SYG BAN BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON RECENT TRAVELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000071 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AF HA CY SU YM SUBJECT: SYG BAN BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ON RECENT TRAVELS Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR SUSAN E. RICE FOR REASONS 1.4( B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Secretary-General (SYG) Ban briefed the Council in closed consultations on February 3, reviewing his travel to the January 28 conference on Afghanistan in London, to Cyprus, and to the AU Summit in Addis Ababa, and an update on Haiti. Ban's overview of the London Conference on Afghanistan was positive, noting the agreement in London on UNAMA's preeminent role in relation to civilian coordination and welcoming the decision by the NATO Secretary General to appoint Mark Sedwill to the ISAF coordination role. Ban apologized for the high UNAMA vacancy rates, explaining that he has recently taken extraordinary measures to fast-track hiring. At the AU Summit and side meeting on Sudan in Addis Ababa, Ban underscored the importance of self determination for the people of Southern Sudan, with elections just three months away and two referenda in the next year. He clarified that despite "mis-quotes" in recent press reports, the UN is not prejudging the referenda outcomes. On Haiti, the SYG praised the daily improvement of the aid distribution system, adding that food assistance was reaching nearly one million Haitians; however, he emphasized the urgent need for shelter as the hurricane season approaches and stressed the need for general, long-term engagement. Ambassador Rice outlined U.S. efforts and emphasized U.S. coordination with MINUSTAH and the Government of Haiti. Rice also welcomed the SYG's announcement of Clinton's new role. Ban discussed his first trip to Cyprus and believes a solution is "within reach" if leaders have "courage, compromise and commitment." The last topic of Ban's tour-d'horizon was a brief mention that Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe will lead a UN delegation to the DPRK, seeking to re-establish a high-level political dialogue between the UN and the DPRK. The U.S., Japan, and France emphasized there can be no pre-conditions from the DPRK prior to coming back to the six-party talks. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) SYG Ban briefed the Council in closed consultations on February 3. He reviewed his recent travels, including to the January 28 conference on Afghanistan in London, to Cyprus, and to the AU Summit in Addis Ababa. At our request, he also provided an update on Haiti. Following Ban's briefing, all Council members made brief comments and asked the SYG follow-up questions. AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶3. (SBU) SYG Ban stated that the London Conference on Afghanistan "achieved its goal", renewing commitments on issues related to security, development and governance, and regional cooperation. Ban highlighted Karzai's pledge that the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will assume the lead for security within the coming years on a province-by-province basis. He also welcomed the Government of Afghanistan's commitment to take on increasing financial responsibility, supported by a fifty percent increase in donors' development aid in the next two years, as announced in the London Conference Communiqu. Ban noted the agreement in London on UNAMA's preeminent role in relation to civilian coordination and welcomed the decision by the NATO Secretary General to appoint Mark Sedwill to the ISAF coordination role. Ban highlighted the Afghan-led reintegration process and the international community's commitment to establish a Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund, noting that a political process for the reintegration of Taliban at all levels is needed. Ban apologized for the high UNAMA vacancy rates, explaining that he has recently taken extraordinary measures to fast-track hiring. As an aside, he asked the Council how the UN human resource process can be streamlined for the future, for all UN missions world-wide. Lastly, Ban noted the Afghan Government's decision to delay elections until September 18, stating his next UNAMA report would discuss the implications and related issues in detail. Ban briefly mentioned the talks on Yemen which took place in London the evening before the Afghanistan Conference. He noted that issues of economic development and terrorism were discussed and that a formal Group of Friends of Yemen was created. ¶4. (C) During Council member interventions the United Kingdom asked for Council support of a press statement on the USUN NEW Y 00000071 002 OF 003 London Conference outcomes. Most members welcomed the London Conference, with some referencing the future Kabul Conference. The U.S. and China welcomed SYG Ban's recent announcement appointing Staffan De Mistura as SRSG Eide's successor. The U.S. and France both noted with concern the high UNAMA vacancy rates, asking for continued focus on hiring and in finalizing the decision on how best to accept international experts from top donor countries to coordinate assistance under the UNAMA umbrella. Similarly, the UK sought further information from the SYG regarding decisions related to UNAMA civilian coordination modalities and China asked how coordination between ISAF and UNAMA could be improved. The Austrian PermRep, in his role as chair of the 1267 Committee, noted he would be as supportive as possible in moving future delisting discussions along in the Committee. The Russian PermRep stated that while he "considers it positive to delist as many possible (from the 1267 list) as long as they relinquish arms, accept the Afghan constitution, cease all support and ties to Al Qaeda or other terrorist organizations, and cease all terrorist activities", but he underscored that there is no possibility of rehabilitation of "top" leaders. The Russian PermRep admonished Ban, instructing the UN to inform the Afghan Government and Security Council of future UN contacts with Taliban