SRSG JENCA BRIEFS THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000610 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC UNRCCA SUBJECT: SRSG JENCA BRIEFS THE SECURITY COUNCIL ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE UNRCCA ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On June 19, Miroslav Jenca - SRSG for Central Asia and head of the UN,s Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA) - briefed the Council on the activities of the newly constituted center. His priorities are to gain the trust of Central Asian leaders, support regional efforts to address water resource issues, and address regional security challenges, including terrorism, narcotics trafficking and Afghanistan. Council members praised the activities of the center; several noted the importance of cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Turkish Presidency issued a press statement reaffirming the Security Council's support for the UNRCCA. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Jenca began by noting that his center had begun operations a year ago, during a period of global economic tension. In addition to building trust with regional leaders, his immediate focus was to encourage the countries of the region to focus on long-term solutions to their water resource issues. UNRCCA worked to move the region from ad hoc arrangements to durable solutions. Jenca also noted UNRCCA,s work to increase border controls, to raise awareness on joint counter-terrorism strategies and biological, chemical and nuclear terrorism. He called Afghanistan one of the region,s priorities, and said individual countries had already contributed significantly to the international effort there, although he said UNRCCA would encourage them to do more. Jenca noted that some countries lacked capacity; Tajikistan in particular needed international assistance because of its long, mountainous border. In concluding remarks, Jenca thanked Council members for their uniform support of UNRCCA, and said he would present some benchmarks during his next briefing to the Council. He declared that UNRCCA is "visible, operational and fully engaged" in Central Asia. ¶3. (SBU) Council members supported the work of UNRCCA and thanked Jenca for his efforts. China noted its concern for the region because of the "three forces of terrorism, religious extremism and secessionism." Along with Russia, China urged that UNRCCA cooperate very closely with the CIS and SCO regional organizations. Russia, the U.S., Austria, France, Croatia and Costa Rica supported UNRCCA,s focus on Afghanistan issues. The UK urged Jenca to report to the Council with clear benchmarks during his next briefing. Ambassador DiCarlo emphasized U.S. support for UNRCCA,s water management and counter-narcotics efforts. All Council members asked Jenca to continue his pattern of regularly briefing the Council. ¶4. (SBU) The Turkish Presidency concluded by noting the decision to establish the center was "the right one." Turkish PR Ilkin said the countries of Central Asia had a special relationship with Turkey, and he promised full Turkish support for UNRCCA. Following conclusion of the meeting, Ilkin issued a press statement that welcomed Jenca,s briefing, expressed the Council,s appreciation for the efforts of the center, and reaffirmed its support. RICE