THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SEPTEMBER 16 LUNCH WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000850 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/27/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC PHUM SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S SEPTEMBER 16 LUNCH WITH THE SECURITY COUNCIL REF: USUN 842 Classified By: Ambassador Susan Rice for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. In a wide ranging discussion during the monthly Security Council luncheon with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, hosted by Ambassador Rice in her capacity as Security Council President, Ban updated Permreps on UN activities in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the Horn of Africa, Sudan, and Burma. Japan encouraged the SYG to maintain pressure on the Sudanese government to produce detailed plans for spring 2010 elections. Burkina Faso and Uganda urged the Council to increase pressure on Eritrea to comply with Resolution 1862. The SYG offered support for an international conference on Afghanistan, but Russia emphasized that the new Afghan government, rather than the international community, needed to take the lead in setting the agenda. The SYG outlined the goals of a trip by U/SYG Pascoe to Sri Lanka, and U/SYG Holmes briefed on the humanitarian situation there. Council members also engaged the SYG in a discussion of the Goldstone report (Reftel). END SUMMARY. SUDAN -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The SYG encouraged the Security Council to maintain pressure on Sudan to offer more assistance to rescue 2 UN staff members abducted on August 29 in Western Darfur. Ban also expressed concern over ongoing tribal violence in Southern Sudan, which he said could destabilize the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) if left unchecked. Japan Permrep Takasu said he was worried about delays in organizing spring elections in Sudan, as well as by the lack of a detailed implementation plan and budget for the elections. He asked the SYG to continue pressing the Sudanese government to follow through with its elections commitments. HORN OF AFRICA -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The SYG said he was concerned about growing tensions in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) in Somalia, in part due to lack of government support to key regions. The UN had established bi-weekly food deliveries in areas with urgent needs, and was also engaged in training and logistical support for the AMISOM mission. Japan Permrep Takasu noted that the recent fourth plenary of the Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Africa had approved a UN Multi-Donor Trust Fund to assist countries in the region with prosecutions of persons involved in piracy. Ugandan Permrep Rugunda welcomed the current efforts of the international community to assist the TFG but cautioned that the TFG was still in a precarious position, and that efforts should be enhanced. ¶4. (SBU) The SYG reported that Eritrea continued to ignore his offer to use his good offices to mediate the border dispute with Djibouti, but he said he would continue to reach out to the Eritreans. Ugandan Permrep Rugunda pointed out that the Security Council had given the Eritreans six weeks to comply with the demands of Resolution 1862 (2009),but that eight months had passed. The AU, he said, was concerned about Eritrean involvement with the conduit of arms to Somalia. Rugunda encouraged the Council to consider targeted sanctions and said that he had been consulting with other Council members with a view to producing a resolution. Burkina Faso Permrep Kafando agreed that the Council should be prepared to take "all necessary measures" in the face of Eritrea's refusal to implement UNSCR 1862. Ambassador Rice acknowledged that the SYG had gone to great lengths to assess the situation in his March 30 letter to the Council, noting that his efforts had been met with intransigence and reinforcement of Eritrean positions on the ground. Rice encouraged the Secretary-General and other members of the Council to use the presence of senior Eritrean officials in New York for the UNGA General Debate to underscore how seriously the Security Council takes the situation, and that if there is no change in the situation by the end of the month, the Security Council should be prepared to act. AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Ban said that the UN is awaiting the results of inquiries by the Independent Elections Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission into allegations of fraud. Commenting on press reporting of a rift between Afghanistan SRSG Kai Eide and Deputy SRSG Peter Galbraith over the UN response to election fraud allegations, Ban acknowledged there had been a difference of opinion between the two, but USUN NEW Y 00000850 002 OF 003 said Galbraith would return to Kabul after the September 29 Security Council briefing on Afghanistan, in which both Eide and Galbraith would participate. Ban said his upcoming report to the Council would comment on the elections, offer strategic benchmarks for the UN mission, and discuss the humanitarian situation. The report would also detail plans for expansion of UN activities, pending finalization of the budget. The SYG commented that the number of UN field offices in Afghanistan had grown from 9 when UNAMA was first established to 20, with 3 additional offices planned to open by the end of the year. The SYG welcomed the French, U.K. and German initiative to host an international conference on Afghanistan following the inauguration of a new president, and said the UN was ready to cooperate with the international community and take a leadership role in Afghanistan. ¶6. (SBU) Russian Permrep Churkin stressed the importance of Afghan ownership of its own development. With that in mind, he said he hoped that any conference on Afghanistan would take place after the new Afghan government is in place and would reflect Afghan views of its own needs. U.K. Permrep