UNGA: UNSC REFORM: SECOND ROUND OF

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000609

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR USUN/W AND IO/UNP; NSC FOR POWER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNGA UNSC GE JA BR IN
SUBJECT: UNGA: UNSC REFORM: SECOND ROUND OF
INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS FOCUS ON COMPOSITION ISSUES
OF SIZE, CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP, AND REGIONAL
REPRESENTATION

REF: USUN NEW YORK 553


1. (SBU) Summary: The informal plenary of the General
Assembly met on June 11 and 12 for the second meeting of the
second round of intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on
Security Council reform, focusing on the three clustered
issues of composition: size, categories of membership and
regional representation. India and the African Group
continued to focus on permanent seats with veto rights.
There was a growing convergence on an expanded Council size
in the mid-twenties. Germany, a Group of Four (G4) member,
suggested a discussion of the intermediate option in the
third round. The rest of the G4, India, Brazil and Japan,
stayed on their group's core message in favor of expansion in
both permanent and non-permanent categories, an expanded
Council size of 25, and an interpretation of regional
representation to mean equitable geographical distribution.
France said the intermediate option could lead to new
permanent seats - heretofore an unmentioned possibility. The
U.S. reiterated its support for an expansion that will
neither diminish the Council's effectiveness nor its
efficiency. End summary.


2. (SBU) Comment: The process continues to proceed with
little forward movement; more time is focused on rehashing
well-known national positions. The Chair attempted in his
overview paper before the start of the second round to focus
the membership on those proposals with the greatest chance of
garnering wide support but this effort met with widespread
disagreement and complaints about the Chair's selectivity.
During this meeting, the Uniting for Consensus bloc (UFC)
members repeatedly suggested that the addition of permanent
members did not enjoy broad support and therefore should be
discarded, while G4 members (Brazil, India and Japan) and
their supporters slung similar accusations about the UFC
position. End comment.


3. (SBU) The informal plenary of the General Assembly met on
June 11 and 12 for the second meeting of the second round of
intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on Security Council
reform, focusing on the three clustered issues of
composition: size, categories of membership and regional
representation. 82 delegations spoke during this two-day
exchange with nine interventions occurring during the
interactive portion of the final day. The negotiations
continue to be chaired by the Afghan Ambassador Zahir Tanin.

Size
--------------


4. (SBU) There was overwhelming focus on 25-27 as the size
of an enlarged Council. The Philippines exceptionally
proposed 31. Only eight states expressly proposed a size in
the low-twenties - Australia, Belarus, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland
and Russia. Ambassador DiCarlo reiterated the U.S. position
that an expanded Council sized in the mid-twenties would be
unwieldy and inefficient. (Comment: Many African states
unconvincingly tried to dismiss the notion that an increase
in size would lead to ineffectiveness, arguing that an
improvement in Council working methods would ensure
effectiveness. Noticeably, only one delegation outside the
African Group (Malta) echoed this view. End Comment.)

Categories of membership:
G4 and UFC clash
--------------


5. (SBU) The G4 again reiterated that it seeks additional
seats in both categories of membership: permanent and
non-permanent. India remains the most vocal supporter for
the G4 position, as it continues its campaign for a permanent
seat with veto rights. The Uniting for Consensus (UFC) bloc,
on the other hand, advocates an expansion of non-permanent
seats only, in the hopes of shifting power away from the P5
to the elected members. They said this is in line with "the
sovereign equality of member states."




Germany more open to
discussing intermediate option
--------------


6. (SBU) Germany was the only member of the G4 to signal a
willingness to explore different variations of the
intermediate option. The German Perm Rep called for further
discussion in the third round of the negotiations on the
intermediate option which he described as "a multi-faceted
creature that seems to exist in many shapes and forms, some
of which appear close to the permanent model." (Comment:
Germany's openness should not be seen as a major policy
change, merely an articulation of their readiness to move the
negotiation discussion forward. End comment.) The rest of
the G4, India, Brazil and Japan, stayed on their group's core
message of expansion in both permanent and non-permanent
categories, an expanded Council size of 25, and an
interpretation of regional representation to mean equitable
geographical distribution. UFC members, including Colombia
and Italy, stressed that their intermediate option proposal
focused solely on longer-term elected seats. Italy, like
Germany, proposed devoting a full session to a discussion of
the "intermediate option." Several other delegations
(mostly UFC) seconded this. Most African States repeated the
AU message and rejected the intermediate option, but Nigeria
refrained from flatly rejecting it, saying it was open to
examining other viewpoints.