leaders, rather than having them learn of such contact via press reports. AU SUMMIT IN ADDIS ABABA -------------- ¶5. (SBU) SYG Ban attended the recent AU Summit in Addis Ababa. On Somalia, he discussed the need to transition the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM),which he characterized as underfunded. Ban underscored the importance of self determination for the people of Southern Sudan, with elections three months away and two referenda in the next year. Ban clarified that despite "mis-quotes" in recent press reports, the UN is not prejudging the referenda outcomes. He said the UN intends to pursue a four-track strategy: to forge consensus among member states on the way forward; to continue to strengthen the UN presence on the ground; to promote discussion on key post-referendum issues; and, to build capacity of South Sudanese institutions. Ban also mentioned that the Millennium Development Goals and climate change issues are deeply related to future peace and security on the African continent. ¶6. (C) Council member interventions on Sudan were mixed. The U.S., France, Austria, Japan and Nigeria highlighted the need for the Council to actively engage in contingency planning for possible referenda outcomes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Russia forcefully noted that the "unity of Sudan is paramount" and that the Council should focus on a "single Sudan." Brazil inquired about the role of the high level panel, and Lebanon noted that success in Sudan is critical for UN credibility in Africa and highlighted the importance of continued UN-AU cooperation. HAITI -------------- ¶7. (SBU) On Haiti, the SYG praised the daily improvement of the aid distribution system, adding that food assistance was reaching nearly one million Haitians. He thanked the Council for endorsing his recommendation to increase MINUSTAH by an additional 3,500 peacekeepers. However, Ban emphasized the urgent need for shelter as the hurricane season approaches and stressed the need for general, long-term engagement. Ban said that Haitian PM Bellerive identified key elements for rebuilding Haiti, including "less centralized development," a greater agricultural capacity and better investor relations. On the last point, Ban said that Special Envoy Clinton agreed to assume a leadership role over international assistance efforts in addition to mobilizing the private sector, civil society and international donors to "build back better." The UN and Special Envoy Clinton will hold an additional flash appeal on February 17. (Note: The current flash appeal is funded at USD 575 million, which represents over 80 percent of the appeal. End Note.) The SYG said the UN was gearing up for the upcoming donor conference -- to be co-hosted by the U.S. and the UN at UNHQ. He commented that Haitian President Preval preferred mid-April for the conference and commented that this would be a "reasonable date" to allow the USUN NEW Y 00000071 003 OF 003 UN to generate a comprehensive needs assessment. Ban stressed the importance of coordination and added that major donors continue to coordinate closely. ¶8. (SBU) Council members praised SYG Ban's leadership on Haiti and many also expressed appreciation for international assistance efforts. Ambassador Rice outlined U.S. efforts and emphasized U.S. coordination with MINUSTAH and the Government of Haiti. Rice also welcomed the SYG's announcement of Clinton's new role. Brazil agreed with Ban on the progress made in the country but suggested that the challenge will be to rebuild Haiti while being mindful of its sovereignty and aware of the urgent need for socio-economic development and "human rights for all." Mexico and France sought more clarity on the content and preparations for the donor conference. France proposed that the UN provide a briefing to the Council on the conference as well as general recovery efforts. CYPRUS -------------- ¶9. (SBU) SYG Ban discussed his first trip to Cyprus, which occurred on February 1 and was timed to help build momentum for progress in advance of the "presidential" election in April on the Turkish Cypriot side. Ban stated that all sides are looking for a "solution now" and that the leaders seek continued progress on power sharing, governance, EU matters, and other issues. Ban called the "chemistry" between the leaders good, and urged "faster, farther" talks. Ban stated he believes a solution is "within reach" if leaders have "courage, compromise and commitment." He promised that Special Advisor Alexander Downer will work to keep up the momentum of the Cypriot-led process. ¶10. (C) Council member interventions regarding Cyprus were fairly limited, with most members welcoming SYG Ban's visit and continued UN support for the negotiation process. Austria stated that the current status quo in Cyprus is "not acceptable." Russia grumbled that SYG Ban's suggestion of "faster, farther" talks is a slogan better fit for sports and suggested that the UN should instead follow the hippocratic oath of "do no harm." Lebanon highlighted the need for the negotiation process to remain "Cypriot-owned" but hoped that the UN would be able to help sustain the current positive momentum of the negotiations. DPRK -------------- ¶11. (SBU) The last topic of Ban's tour-d'horizon was a brief mention that Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe will lead a UN delegation to the DPRK, seeking to re-establish a high-level political dialogue between the UN and the DPRK. Ban reported that this trip follows one and a half years of discussion, with the last UN official visit having occurred in 2004. Ban noted that he welcomes comments and advice from all Council members in relation to this upcoming trip. 12 (SBU) Council member comments on Pascoe's upcoming trip to the DPRK were brief, with China welcoming the visit. The U.S., Japan, and France emphasized there can be no pre-conditions from the DPRK prior to coming back to the six-party talks. Japan and France further noted that there can be no compensation to the DPRK until denuclearization measures are taken. France requested that Pascoe brief the Council upon his return from the DPRK. RICE