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UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001190 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL UNSC PGOV ETTC
SUBJECT: UNSC: OUTGOING PERM REPS ANALYZE AND DISSECT BODIES 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On December 15, outgoing Security Council 
Perm Reps from Italy, South Africa, Indonesia, Belgium and 
Panama provided the Council with analysis, personal 
reflections and "lessons learned" about their Chairmanships 
of UN Security Council Subsidiary Bodies. The Belgian Perm 
Rep lauded new "fair and clear procedures" in the 1267 
al-Qaeda/Taliban Sanctions Committee, recommended greater 
focus on sanctions violations in the 1737 Iran Sanctions 
Committee and expressed his concern about the lack of 
follow-up in the 1572 Cote D'Ivoire Sanctions Committee to 
allegations of human rights abuses. The Italian Perm Rep 
lamented that lack of consensus undermined action in the 1591 
Sudan Sanctions Committee and noted the minimal activity of 
the 1718 Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 
Sanctions Committee. The South African Perm Rep, Chair of the 
751 Somalia Sanctions Committee, highlighted the linkages 
between piracy and violations of the Somalia arms embargo. 
The Indonesian Perm Rep noted that the 1533 Democratic 
Republic of the Congo (DRC) Sanctions Committee had observed 
a troubling lack of awareness of the sanctions measures; he 
also observed that the Rwanda Sanctions Committee had 
dissolved itself in the summer of 2008. The Chairs also gave 
briefings on the ad-hoc working groups including the Working 
Group of Peacekeeping Operations, the Informal Working Group 
on International Tribunals, and the Working Group on Conflict 
Prevention and Resolution in Africa and the Working Group on 
Documentation and Other Procedural Questions. END SUMMARY. 
 
OUTGOING PERM REPS REFLECT ON THEIR CHAIRMANSHIPS 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On December 15, the Permanent Representatives of the 
outgoing Security Council members Italy, South Africa, 
Indonesia, and Belgium shared their thoughts with the Council 
on the activities of the following Subsidiary Bodies under 
their Chairmanship: The 1591 (2005) Committee on Sudan, the 
1718 (2006) Committee on the Democratic People's Republic of 
Korea (DPRK), the 751 (1992) Committee on Somalia, the 918 
(1994) Committee on Rwanda, the 1533 (2004) Committee on the 
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the 1267 Committee on 
al-Qaeda/Taliban Sanctions, 1572 (2004) Committee on Cote 
d'Ivoire, and the 1737 (2006) Committee on Iran Sanctions. 
These briefings, traditionally held each December, allow the 
Chairs to analyze and dissect the internal workings of these 
Subsidiary Bodies and provide recommendations for their 
improvement. The Chairs also gave briefings on the ad-hoc 
working groups including the Working Group of Peacekeeping 
Operations, the Informal Working Group on International 
Tribunals, and the Working Group on Conflict Prevention and 
Resolution in Africa and the Working Group on Documentation 
and Other Procedural Questions. 
 
1267 al-Qaeda/Taliban Sanctions Committee 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Belgian Chair of the 1267 al-Qaeda/Taliban 
Sanctions Committee lauded the adoption of UNSCR 1822 in June 
2008 as "a milestone in the life of this Committee" and 
highlighted the improved procedures for listing and delisting 
contained in that resolution. He explained that given the 
increasing international pressure regarding transparency and 
due process, the 1267 Committee has made significant process 
in these areas. The Chair stated that there is no doubt that 
terrorism remains one of the most serious threats to 
international peace and security, that the 1267 Sanctions 
regime is still one of the most important tools of the 
international community for fighting terrorism, and that we 
can only increase its effectiveness by ensuring fair and 
clear procedures. 
 
1737 Iran Sanctions Committee 
----------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The Belgian Perm Rep, in his capacity as Chair of 
the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee, explained that the 
activities of the Committee had been carried out in parallel 
with the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA). The Chair explained that while the sanctions have 
definitely affected Iran's nuclear program, they have only 
served to delay but not stop the program. He stated that Iran 
"persists in refusing dialogue and in cultivating ambiguity." 
 
This refusal to cooperate has prevented any reassurance of 
international community of the program's peaceful nature. The 
Chair recommended that the Committee examine the deficiencies 
of implementation more thoroughly. In order to do so, he 
believed assistance from a panel of experts, like those 
supporting other Sanctions Committees, would be a useful and 
logical complement. 
 
751 Somalia Sanctions Committee 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The South African Perm Rep spoke to the Council in 
his role as Chair of the 751 Somalia Sanctions Committee, 
describing the recent UN Somalia Monitoring Group's report as 
a "sobering" account of the deteriorating security situation 
in Somalia. He argued that while the link between sanctions 
violations and piracy (rapidly becoming multimillion dollar 
industry) has received global attention, this is only one 
symptom, not the root, of conflict. Pirates, he said, invoke 
legitimate concerns regarding illegal fishing and dumping in 
Somali waters, which earns them support among the Somali 
population. The Perm Rep declared that "fragmented efforts 
are unlikely to succeed" and that a "comprehensive and 
holistic" approach (including the strengthening of AMISOM) is 
necessary in Somalia. 
 
