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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 036722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2018 
TAGS: UNSC UNGA PREL GM JA IT BR IN PK
SUBJECT: INSTRUCTIONS AND GUIDANCE FOR THE APRIL 10 
MEETING OF THE OEWG/DISCUSSIONS WITH PGA KERIM 
 
REF: USUN 310 
 
Classified By: IO PDAS James Warlick for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
1.(U) This message contains guidance requested by USUN 
in reftel for responding to General Assembly President 
(PGA) Kerim regarding the April 10 meeting of the 
Open-Ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable 
Representation and the Increase in Membership of the 
Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security 
Council (OEWG).  Paragraph 3 contains points from which 
USUN may  draw in making our statement during the April 10 OEWG 
session.  USUN should underline existing U.S. policy in 
both the OEWG and in private conversation with Kerim: the U.S. 
supports modest Council expansion that enhances its 
effectiveness, and that is part of a package of overall UN 
reform. 
 
RESPONSE TO PGA KERIM 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) USUN should communicate to PGA Kerim that in light 
of the wide-ranging and often conflicting views reflected 
in the draft proposal put forward by Cyprus on behalf of 
the "Over-Arching Group," by United For Consensus (UFC) 
and by the African Union (AU), it would not be 
appropriate to take a position on any specific proposal, 
and that explicit U.S. endorsement of one or another 
approach at this juncture would likely lead to 
recriminations and inhibit a full discussion.  USUN should also 
reaffirm points already made by Ambassador Khalilzad to Kerim as 
reported in reftel: 
 
-- The U.S. supports modest UNSC expansion if the new 
members would add to the effectiveness of the Council. 
However, seven new members, the smallest expansion 
proposed in the Cyprus draft, is a 50% increase in the size of 
the Council.  We sincerely doubt that anyone could argue 
seriously that such an increase is in the interest of enhancing 
the effectiveness of the Council.  Rather, it seems to be a 
case of sacrificing the efficiency of the Council to gain 
wide support for a reform framework. 
 
-- We remain frustrated with the slow progress of UN 
reform in other areas, particularly regarding the budget, 
personnel, and administrative matters.  Without progress 
in these areas, it is doubtful that any U.S. administration 
would be able to support UNSC reform. 
 
-- While we will consider all possibilities including an 
intermediate or interim solution to UNSC reform, we are 
concerned that all of the so-called interim solutions we have 
seen thus far would fuel regional constituency dynamics whereby 
a UNSC renewable member is beholden to its regional partners for 
re-election.  This would skew the global responsibilities 
that a state should assume when becoming a member of the 
Council. 
 
--An intermediate solution cannot lead to 
automatic permanent membership for new members. 
 
OEWG STATEMENT 
-------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Begin Points for Statement during OEWG Discussion: 
 
Mr. President: 
 
Thank you for convening this meeting and for your 
commitment to ensuring that the OEWG approaches UNSC 
reform in a serious, transparent, and constructive 
manner.  I would like to underscore U.S. support for your 
and the Task Force's leadership on UNSC reform and welcome 
the addition of the Permanent Representative of Djibouti 
to the Task Force.  We also commend your approach in 
encouraging the OEWG members to generate ideas and 
proposals for the Task Force to consider. 
 
As a result of your guidance, a number of countries have 
 
STATE 00036722  002 OF 002 
 
 
worked to further identify and refine elements of UNSC 
reform and expansion for the OEWG to consider.  We 
appreciate the leadership Germany has shown in convening 
the "Over-Arching Group" and the efforts of Cyprus and 
other countries in working within this framework.  As a result 
of these efforts, the OEWG has a range of options to 
consider in moving this discussion forward.  Bearing in 
mind these broad options that the Task Force and the 
members now have before them, I would like to reiterate 
the principles that my government has consistently 
advocated with regard to UNSC reform, most recently at 
this group's last session in December. 
 
Mr. President, as reflected in your own "seven pillars," 
regarding UNSC reform, we continue to believe that the 
OEWG remains the appropriate forum to address the issue of 
UNSC expansion, and that the Task Force will be effective 
body in assisting the members to move toward a proposal 
that can gain consensus support.  We remain convinced that 
any proposal must have consensus support from all of the 
members to avoid alienating any portion of the membership 
and undermining the effectiveness of the proposed reform. 
 
The United States wishes to reaffirm its support for UN 
reform that includes Security Council reform, we 
underscore our belief that the aim of this Group should be 
to implement reform that allows the UN Security Council to 
better address new threats to global security resulting 
from changing circumstances around the world.  We are 
convinced that for the Council to maintain its 
effectiveness any expansion of new seats must be modest in 
size, and the new members must be supremely qualified to 
carry out global responsibilities.  As President Bush 
stated to the General Assembly in September, we believe Japan is 
qualified to become a permanent member of the Council, and we 
are willing to consider other new permanent members. 
 
Mr. President, as also reflected in the first of your 
seven pillars, we firmly believe that the members must 
implement Security Council reform within a broader reform 
that increases the effectiveness and efficiency of the 
entire UN system.  There are bodies in more dire need of 
reform than the UNSC, and we urge concentrated progress on 
those priorities. 
 
We again thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and 
dedication to this issue, and we look forward to 
continuing the discussion with the OEWG members in the 
hope that we can arrive at a reform proposal that enables 
the Security Council to meet most effectively its 
obligations to promote and preserve peace and stability. 
 
End points. 
RICE