THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S 14 OCTOBER LUNCH WITH THE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000916 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC PHUM PK GV AF SU SUBJECT: THE SECRETARY-GENERAL'S 14 OCTOBER LUNCH WITH THE SECURITY COUNCIL ¶1. (SBU) This is an Action Request. Please see para 7. ¶2. (SBU) In the monthly UN Security Council luncheon with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the SYG discussed Guinea, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan with PermReps. The lunch was hosted by Vietnamese PermRep Le Luong Minh, in his capacity as President of the UNSC for October. Ambassador Wolff attended on behalf of the United States. Guinea -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The SYG said that those responsible for the recent violence in Guinea must be held accountable. He said that he is prepared to support the creation of a commission of inquiry (COI),(which he noted following other's interventions enjoys broad UNSC support),and that members also need to be ready to support a peacebuilding process for Guinea after elections. Libyan PermRep Shalgam said he was "shocked" by the violence in Guinea and described his country's efforts to urge the Guineans to investigate the acts, adding that some family members cannot find the bodies of their loved ones. Shalgam also said that the UNSC needs to help ensure that elections, reconciliation, and an investigation all occur. French PermRep Araud endorsed Libya's comments and said that the legal and political processes underway need to play out to calm the situation. Araud also noted that it would be helpful if the SYG made himself available on the matter. Burkinabe Charge Tiendrebeogo appreciated the UNSC's quick response on the violence in Guinea (referring to Ambassador Rice's remarks to the press on September 30 in her capacity as UNSC President) and said he was eager to work together on a COI. Chinese PermRep Zhang underlined two priorities: all parties need to cooperate on national reconciliation; and the ground needed to be prepared for fair and just elections. Sudan -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The SYG said that "we need to ask the Sudanese to do more," particularly in regard to elections preparation. He added that the UN would undertake a "fundamental reevaluation" of CPA implementation, and lamented that the situation in southern Sudan had regressed. He pleaded for strong UNSC support of Joint Chief Mediator Bassole, who he said was becoming frustrated. Ugandan PermRep Rugunda indicated that the situation in Sudan was worsening and that the conditions for elections are not present. He emphasized that a plan to "reinforce the UN presence" in Sudan was necessary. Zhang said that southern Sudan deserved "serious and immediate attention," adding that UNMIS and UNAMID needed to prepare the country for elections. Afghanistan -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The SYG expressed his support for both the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC),and said both were proceeding well, although he is concerned about Afghan ECC official Maulavi Mustafa Barakzai's resignation. The IEC was finalizing election results which it may release as soon as this weekend (17-18 October). He also said that ballots had been printed and the UN, if necessary, could hold an election run-off quickly. In anticipation of the potential unrest that such a run-off might cause, the Secretariat has a task-force ready to assist. The SYG also supported the UK-German-French initiative to develop a post-election strategy. Turkish PermRep Apakan described Afghanistan as being in a "very delicate" political situation, noting that a runoff might not be the best thing for a country that was not used to having elections. ¶6. (SBU) The SYG told UNSC members that UNAMA would open an additional three offices by year end, with a goal of opening 11 more by the end of 2011. The SYG also said that he may have to seek additional resources to strengthen UNAMA and open additional offices. Other Perm Reps expressed support for additional funding. Pakistan -------------- ¶7. (SBU) SYG Ban is supportive of continued and deepened UN engagement in Pakistan and is concerned with the increased violence there. He asked for more resources for the UN to do its work, including physical and financial support for the UN presence in Pakistan. OCHA official Rashid Khalikov, also in attendance, spoke about a number of armored UN vehicles that recently arrived in Karachi. Apparently, he noted, local officials were over-charging exorbitant storage fees for these vehicles. Khalikov asked for Western State interventions with the Pakistanis on this point. Post requests Department ask Embassy Islamabad if it would be constructive to ask local officials to waive, or at least lower, this fee. RICE