1591 Sudan Sanctions Committee 
------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Italian Perm Rep, Chair of the 1591 Sudan 
Sanctions Committee explained that despite a shared 
objective, different interpretations of the Committee's 
intended role among its members impeded the Committee's 
effectiveness. He recommended for the future that the 
Committee reach out to international and non-governmental 
organizations, promote dialogue with regional countries, and 
ensure liaison with the mediation of the political process 
and with UNAMID. He argued that the Committee does not work 
in a vacuum and therefore should work in concert with the 
other components of the Security Council's strategy in 
Darfur. He related that an NGO had briefed the Committee on 
Friday, which he found useful and hoped such practices would 
continue. (NOTE: The NGO referenced was Human Rights First, 
in a briefing that USUN had arranged. Following the success 
of this briefing, USUN plans to support this NGO's efforts to 
conduct a larger, voluntary briefing for new Council members 
in 2009. END NOTE) 
 
1533 DRC Sanctions Committee 
---------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) The Perm Rep of Indonesia, Chair of the 1533 DRC 
Sanctions Committee, stated that the Council's adoption of 
UNSCR 1807 (2008) has added simplification and clarity of the 
sanctions regime and has lead to renewed cooperation of the 
DRC authorities. The Chair noted that the level of awareness 
and implementation of the measures remains limited and that 
addressing this limitation would require the full 
collaboration and engagement of States in the region. He 
expressed his hope that Council actively use the sanctions 
regime as a positive instrument integrated into a wider 
political strategy to end the conflict and recommended that 
the Committee engage further with States in the region and 
others to ensure increased compliance. 
 
1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee 
----------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Italian Perm Rep, speaking as the 1718 DPRK 
Sanctions Committee Chair, highlighted the ban on luxury 
goods, but noted the Committee's minimal work during 2008. 
Due to high interest of Member States, the Committee 
clarified that this includes any definition of luxury goods 
necessary to the States' implementation of this provision of 
the resolution, and would be the responsibility of the 
individual Member States. The Committee adopted guidelines 
for its work, continued to identify additional items under 
the luxury good ban, and received reports from 73 countries 
and one organization (the EU) on their implementation of the 
measures, but did not receive any requests for targeted 
sanctions designation. Since July 2007, no new relevant 
 
information has been brought to the attention of the 
Committee. 
 
1572 Cote d'Ivoire Sanctions Committee 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Belgian Chair of the 1572 Cote d'Ivoire 
Sanctions Committee noted the reports from the UN Group of 
Experts of continued failure by the Cote d'Ivoire authorities 
to implement the sanctions measures due to ignorance, 
indifference, or expressed contempt for the measures. He 
believed this would continue to be a challenge for the 
international community. The Chair said he was struck by the 
lack of follow up regarding the numerous allegations of human 
rights violations, particularly cases of sexual violence with 
women and children, which are intolerable and should be 
followed closely. 
 
918 Rwanda Sanctions Committee 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Indonesia Chair briefed the Council regarding 
the 918 Rwandan Sanctions Committee. The Chair explained that 
the sanction measures had been gradually terminated over the 
years as a result of continual improvement in the political 
climate. Due to this improvement and the subsequent 
inactivity of the Sanctions Committee, the Council decided to 
dissolve the Committee in May 2008 (UNSCR 1823). 
 
Informal Working Groups 
----------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Chairs of the Working Groups gave brief reports 
and made encouraging statements on their ongoing respective 
work and expressed hope that progress would continue to be 
made in these areas in the future. The Working Group for 
Peacekeeping Operations (Indonesia) reported two informal 
meetings during their chairmanship, taking up the subjects of 
the Surge in Peacekeeping Operations, Security Sector Reform, 
and the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).The 
Informal Working Group on International Tribunals (Belgium) 
reported that the concentration of their discussions focused 
on the issue of establishing a residual mechanism to carry 
out essential functions of the International Criminal 
Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and Rwanda (ICTR) 
after their closure. The Working Group on Conflict Prevention 
and Resolution in Africa (South Africa) reported that under 
South Africa's chairmanship they highlighted the need to 
strengthen the working relationship between the African Union 
(AU) and the UN and hosted thematic debates that brought 
several Heads of State and Government to the Security 
Council. The Chair stated that he is looking forward to 
reports from the AU-UN panel proposing concrete ways the UN 
can support the AU with predictable and sustainable resources 
and hoped the Group's deliberations on the concept of 
"Responsibility to Protect" would contribute to the debate 
following the Secretary General's report to the General 
Assembly early next year. The Working Group on Documentation 
and Other Procedural Questions (Panama), reported that in 
efforts to make the Council more efficient, the Group had 
focused on issues relating to the "seizure statement," 
meeting formats, and the participation of non-Council members 
in the Council's work. 
Khalilzad