AMBASSADOR RICE'S FEBRUARY 24 LUNCH WITH EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000201

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR IO/EDA AND IO/RHS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2019
TAGS: PHUM EAID PREL SENV SOCI EU UN
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE'S FEBRUARY 24 LUNCH WITH EU
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES


1. (SBU) Summary. Ambassador Rice and the 27 Permanent
Representatives (PRs) from European Member states and
European Commission (EC) representatives discussed a broad
range of political, security, development, and human rights
issues over lunch on February 24. The PRs unanimously
welcomed the new tone and approach by the U.S. at the UN, and
outlined a number of areas where the U.S. and EU could more
closely cooperate. Ambassador Rice welcomed closer
cooperation with the EU, noting that the U.S. can't tackle
problems alone. We need Europe and others working with us
"in full and equal measure" on issues ranging from the
security challenges in Africa to development to climate
change, the Ambassador said. End Summary.


2. (SBU) In her opening comments, Ambassador Rice noted that
the transatlantic relationship is indispensable for fostering
peace, prosperity, and human rights at the UN. "We can't do
it without you," she said. The Ambassador described the top
U.S. priorities at the UN: strengthening the ability to
carry out complex peacekeeping missions, augmenting U.S.
efforts on climate change taking place in other settings,
reinvigorating non-proliferation and disarmament, and
strengthening investment in and commitment to sustainable
development. In addition to these priorities, Ambassador
Rice said the Administration is committed to lead in a robust
and credible way on human rights, and would also look for
ways to steer the debate on the financial crisis at the UN so
that it did not devolve into acrimony and divert the
organization from other priorities. She noted that on each
of these issues, the U.S. could not succeed without a
partnership and close collaboration with the EU.


3. (SBU) Ambassador Rice acknowledged that expectations for
the new Administration are high, but said the U.S. is
determined to find cooperative solutions to the political,
economic, and social challenges facing us all. Expectations
run in the other direction as well, she noted. The U.S.
can't tackle problems alone, and we need Europe and others
working with us "in full and equal measure" on issues ranging
from the security challenges in Africa to development to
climate change. It's time to end the games we have played
together in New York and other multilateral fora, the
Ambassador stated.

Durban Review Conference
--------------


4. (C) Ambassador Rice noted that the U.S. had fulfilled a
pledge President Obama made during the campaign by engaging
in the February 16-19 intersessional working group (IWG)
meeting in Geneva. The U.S. wants to work with others to
turn the Durban II document in an acceptable way that focuses
on the important issue of racism and not on Israel or
defamation of religions, and goes no further on reparations
than the Durban Declaration and Program of Action (DDPA).
She cautioned that the U.S. had not made a decision about
whether to participate in Durban, and said that if it is not
possible to change the document in a positive direction, the
U.S. will not attend the conference. She said that her sense
of the IWG meeting is that while the U.S. had been warmly
welcomed, there had not been commensurate commitments by
important delegations to states to "roll up their sleeves"
and work toward a productive outcome. The document itself
went "from bad to worse" during the IWG meeting, with 100 new
paragraphs of unhelpful text added. "It is difficult to see
how the document could be salvaged in a way the U.S., or
others, could accept," the Ambassador noted.


5. (C) It appears that the Durban review process is heading
in a bad direction, the Ambassador continued, with the only
possible way forward a vastly shortened document that would
not reaffirm Durban or single out any one country. But this
is a long shot, and High Commissioner Pillay appears to have
an overly optimistic view of how an improved document might
emerge. For the U.S. to stay engaged, we need a strong
signal of improved chances for a better document. It's very
difficult for the U.S. to head into the Durban review
conference hoping for a "hail Mary" at the last minute,
Ambassador Rice said. She noted that if a shortened and
improved text were to emerge, the U.S. would likely welcome
it, but "we can't wait forever."


6. (C) In response, the Italian PR noted that Durban is a
thorny issue for all EU countries. We may not have the same
strategy, he said, but there is a strong need for
coordination with the U.S. The Dutch PR said his country
shares the U.S. assessment of the review process, and is not
sure how to salvage it. He expressed hope in High

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Commissioner Pillay's ability to produce a shorter and
improved document. The Belgian insisted the Durban
conference was a "success" because of the hard work EU
members had put into it. "It's a pity we couldn't stand with
the U.S.," he said, but we "hope we'll be in good company at
Durban II." The Finnish PR struck a similar tone, saying the
international community had achieved "some results" at
Durban. She hoped that with the U.S. now engaged in the
process, we could achieve more results together at Durban II.


Human Rights Council
--------------


7. (C) Ambassador Rice stated that the U.S. is conducting an
active, internal review of our stance toward the Human Rights
Council (HRC). The U.S. wants to be constructive in its
approach, and views our interests as inherently aligned with
the EU. While there are a number of domestic U.S.
constituencies that are skeptical of the HRC, including in
Congress, other groups take the view that the U.S. could
better shape events from inside, working with the EU and
other like-minded countries. The Ambassador asked the group,
if the U.S. were to decide to run to join the Council, would
we be able to count on the EU as a strong, consistent partner
in the HRC, the performance of which has been disappointing?
She observed that only Canada had voted against the recent
HRC Gaza resolution despite its unbalanced nature and failure
to even mention Hamas, while the EU had abstained. "We hope
that if the U.S. were to join, we would all be together on
this and would be able to focus on the most important
issues," she added.


