4. Recognizing that any such resources would not be likely for the
foreseeable future, Soreiul stated that UNCITRAL's latest idea is to
raise extra-budgetary resources. In this regard, Sorieul pointed to
a likely regional office in Singapore or Korea, which would be
substantively "if not completely" funded by voluntary contributions
of the host nation.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
5. UNVIE will continue to engage Sorieul and the UNCITRAL
Secretariat in order to see how UNCITRAL and U.S. aid providers
might better marry their activities on the ground. Further, while
UNVIE sympathizes with Sorieul's assessment of UNCITRAL's financial
situation, we will remind him that the U.S. currently has a UN-wide
position dedicated to fiscal discipline. It will continue to be
incumbent on Sorieul and others in NY's Office of Legal Affairs to
make their case for an increase of UNCITRAL's share of the UN
regular budget. END COMMENT
DAVIES
DEPT FOR L/PIL, L/CID, L/EB
EMBASSIES FOR ECON/POL
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EINV ETRD UNCITRAL AU UN
SUBJECT: UNCITRAL Sorieul Hails U.S. Support, More Needed
--------------
SUMMARY
--------------
1. UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) benefits from
unwavering U.S. support, and hopes that it can count on the U.S. for
support for an increased budget as well as political assistance in
helping UNCITRAL strike the right balance between its technical work
and political visibility. In an introductory meeting with
Ambassador Davies, UNCITRAL Director Renaud Sorieul also strongly
complimented the contributions of U.S. delegations to UNCITRAL
meetings and working groups and expressed the hope that the U.S.
would better coordinate its bilateral technical legal assistance in
developing countries with UNCITRAL's own assistance work.
Ambassador Davies expressed support for UNCITRAL's work and his
commitment to regular UNVIE engagement with the commission. END
SUMMARY.
2. On October 5, Ambassador Davies met with UNCITRAL Director Renaud
Sorieul. Noting that Ambassador Davies had just arrived a few weeks
prior, Sorieul expressed his appreciation for the Ambassador making
time so early in his tenure to visit UNCITRAL, especially, as
Sorieul noted, in light of the evolving situation with Iran and the
IAEA. After receiving a briefing on the background of UNCITRAL's
mandate and work, Ambassador Davies asked Sorieul what the U.S.
could do to help. Sorieul praised the cooperation UNCITRAL has with
the U.S. delegation, as well as the substantive sophistication and
preparedness U.S. representatives bring to the table during meetings
and working group sessions. As Sorieul stressed, "Your delegation
is fantastic. Its ability to coordinate among the various U.S.
agencies, and to speak with one voice on very complex issues, is
impressive." However, Sorieul added, the U.S. could "do a better
job" in disseminating UNICTRAL tools and documents for use by
bilateral U.S. assistance programs in the field. For example,
Sorieul recounted how some USAID projects in developing countries
trying to re-invent the wheel when it comes to trade law technical
assistance, instead of using existing UNICTRAL products Sorieul
stressed that these UNCITRAL products were actually "heavily
influenced" by U.S. input and thus largely consistent with U.S.
objectives. Sorieul stated that with better promotion of UNCITRAL
by U.S. aid providers, duplication of work in the field would be
greatly reduced, as would the potential for confusion among
recipients. Ambassador Davies expressed his support for UNCITRAL's
work and his commitment to continued UNVIE engagement.
3. Sorieul also asked for USG support in the UN's Fifth Committee
for UNCITRAL to receive additional UN regular budget resources. The
imbalance UNCITRAL experiences between demand for assistance and
resources available, Sorieul contended, was "ridiculous". As he
opined, UNCITRAL's organizational structure still reflects "1960
realities". For example, he emphasized that UNCITRAL had eleven
attorneys in 1968, but only fourteen currently. Sorieul worried
that UNCITRAL's static funding situation is a result of "political
ignorance" of its work and importance to member states. Sorieul
noted that while UNCITRAL's work has so far not been politicized,
relative to other UN bodies, UNCITRAL needed to achieve a certain
"political visibility" in order to more effectively continue its
impressive work.
4. Recognizing that any such resources would not be likely for the
foreseeable future, Soreiul stated that UNCITRAL's latest idea is to
raise extra-budgetary resources. In this regard, Sorieul pointed to
a likely regional office in Singapore or Korea, which would be
substantively "if not completely" funded by voluntary contributions
of the host nation.
--------------
COMMENT
--------------
5. UNVIE will continue to engage Sorieul and the UNCITRAL
Secretariat in order to see how UNCITRAL and U.S. aid providers
might better marry their activities on the ground. Further, while
UNVIE sympathizes with Sorieul's assessment of UNCITRAL's financial
situation, we will remind him that the U.S. currently has a UN-wide
position dedicated to fiscal discipline. It will continue to be
incumbent on Sorieul and others in NY's Office of Legal Affairs to
make their case for an increase of UNCITRAL's share of the UN
regular budget. END COMMENT
DAVIES