Sawers emphasized that it is important for the Afghan people to trust the integrity of the elections process, and called on the UN to take a leadership role. Responding to Churkin's comments, French Permrep Araud said that the goal of an international conference would not be to define a strategy for Afghanistan, but rather an opportunity to renew the partnership of the international community and the government and reinforce the role of the UN. Ambassador Rice said the Electoral Complaints Commission must render unbiased judgment on electoral complaints, and that the U.S. supported Eide and the UN as well as the newly elected government, as Afghanistan enters its next phase. Turkish Permrep Apakan emphasized that Afghanistan needed a "master plan" for development, and that the UN should play a central role. SRI LANKA -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Ban said U/SYG Lynn Pascoe was on his way to Sri Lanka, where he would emphasize the need for the government to address the humanitarian situation, political reconciliation and government accountability for alleged human rights violations. Pascoe would also raise concerns about possible mistreatment of two UN locally employed staff members who had been in detention since June, and the recent expulsion of the UNICEF spokesperson. Detailing the humanitarian situation, U/SYG for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes said that the UN continued to be concerned that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were being denied their legitimate right to freedom of movement, but were "trapped" in IDP camps. There had been releases of some elderly and other vulnerable persons, but the vast majority of about 250,000 Tamil IDPs were being held in one camp, with no freedom of movement. Holmes reported that the physical location of the largest camp (Manik Farm) in a low-lying area made it especially vulnerable to flooding during the approaching monsoon season. For this reason the UN had encouraged the Sri Lankan government to speed up screening for Tamil Tiger combatants and to accelerate return of IDPs. Holmes did not foresee that the Sri Lankan commitment to allow 80% to return home by the end of the year would be met. He also expressed concern that some IDPs who had been permitted to leave the Manik Farm camp had been transferred to other closed camps. ¶8. (SBU) Austria, China, France, Japan, Turkey, and the U.S. offered support for U/SYG Pascoe's efforts, and Ambassador Rice added she hoped that allegations of past human rights abuses could be investigated and that devolution of power in Sri Lanka could be institutionalized. Austria acknowledged Sri Lanka's legitimate right to fight terrorism, but also the need for the government to be hold accountable those who are responsible for human rights violations. France asked for a briefing from U/SYG Pascoe after his return to New York. BURMA -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The SYG expressed frustration with the lack of progress on the commitments made to him by the ruling authorities in May, including the release of political prisoners and creating conditions for credible elections. Ban said he would continue to press for a public statement in the Security Council, and he looked forward to the September 23 Group of Friends Ministerial. COTES D'IVOIRE -------------- USUN NEW Y 00000850 003 OF 003 ¶10. (SBU) French Permrep Araud noted that France planned to circulate a draft Presidential Statement (PRST) expressing the Council's strong support for the scheduled November 29 national elections in Cotes D'Ivoire. France hoped that the Council could adopt the PRST at the September 29 Council meeting. GOLDSTONE REPORT -------------- ¶11. (C) As reported Reftel, the SYG raised the report to the Human Rights Council of the UN fact-finding mission led by Judge Richard Goldstone to review the 2009 Gaza conflict, which had been released on September 15. The SYG said he had tasked his staff to provide him with a detailed review of its recommendations, and that he would consult with the Security Council regarding further course of action. Ban said that he had wanted to meet with Judge Goldstone before the release of the report, but that their schedules had only allowed them to speak briefly on the telephone prior to its release. Goldstone had told him that he "had not received full cooperation from all parties concerned". U.K. Permrep Sawers expressed surprise that the report had been released on September 15 in New York, when the report had been requested by the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Sawers asked the SYG whether he had asked Goldstone why he did not wait to present it in Geneva, and wondered whether the timing and venue of its release suggested that it was linked to the political process. Ban said he did not ask Goldstone about the timing of its release, but assumed that it was more convenient for Goldstone to release it in New York, since he was spending several months in residence here, lecturing at a university. ¶12. (C) Mexican Permrep Heller said that the report would need follow up, but he also noted that the Council needed to stay aware of the current momentum on the diplomatic front. France's Araud echoed this comment, saying that the Council needed to keep both processes in mind. Russian Permrep Churkin said he agreed that the Goldstone report should be addressed in the Human Rights Council, but said he disagreed with the Mexican and French Permreps about needing to keep the political process in mind. Churkin said the "course of justice" needed to play out regardless of the political considerations, an argument he said others had made with respect to Sudan. Ambassador Rice said that President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Special Envoy Mitchell were all working very hard to achieve political progress and she trusted that the Security Council would act in a fashion to reinforce their efforts. She also said she hoped the Human Rights Council would act "credibly" in working on the matter. RICE