AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS WITH ROK PR PARK

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000150 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/17/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM KN SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS WITH ROK PR PARK Classified By: Ambassador Rice for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In Ambassador Rice's initial call with Republic of Korea PermRep Park on February 17, the latter discussed shared priorities and possibilities for further coordination on issues such as DPRK, G-20 coordination, Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),disarmament, the environmental summit and Security Council reform. Ambassador Park raised recent reports on a possible DPRK missile launch and pressed for "careful coordination" in the Security Council and in the 1718 Sanctions Committee on the issue. Ambassador Rice assured Park that the U.S. would work closely with the ROK and other Six-Party partners in the event of a missile launch and emphasized that the focus of international diplomacy should remain on the Six-Party process. ¶2. (C) Park proposed increased coordination on MDGs and said Korea is interested in expanding its assistance beyond Asia. He mentioned Korean efforts to engage China on development, noting that Chinese development policy is "distant from the traditional Western concept." Park said the ROK is introducing legislation in Korea to make peacekeeping efforts smoother and suggested the possibility of adding Cote d'Ivoire to the agenda for the Peacebuilding Commission. ¶3. (C) On disarmament, Park mentioned the upcoming Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) and Review Conference and the need for constructive engagement, referencing the Secretary-General's five disarmament initiatives. (Note: Ban's five initiatives include: 1) urging all NPT parties to undertake negotiations on effective measures leading to nuclear disarmament, 2) pressing Security Council permanent members to commence discussions on security issues in the nuclear disarmament process, 3) bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) into force, 4) encouraging nuclear states to be accountable and transparent regarding activities in pursuit of CTBT goals and, 5) inception of complementary measures, including the elimination of other types of WMD and a limit on the trade of conventional weapons. End Note.) Ambassador Rice underlined the administration's commitment to non-proliferation, specifically noting U.S. interest in a constructive PrepCom. She pressed Park to provide regional leadership in shaping a productive agenda. ¶4. (C) In the run-up to the Copenhagen Summit in December, Park raised Ban's proposed environmental summit with a smaller group of countries on March 27, seeking confirmation of President Obama's attendance. He emphasized the need for a "passionate leader" on the issue, adding that China is traditionally "passive" on environmental matters. Ambassador Rice said it was under review in Washington but remarked that some countries had questioned the timing of the event and its venue. She underscored the need to gauge other countries' participation to be sure those who need the message will attend; like the Indians or the Chinese, she continued, who told her they are unsure whether they would participate. ¶5. (C) Park called Security Council reform the "mission impossible." He said both the G4 (Germany, India, Brazil and Japan) and the Uniting for Consensus (UFC) Group, to which the ROK belongs, are "western groups" that cannot get the needed two-thirds majority. Unless there is a clear third alternative, he said, upcoming intergovernmental negotiations would not be productive. Rice