AMBASSADOR RICE'S CALL ON RUSSIAN PERMREP VITALY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000058

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC UNGA RS
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR RICE'S CALL ON RUSSIAN PERMREP VITALY
CHURKIN

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


1. (C) SUMMARY. In a wide-ranging and warm introductory
meeting, Ambassador Rice and Russian Ambassador Vitaly
Churkin discussed U.S. and Russian priorities for the UN,
including Georgia, Zimbabwe, Burma, climate change, and the
crisis in the Middle East. On Georgia, Rice conveyed the U.S.
preference for another technical rollover of the expiring UN
mission. She encouraged Churkin to consider Council action on
Zimbabwe and Burma, and Churkin suggested a U.S./Russia-led
Security Council mission to the Middle East to occur in
April. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Russian PermRep Vitaly Churkin received newly arrived
U.S. PermRep, Ambassador Susan Rice, for a one-hour,
one-on-one meeting in his home on January 26. The wide
ranging conversation was friendly and warm. Rice began by
acknowledging the cordial telephone call that had taken place
earlier in the day between Presidents Obama and Medvedev, and
their expressed mutual strong desire to strengthen the
bilateral relationship between Russia and the United States.
She outlined for Churkin U.S. priorities at the United
Nations: strengthening the capacity of the UN to engage
effectively in complex peace operations; advancing U.S.
leadership in addressing climate change; advancing our agenda
on non-proliferation; and putting the U.S. at the center of
efforts to support poverty reduction, development, and
fighting disease.


3. (U) Ambassador Churkin welcomed the U.S. priorities and
agreed with them. He said Russian national priorities were
similar, and included addressing the challenges of
peacekeeping in Africa, addressing climate change, and
increasing the effectiveness of the UN. They agreed on the
desirability of maximizing U.S.-Russia cooperation especially
on issues of arms control (START) and non-proliferation and
minimize differences (e.g. Georgia).


4. (C) Ambassador Churkin raised the upcoming expiration of
the Georgia mandate. Rice said she hoped the U.S. and Russia
could minimize opportunities for debate over the future of
the expiring UN mission to poison the well. She emphasized
that the U.S. wants to maintain clarity on Georgia's
sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that the U.S.
would prefer a technical rollover in February. Churkin raised
the issue of how the topic of the UN mission would be
referred to in the February Programme of Work (POW). Churkin
said he wanted it to read, "The UN Mission extended by UNSCR
1839" instead of "UNOMIG".


5. (C) Ambassador Rice expressed concern about violence
against civilians in places like Zimbabwe and Burma, and said
she thought stronger Council action is needed in those
situations. Churkin said he thought the Council needed to be
cautious about infringing in the internal affairs of
sovereign nations and needed to be clear about when
intervention is appropriate. In such cases, he said, Russia
follows the lead of regional states. Rice pointed out that
internal conflicts often have regional peace and security
considerations, and the Council had long established
precedents for getting involved in similar situations, citing
El Salvador, Cambodia, Liberia and Mozambique as examples.
She also pointed out that in the case of Zimbabwe, regional
states are divided on what action should be taken, though
less so with Burma. Ambassador Rice suggested it is
perfectly appropriate for Russia, as a major power, to form
independent views of the situation that could be informed
by-- but not dictated by-- the regional players.


6. (C) Turning to climate change, Churkin pointed out that it
is possible to see the effects of climate change on Saint
Petersburg, which he said could sink into the sea. However,
he suggested that the Security Council should not play a
large role in climate change, which he thought would be more
appropriately dealt with in other fora. Churkin also raised
the global financial crisis and suggested that a debate in
the General Assembly would present an opportunity for
countries who were not heard from in the G-8 and the G-20
formats to voice their concerns. Ambassador Rice said she was
open to considering the possibility.


7. (C) Ambassador Churkin offered his views on the Security
Council role in the crisis in the Middle East, saying he had
seen the Council paralyzed for the last 2.5 years, but
constructive movement in the last six months. Asked for her
view, Rice said she thought if the Security Council could act
in a balanced and constructive way in support of the
Quartet's objectives, then there could be some benefit from
having the Council engage, but if Council action were to be
unbalanced and anti-Israel, then Rice thought it unhelpful to
preserve a role for the Council. Churkin asked Rice to

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consider a U.S./Russia-led Security Council mission to the
Middle East as a way to signal our joint leadership in the
Council on this issue. The mission would include stops in
Israel, Ramallah, Egypt, Lebanon and possibly Syria.
Ambassador Rice said the U.S. could consider the idea, but
timing of the mission would need to be considered in the
context of developments on the ground. They agreed it would
be good to forge common ground on issues of shared interest.
Rice