VZCZCXRO2477
RR RUEHHM RUEHPB RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0573/01 1941919
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 131919Z JUL 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2256
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2781
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000573 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR CEQ CHAIRMAN CONNAUGHTON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2017 
TAGS: ECON KGHG SENV PREL KPKO SU
SUBJECT: U.S. OFFICIALS BRIEF UNSYG ON PRESIDENT'S CLIMATE 
CHANGE INITIATIVE, DISCUSS DARFUR 
 
REF: STATE 75287 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Richard T. Miller.  Reason: 1.4 (b). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C) White House CEQ Chairman Connaughton and Under 
Secretary Dobriansky briefed UN Secretary-General Ban on the 
 
SIPDIS 
President's May 31 climate change initiative (reftel) during 
a June 18 meeting at the UN.  Connaughton and Dobriansky 
clarified the USG goals and how the initiative would 
complement UN processes aimed at reaching agreement among 
major economies on the elements of a new international 
framework by the end of 2008 and concluding agreement on such 
a framework within the UNFCCC.  Ban pledged to discuss the 
USG proposal with his climate change team.  He welcomed the 
USG initiative while also urging USG attendance at the UN 
High-Level Event on Climate Change on September 24.  On 
Darfur, the SYG sounded cautious optimism over Sudanese 
support for a hybrid force while urging the USG to give him 
policy space.  End summary. 
 
------------------------------------- 
UN Role in the USG Climate Initiative 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) On June 18, White House Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) Chairman James Connaughton, Under Secretary of 
State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and 
IO A/S Silverberg briefed UN Secretary-General (SYG) Ban 
Ki-moon on the President's May 31 initiative to achieve a new 
international climate change framework, including 
developments since the G-8 summit earlier in the month at 
which the SYG was present.  The SYG was joined by Chief of 
Staff Nambiar, Deputy Chief of Staff Kim, and A/SYG Orr. 
 
¶3. (C) The SYG opened the meeting expressing his own 
encouragement after having seen the President's personal 
leadership at the G-8 summit succeed in winning ultimate 
agreement.  Noting the importance of preserving "political 
will," Ban "welcomed" the President's climate initiative and 
said he hoped the President might attend some portion of a 
SYG-hosted UN High-Level Event on climate change on September 
24 (on the eve of the General Assembly general debate). 
 
¶4. (U) CEQ Chairman Connaughton shared with the SYG and his 
advisers a 5-page outline of the President's initiative, 
reviewing its fundamental principles and dividing envisioned 
activities into three parts.  Part One plotted out the 
general content and timeline of a proposed USG-hosted meeting 
later in 2007 of top emitter and energy-using states, the end 
result of which would feed into a future UN framework 
agreement by 2009.  Part Two elaborated reinforced work 
programs for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFCCC) deliberations, particularly in the areas of land use 
(forests, agriculture and urban settings), adaptation 
(mainstreaming it into national development strategies and 
avoiding fruitless debates on compensation), energy 
efficiency, and accelerating technology sharing.  Connaughton 
also noted the UN could play a key role in unifying the 
disparate metrics countries currently use in measuring their 
greenhouse gas emissions.  Part Three of the USG outline 
detailed promoting global adoption of clean energy 
technologies, including buttressing insufficient R&D into 
clean coal, finance, tariff barriers and sector partnerships. 
 Connaughton concluded his presentation by reviewing the 
timeline of successive meetings and processes that would 
facilitate a new UN framework agreement by 2009.  U/S 
Dobriansky emphasized how the USG initiative was fully 
complementary and compatible with existing UN processes, 
including the SYG's September 24 event, and described the 
positive reception it has received from international 
partners (India, Brazil, Korea, among others).  She also 
extended an invitation to the SYG to attend a portion of the 
USG-hosted meeting to which he expressed an interest. 
 
------------------- 
SYG's Bridging Role 
------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The SYG was grateful for the further detail on the USG 
initiative and looked forward to working together.  Ban said 
he would discuss the information with his climate change 
team, including UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer.  Ban 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000573  002 OF 002 
 
 
was particularly drawn to the sectoral approach and 
national-level benchmarks described in the USG plan, and 
inquired as to similarities with the Asia Pacific Partnership 
on Clean Development and Climate (APP) and whether the USG 
initiative would include formal negotiations.  (Note: Ban was 
instrumental in the creation of the Asia-Pacific Partnership 
when he was ROK FM.  End note.)  Connaughton replied that the 
USG process would not produce a formal treaty, but rather 
achieve agreement on precepts for a future UN framework 
agreement.  The SYG offered to play a "bridging" role between 
the USG initiative and the broader UN processes. 
 
¶6. (C) Connaughton promised there would be high-level USG 
representation at the SYG's September 24 event, but said it 
was not certain whether the President would be able to 
attend.  The SYG stressed the importance of the President's 
attendance at some portion of the September event, and 
indicated he would seek to raise the matter directly with the 
White House in coming weeks.  U/S Dobriansky likewise urged 
the SYG to make positive reference during his own event to 
the USG's initiative.  The Secretary-General promised to 
remain in close touch. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
SYG Defends Fragile Progress on Darfur Force 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) Turning to Darfur, A/S Silverberg thanked the SYG for 
his focus on Darfur but noted that the U.S. remained 
skeptical about President Bashir's intentions and urged that 
the best way to keep Bashir honest was rapid deployment of 
the force.  Agreeing that Bashir's commitments can be trusted 
only so far, the SYG noted that he had achieved more in the 
past six months than in the preceding four years.  Even key 
UNSC skeptics like the UK, he noted, were cautiously 
optimistic following a recent visit to Khartoum.  The SYG 
urged the USG to give him "policy space" and to allow this 
"fragile process" to succeed.  The SYG also noted that not 
all delay is Sudan's fault, expressing frustration over the 
slow UN processes for lining up troops, finance and 
logistical support for deployment of the hybrid force.  To 
speed deployment, A/S Silverberg asked the SYG to support 
immediate rehatting of the two AMIS battalions as part of the 
Heavy Support Package (HSP). 
KHALILZAD