AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISCUSS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000545

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PREF CE KN PK CF UNSC
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE MEETS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO DISCUSS
PAKISTAN, SRI LANKA AND DPRK

Classified By: Ambassador Susan E. Rice for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Ambassador Rice on May 28 met with UN
Secretary-General Ban ki Moon to discuss a range of subjects,
including the humanitarian situation in Pakistan and Sri
Lanka, particularly regarding how the UN can and should deal
with the destabilizing effects of large numbers of internally
displaced persons. On the issue of North Korea, Ban said he
appreciates the U.S.-led effort on drafting a Security
Council resolution, and underscored that North Korea's
provocative acts are testing the endurance of the South
Korean people. Ambassador Rice briefed Ban on the Security
Council trip to Africa, and they agreed that pressure needs
to be maintained on DRC President Kabila to hold his military
leaders accused of gender-based violence accountable for
their actions. Ban said he would be in Washington June 4-5
and would like to meet with Secretary Clinton. End Summary.

Pakistan
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2. (C) Ambassador Rice on May 28 met with UN
Secretary-General Ban ki Moon to discuss a range of subjects,
including the worsening situation of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) in Pakistan. Ambassador Rice emphasized to
Ban that the issue of IDPs represented more than just a
humanitarian tragedy but one that could threaten the
stability of the country. Ambassador Rice reiterated that
the UN needs to appoint as soon as possible a senior
humanitarian coordinator for Pakistan's IDPs. The candidate
must have strong credentials. Ban agreed and said he might
have to look beyond UN headquarters for the right candidate.
Ban also noted that success in addressing the situation in
Pakistan depended on how quickly member states and the UN can
mobilize funding. He said that so far the UN's flash appeal
had not proved as successful as he had hoped. Ambassador
Rice responded that the lack of a strong UN coordination
effort on the ground could be a factor.

Sri Lanka
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3. (C) Ban said the President of Sri Lanka estimated that 80
percent of IDPs would be resettled by the end of 2009, and
that the UN would mobilize the resources to cover Sri Lanka's
efforts. Ban said that during his visit to the conflict zone
he saw no signs of human habitation and the refugee camps
were in terrible condition. Ban quoted the Sri Lankan
President as saying that he intended to confer first with
India regarding re-engagement with the Tamils before doing so
internally. Without offering specific recommendations, Ban
opined that the UN needs to deal quickly and practically with
accountability issues raised during the conflict or there
will be outside pressure on the organization to do so. Ban
said he had spoken at length with the Sri Lankan President
about ensuring unimpeded humanitarian access to the conflict
areas. UN Chef de Cabinet Nambiar added that the Sri Lankan
government had agreed in principle provided the humanitarian
shipments did not travel in convoys or display flags.
According to Nambiar, the President admitted that the army
would withdraw from the conflict areas so NGOs could take
over responsibility, but he assessed the military was not
necessarily in agreement with this.

North Korea
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4. (C) On North Korea, Ban said he appreciates the U.S.-led
effort on drafting a strong Security Council resolution, and
believed that North Korea's provocative acts are testing the
endurance of the South Korean people. Ban admitted he did
not know the position China or Russia would take on this
issue; Nambiar judged that strong engagement from China is
key to pressuring North Korea. Ban said he believed the
provocative acts were related to succession issues in
Pyongyang but could offer no specific information.

Africa
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5. (C) Ambassador Rice briefed Ban on the Security Council's
trip to Africa earlier in the month. The two agreed that one
of the most important issues was to keep pressure on DRC
President Joseph Kabila to root out the worst of his military
leaders, particularly those accused of facilitating or
condoning acts of rape among the military staff. Along these
lines, Ban said he was committed to ensuring the full
implementation of UNSC resolution 1325 (Women and Peace and

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Security).

Climate Change
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6. (C) Ban said he hopes President Obama will address the
high-level event on climate change on September 22 for heads
of state and government. Ban, who will chair the meeting,
said he is planning for interactive "breakout sessions" as
well as a high-level dinner, which he hoped President Obama
would attend as well.

UN Personnel Issues
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7. (C) Regarding the vacancy for the post of Deputy Executive
Director for Programs of UNAIDS, Ban said he was "inclined"
to appoint Paul Delay.
RICE