VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #1883 2722131
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 292131Z SEP 06
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0306
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0164

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001883 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC UN AF
SUBJECT: SYG SELECTION: ASHRAF GHANI MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Ambassador Bolton met briefly with Afghan candidate 
for Secretary-General Ashraf Ghani on Friday, September 29. 
Ghani said that he had met with A/S Silverberg in Washington 
on 9/28, but was just beginning his rounds in New York. 
Ambassador Bolton expressed appreciation for Ghani's 
willingness to enter the race, noting that the U.S. had long 
argued for a larger field of candidates as being in the best 
interest of the UN.  Recognizing that the decision on whether 
or not to enter the race was a difficult one and carried 
certain risks, the Ambassador noted that the U.S. was 
grateful that Ghani decided to put himself forward.  Whatever 
the eventual outcome, the UN will benefit if the Council is 
able to weigh the pros and cons of more candidates. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Ghani noted that he would meet with a number of 
Council members prior to the next straw poll (planned for the 
afternoon of October 2) in an effort to improve his results. 
He said that it was "exactly right" that the Council should 
aim to make a recommendation as soon as possible so the 
incoming SYG has adequate transition time. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Turning to the issue of reform, Ghani said that he 
thought the UN had so far adopted a "piecemeal approach" and 
needed to develop a clearer agenda to address the "gap" 
between the UN's abilities and the role it is being asked to 
play in the world.  He noted that in reviewing recent peace 
agreements that the UN had brokered or was helping to 
implement, he had come to the conclusion that the UN's 
approach was not methodical enough to ensure success.  The UN 
needed a more strategic approach, tied to specific and 
achievable benchmarks, Ghani argued, in order to facilitate 
full implementation and prevent the recurrence of conflict in 
these countries.  Even the UN's reporting methodology was 
flawed, he said, and did not provide a useful mechanism for 
Member States to make the critical decisions. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Bolton noted that, with the increasing 
numbers of peacekeepers in the field, the UN needed to focus 
on oversight of these complicated operations.  The lack of 
effective oversight left the UN potentially vulnerable to a 
very damaging failure in the field.  In closing, Ambassador 
Bolton offered to be of assistance to Ghani in New York, 
including by making relevant USUN offices available on 
specific subjects of interest to the candidate.  Ghani noted 
his appreciation for the Ambassador's assistance on such 
short notice, and promised to keep in touch as he met with 
other Council members in coming days. 
BOLTON