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FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4059
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000310 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/04/2018 
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNSC GM JA IT BR IN PK
SUBJECT: PGA KERIM REQUESTS U.S. VIEWS ON INTERMEDIARY 
SECURITY COUNCIL EXPANSION 
 
REF: A. USUN 258 
     ¶B. 2007 USUN 1225 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay M. Khalilzad, per 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (U) This is an action request for Department guidance 
before the April 10 OEWG session.  Please see para 6. 
 
¶2. (U) Summary.  President of the General Assembly (PGA) 
Serdjam Kerim requested a meeting with Amb Khalilzad on April 
4 to discuss UNSC reform.  Noting that he had received 
several proposals on UNSC expansion since he asked member 
states to submit ideas in December 2007, Kerim said he would 
convene the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) on April 10 to 
seek reactions to the different proposals, and determine how 
to reconcile them to create one basis for the upcoming 
inter-governmental negotiations.  Amb Khalilzad emphasized 
that we remain concerned about the slow pace of the broader 
UN reform that must accompany UNSC expansion, and, with 
respect to the Cyprus proposal (ref A), that expanding the 
Security Council to 22 members overall is excessive and would 
compromise the Council's effectiveness.  Kerim asked Amb 
Khalilzad to consult with Washington and take a position on 
intermediary UNSC expansion and the other UN reforms the U.S. 
seeks.  He urged the U.S. to develop its position soon in 
order to influence the upcoming inter-governmental 
negotiations.  End Summary. 
 
Kerim to Convene OEWG on April 10 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) PGA Kerim said he would convene the Open-Ended Working 
Group (OEWG) on April 10 to discuss the way forward on UNSC 
reform.  Since the last OEWG meeting in December, when he 
asked member states to submit proposals to serve as a basis 
for inter-governmental negotiations, Kerim reported that he 
had received three inputs: a draft text from Cyprus, a letter 
from Italy on behalf of UFC countries, and a letter from Cape 
Verde on behalf of the African Group (ref A).  During the 
April 10 OEWG meeting, he planned to seek reactions from 
member states to the three proposals, and then direct his 
Task Force to work with the membership to reconcile the three 
papers into one text on which to begin negotiations.  In this 
respect, Kerim asked Amb Khalilzad for the U.S. position on 
the three proposals (reported ref A).  Separately, the PGA's 
staff told USUN officers that Kerim would announce on April 
10 the appointment of the Djibouti PermRep as an additional 
member of his Task Force, joining the PermReps of Bangladesh, 
Chile, and Portugal.  Kerim reportedly made this appointment 
to assuage African concerns that they were not represented on 
the Task Force. 
 
U.S. Concerns About Reform Process 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Noting that we had not received instructions on the 
various proposals, Amb Khalilzad made four preliminary 
observations.  First, he emphasized that we are open to UNSC 
expansion and have participated in discussions in New York in 
that spirit.  Second, he underscored that UNSC expansion must 
be part of a broader UN reform effort, but expressed regret 
that other reform had not been linked to possible UNSC 
reform.  Third, with respect to the Cypriot proposal, he 
noted that expanding the Council to 22 members overall would 
be excessive.  The U.S. has always said that any expansion of 
the UNSC must be "modest" and preserve its effectiveness. 
Adding seven seats is an increase of fifty percent, an 
increase seemingly chosen to manage the politics of UNSC 
expansion, not to maintain the Council's effectiveness. 
Fourth, the OEWG (which operates by consensus) should remain 
the forum for discussions on UNSC expansion, to ensure the 
broadest possible support for any expansion plan. 
 
Kerim Wants U.S. Views 
on Intermediary SC Expansion 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Kerim asked Amb Khalilzad to consult with Washington 
and take a position on intermediary UNSC expansion soon 
(intermediary expansion would create new, longer-duration, 
non-permanent seats).  Expressing his conviction that the 
intermediary approach to UNSC expansion is the only viable 
option, he suggested that all member states must take a 
position sooner or later, to ensure their views are reflected 
 
USUN NEW Y 00000310  002 OF 002 
 
 
in the process and the substance of the negotiations that may 
begin soon.  In response to Amb Khalilzad's point on the need 
for broader UN reform, Kerim recalled the upcoming April 8-9 
UNGA debates on management reform and mandate review, and 
predicted that member states would soon make significant 
progress on these issues.  He asked what other reforms the 
U.S. would seek in connection with UNSC expansion.  Kerim 
supported the U.S. view that discussions should continue in 
the OEWG until member states reach agreement on a basis for 
negotiations.  Once that agreement is reached, the 
negotiations would shift to the UNGA plenary, where most UNGA 
resolutions are negotiated and agreed. 
 
Action Request: Answer for Kerim 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (C) It is not yet clear whether member states will be able 
to agree on a basis to conduct inter-governmental 
negotiations on UNSC reform.  But it now seems likely that 
they will try, and that they will focus on the intermediary 
approach of creating new longer-duration, non-permanent seats 
to the Council.  The lowest common denominator across the 
positions of the three groups -- the G-4, UFC, and the 
Africans -- would be to expand the Council to at least 25-26 
seats in order to address concerns about under-representation 
of Africa on the current UNSC and give UFC countries a chance 
at securing some of the newly-created seats.  In order to 
influence the shape of this debate and ensure it does not 
proceed contrary to our core interests, we should quietly lay 
down markers with Kerim and others (members of the Task 
Force, potential allies) on the shape/size of intermediary 
expansion and the other reforms we seek in exchange. 
Specifically, in light of the strategic considerations 
outlined in ref B, USUN seeks tactical guidance from the 
Department on the following issues before the April 10 OEWG 
session: 
 
U.S. position on intermediary UNSC expansion: 
 
-- Overall size of the Council 
-- Geographic allocation of new seats 
-- Review mechanism / possibility of conversion to permanent 
seats 
 
Other UN reforms to accompany intermediary expansion 
(possibilities below): 
 
-- Cap / ceiling on financial assessments for UNSC members 
-- Modification in UNGA voting rules (weighted voting, etc.) 
-- Oversight / transparency initiatives 
Khalilzad