Regional representation: really means
more equitable geographical distribution
--------------


7. (SBU) There appeared to be growing agreement that regional
representation is better termed to mean more "equitable
geographical distribution" as per Article 23(1) of the UN
Charter. Brazil wanted to scrap the use of the term "regional
representation" altogether and "work on the basis of the
well-established notion of equitable geographical
distribution." The Netherlands, Singapore, the Czech
Republic and Germany explicitly addressed the inherent
problems and confusion with the term saying, inter alia, that
the phrase is not used in the UN Charter.


8. (SBU) Most African states repeated the AU position that
the "AU is responsible for Africa's representation in the
Council". Curiously, Namibia broke from this position and
spoke at lengths about the benefits of a regional seat.


9. (SBU) Many delegations recognized the need for small
island developing states would have a chance to serve on an
expanded Council, however there was no agreement whether or
not this would include a new seat specifically designated for
small island developing states or if it would be handled
within existing regional groups.

Philippines proposal - out in left field
--------------


10. (SBU) The Philippines Perm Rep read and circulated with
his prepared statement a draft resolution amending Article 23
of the Charter to consist of 31 members - considerably larger
than any arrangement widely discussed. According to the
draft, regional groups would choose longer-term members to
eventually become permanent members. (Comment: This would
cross the USG redline that permanent members must be defined
by name in any Security Council expansion proposal. End
comment.) No other delegations took the time to comment on
it, though he was the sixth speaker.

P5 Statements: France, U.K. and Russia willing
to explore intermediate option
--------------


11. (SBU) During the interactive portion of the debate,
France for the first time described the intermediate option
as a "transition period," which could lead to permanent
seats. The U.K. only said that it was ready to consider the
"intermediate model," that it supports a modest expansion




balancing representation and effectiveness and that it would
accept "extended seats." Russia joined France and the U.K in
an explicit reference to looking further into what it called
the "interim model." China's statement did not elucidate a
position beyond the general platitudes about representation
for developing countries, although it did say it supported
giving priority to Africa.

U.S. statement
--------------


12. (SBU) Ambassador DiCarlo reiterated U.S. support for an
expansion that will neither diminish the Council's
effectiveness nor its efficiency. She stressed that the U.S.
is open in principle to limited expansion of both permanent
and non-permanent members, but believes that a Council in the
mid-twenties would be unwieldy and diminish its effectiveness
and efficiency. She underscored that the U.S. believes
expansion in permanent membership must be country-specific in
nature and based on contributions to the maintenance of
international peace and security, and other purposes of the
UN. While the U.S. is supportive of the role that regional
organizations and regional representation play in the
selection of elected members, viewing their role as providing
de facto permanent regional representation, she noted that
under Article 24(1) of the Charter, members of the Council
act on behalf of the entire membership of the UN. She noted
that the U.S. also remains committed to Article 23(1) in the
election of non-permanent members with due regard to
contributions to the maintenance of international peace and
security and to other purposes of the organization and to
equitable geographical distribution. She underscored that
the U.S. also remains fully supportive of Article 18(2) which
specifically defines the election of non-permanent members as
an important question that requires a 2/3 majority of the
entire membership, at least those present and voting. She
added that whatever formula emerges, it must factor in
Charter requirements for ratification. Ambassador DiCarlo
closed by saying that the U.S. remains committed to a
serious, deliberate effort, working with other member states,
to find a way forward that enhances the ability of the
Security Council to carry out its mandate and effectively
meet the challenges of the new century.

Next meeting
--------------


13. (SBU) The third meeting of the second round is scheduled
for June 22. It will cover relations between General
Assembly and Security Council, the veto, and the Security
Council's working methods.
RICE