Cablegate: The Secretary-General's 14 October Lunch with The

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TO RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 2530
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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

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