SOMALIA: NEW YORK STATE OF PLAY ON 1863 RENEWAL

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000443 SENSITIVE SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - TEXT AND CLASSIFICATION E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM MARR KPKO UNSC SO SUBJECT: SOMALIA: NEW YORK STATE OF PLAY ON 1863 RENEWAL REF: A. SENIOR-KHAMBATTA EMAIL ¶B. 4/27/09 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In P3 consultations on April 29, the UK said that it intends to circulate its draft resolution on Somalia (ref) to the full Council by May 6 and that it plans to schedule a vote for May 22 in order to allow the Fifth Committee four days to consider AMISOM support before the end of the Committee's May session. The UK resolution, the text of which has not been shared beyond the P3, enacts the Secretary-General's recommendation to continue UN logistical support to the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) as under UNSCR 1863. Russia and France conceptually support the SYG/UK approach, while China tells us they will support the UK text as long as it mentions the end goal of a UNPKO. Japan would prefer to extend UN-funded support for a period of 6 months, but the UK believes they may accept the UK's proposal of 8 months (until 31 January 2010). UNSC consultations on Somalia originally scheduled for May 6 have been postponed until May 13, reportedly in order to accommodate the Secretariat briefers. End Summary. P5 plus Japan ¶2. (SBU) The UK convened P3 consultations on April 29 to discuss their draft resolution on support to AMISOM following the expiration of UNSCR 1863. Poloff briefed the P3 on intra-USG policy discussions on the issue and requested a delay in the UK's timeline for the resolution. The UK committed to not circulating the text before May 6, but expressed a strong preference for a May 22 vote in order to allow the Fifth Committee time to consider the issue before the end of its May session. France said it supported the UK approach and offered only minor textual comments. ¶3. (SBU) USUN also reached out on April 29 to China, Russia and Japan for general comments on the SYG's approach, though none have seen the UK's draft. The Russian expert said that his government fully supported the SYG's proposal, to the extent that he was having difficulty writing talking points for the SC session. The Chinese expert said that the eventual goal of a UNPKO remained important to policymakers in Beijing, and that the SYG's recommendation for continued support to AMISOM represented a "serious and pragmatic" way forward. He said that China would support a resolution based on this recommendation as long as language was included to place such support in the context of an eventual UNPKO. The Japanese expert said her government also supported the SYG's recommendation, and confirmed that she had held talks with the UK over the duration of continued UN support. Japan prefers to extend UN support for only 6 months, while the UK believes that Japan may ultimately agree to their proposal for an 8 month extension of support. Analysis: Broader Council dynamics ¶4. (SBU) In the wake of UNSCR 1863's unanimous adoption in January and the SYG's explicit endorsement, the UK's proposal for continued UN support will not be controversial in the broader Council. Uganda, Burkina Faso and Libya would prefer a UNPKO, but recognize that this is not possible on the current Council and will strongly support continued UN support to AMISOM as an AU mission. Vietnam, Mexico, Costa Rica and Turkey (the latter a cosponsor of UNSCR 1863) strongly support UN engagement in Somalia and will be inclined to follow the SYG's recommendations. Austria and Croatia are likely somewhat less enthusiastic about UN engagement in Somalia, but neither is likely to object to a resolution by a fellow EU member enacting a proposal made by the SYG. Rice