8. (C) In response, the German, Finnish, Dutch, Austrian,
Portuguese, and Irish PRs spoke out strongly in favor of the
U.S. seeking election to the HRC, with the latter saying it
was "celestial music to his ears" that the U.S. was
considering joining the body. The German PR said the EU has
"missed the U.S. in the trenches" at the HRC; the Finish PR
added it is not possible to have a credible UN human rights
body without the U.S. The Dutch PR noted that expectations
of the HRC had been too high given that it had largely the
same membership as the Human Rights Commission that preceded
it, but that U.S. leadership remained critical. The Austrian
PR said his country will be a candidate for the HRC in 2011,
and would support the U.S. joining.

Climate Change
--------------


9. (SBU) Ambassador Rice noted that President Obama has made
clear that the economic well being of the U.S. depends on us
playing a leadership role on climate change. Our first task
will be to get a good start on putting in place an effective
domestic regime that would enable us to lead. There is much
work to be done on this front, the Ambassador noted, and
Administration is hard at work on a budget submission and
other legislation related to climate change. In response to
questions by several EU PRs, Ambassador Rice said the U.S.
hopes to be able to reply to the SG's letter proposing the
March 27 "mini-summit" very soon. The timing of the proposed
summit is difficult for the U.S., she added. However, the
U.S. welcomes SG Ban's leadership on climate change and his
efforts to see a successful outcome at the Copenhagen
Conference of Parties.


10. (SBU) The EC Ambassador warmly welcomed Ambassador Rice's
comments on climate change. However, there is a need to
manage expectations among developing countries he said.
Mitigation policy changes are expected, he said, but there
has been less attention paid to the need to help the most
vulnerable countries adapt to climate change. Does the U.S.
have any initiatives in the planning stage that would help
developing countries, especially small island states, adapt
to climate change? He added that carbon trading is very
important for the EU, and that the EU hopes to expand some
sort of carbon trading scheme to OECD countries and
eventually the entire world. Carbon trading offers a
potentially important source of financing, but the EU needs
U.S. cooperation.


11. (SBU) Ambassador Rice agreed that adaptation is a major
challenge, but added that climate change does not necessarily
have to be a net negative for the most vulnerable countries.
One of the key challenges of the next five years will be
working with developing countries to show them how they can
benefit from climate change, including by developing and
utilizing renewable energy technology and curbing

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deforestation.

Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
--------------


12. (SBU) Ambassador Rice noted that President Obama had been
a leader on non-proliferation issues during his Senate
career, and that the U.S. wanted to increase the level of
U.S. engagement at the 2010 review of the Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) and preparatory meetings. The U.S. will also
try to steer START, CTBT, and other disarmament initiatives
in a positive direction.


13. (SBU) The Italian PR noted that U.S. actions, both
multilaterally and bilaterally with Russia, would send an
important signal. There is a strong convergence between the
U.S. and EU on the issue. The Polish PR said that his
country shares the view that the 2010 review of the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is very important, and that we
need to begin building momentum now. The Dutch PR went a
step further, stating that this is the first time in 20 years
that there is a chance to make progress, and it is therefore
important to return the NPT review to the Ambassadorial level.

Peacekeeping
--------------


14. (SBU) Ambassador Rice said the U.S. hopes to work with
other countries to strengthen the UN's ability to carry out
complex peacekeeping missions. We are asking too much of the
organization in the area of peacekeeping, she noted, and risk
breaking an instrument that is crucial for the prevention and
resolution of conflict. As a sign of the U.S. commitment to
make progress, Ambassador Rice noted she would speak at the
GA's Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations or C34, the
first time a U.S. Permanent Representative had done so in 20
years.


15. (SBU) The Italian PR agreed the UN's peacekeeping
operation is overstretched, and noted there is a need for new
ideas on the issue. The key issue is to find a way to make
cooperation with the Africa Group and the AU more effective.
The EU has initiatives underway to build the capacity of
African countries and the AU Secretariat, but they need more
time to bear results. He agreed that Ambassador Rice's
appearance at the C-34 was very important.


16. (SBU) Other Issues
--------------

--MDG on the Private Sector: The Danish PR said the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) lack a private sector
component, which is the only source of sustainable
development financing. He asked whether the U.S. would
support expanding the MDGs to create more sustainable
financing sources through the private sector? Ambassador
Rice responded that she could see value in a private sector
component for the MDGs. She noted robust small and medium
enterprises are particularly important for poverty
eradication, and are underutilized in the context of the MDGs.

--Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women: The Irish PR
noted there is a GA effort underway to reorganize and make
more efficient the UN's gender architecture. Making progress
in this area could be an "early harvest" for UN reform, but
would require close cooperation between the U.S. and EU.
Ambassador Rice responded that she would be interested in
seeing progress made on this issue.

--R2P: The Belgian PR said the SG's report had been very
helpful, and asked what the U.S position is on this issue?
Ambassador Rice replied that the U.S. is supportive of the
concept, and wants to find a constructive way to advance it.
The question is how to utilize R2P in practice vis--vis real
world challenges like Darfur. There should be no rollback
from 2005.

--Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW): The German PR
asked whether the U.S. would work toward ratifying CEDAW.
Ambassador Rice responded that both she and Secretary Clinton
had testified that CEDAW is an important treaty, and that the
U.S. should move ahead in the ratification process. In
addition, the policy changes the U.S. had recently announced
demonstrate that the new Administration is in a very
different place on gender issues.

Rice