VZCZCXRO8430
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0853 2661533
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 221533Z SEP 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4982
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ IMMEDIATE 0078

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000853 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC RS GG SO
SUBJECT: SUMMARY OF SECRETARY GENERAL'S LUNCH WITH SECURITY 
COUNCIL AMBASSADORS 
 
REF: USUN 845 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary. On September 18 UN Secretary General Ban 
Ki-moon, during his monthly luncheon with Security Council 
Ambassadors, discussed the Georgia/UNOMIG mandate renewal 
(ref), Bolivia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. Although 
not part of the agenda, France raised the issue of Somalia 
and piracy, which became a major discussion topic among the 
group. End Summary. 
 
Georgia/UNOMIG 
-------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) In addition to the substantive details raised during 
the luncheon found in reftel, French PermRep Ripert 
highlighted that the inability to extend the mandate of the 
United Nations Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) would send the 
wrong message and that the Council should consider a 
technical rollover to facilitate the meeting in Geneva in 
mid-October, part of French President Sarkozy's brokered 
ceasefire agreement between Russia and Georgia. Ripert also 
emphasized the need for unimpeded humanitarian access and a 
broader mission for the UN to investigate Russia's 
accusations of Georgian human rights abuses. 
 
 
BOLIVIA 
------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ban raised the issue concerning the violent 
political standoff in Bolivia and the UN's potential role to 
defuse the crisis. The discussion was non-controversial, but 
Costa Rican PermRep Urbina judged that before any UN 
involvement in the matter, the parties in Bolivia should 
solve the crisis among themselves, or failing that, the 
Organization of American States could assist. 
 
 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Ambassadors agreed that bilateral engagement 
from each of the Security Council member states with the DRC 
was the best way to approach the political impasse in 
Kinshasa. 
 
 
SOMALIA AND PIRACY 
------------------ 
 
¶5. (SBU) The SYG and Security Council Ambassadors discussed 
piracy on the Somali coast and the ongoing inability to rein 
in attacks. They agreed that more needed to be done to combat 
the piracy, and Ripert announced that his Mission would host 
a meeting on 19 September to discuss the drafting of a new 
resolution to address the issue. In response, the Indonesian 
PermRep Natalegawa noted the parameters of UNSCR 1816 (passed 
on June 2, 2008 dealing with piracy and its impact on the 
delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia) were sufficient. The 
Ambassadors raised the issue of contingency planning for ship 
escorts for humanitarian aid as the Canadian force currently 
operating as escorts will end its mandate at the end of 
September. 
Khalilzad