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UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000069 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNGA UNSC GE JA BR IN
SUBJECT: UNGA: UNSC REFORM: PGA BRIEFS INFORMAL PLENARY OF 
THE GA ON OEWG'S CONSULTATIONS 
 
REF: A. 08 USUN NEW YORK 1200 
     ¶B. 08 USUN NEW YORK 1095 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The President of the General Assembly 
(PGA) presented the results of the Open-ended Working Group's 
consultations on framework and modalities of Security Council 
expansion negotiations in an informal session of the General 
Assembly on January 29, in line with General Assembly 
Decision 62/557.  The PGA announced that intergovernmental 
negotiations on Security Council expansion would commence 
February 19, 2009, when the PGA would present a work plan 
"providing clarity on the terms and modalities."  Many 
Uniting for Consensus (UFC) bloc members welcomed the launch 
date for intergovernmental negotiations but commented that 
they hoped the PGA would consult and seek the membership's 
input on "terms and modalities."  Singapore asked the PGA to 
open up those consultations to all member states.  The Group 
of Four (G-4) bloc members and supporters lauded the PGA's 
launch date for negotiations and agreed with Singapore's 
request.  They also requested from the PGA a composite paper 
of all member states' proposals on Security Council 
expansion.  Algeria proposed that the PGA hold a session of 
the informal plenary to discuss the work plan and "terms and 
modalities" before the February 19 launch of 
intergovernmental negotiations.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) In line with paragraph (c) of General Assembly 
Decision 62/557, President of the General Assembly (PGA) 
Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann presented the results of the 
Open-ended Working Group's consultations on framework and 
modalities to an informal plenary session of the General 
Assembly on January 29.  125 Member States made statements 
during the six meetings of the OEWG which the PGA concluded 
"demonstrated an overwhelming and across-the-board appetite" 
to start intergovernmental negotiations in the informal 
plenary of the General Assembly.  The PGA also recognized 
that a number of Member States had made suggestions which 
included "concrete, constructive, and useful elements" for 
intergovernmental negotiations.  He noted the proposals by 
Mexico and the Republic of Korea, Spain and Argentina, and 
Canada and Malta, and said they would be annexed in their 
entirety to the report of the OEWG at the end of the 63rd 
session, per paragraph (g) of Decision 62/557. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The PGA announced that in moving forward to 
intergovernmental negotiations, he and his Vice Chair, Afghan 
Perm Rep Tanin, would be closely following Decision 62/557, 
the UN Charter, the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, the 
relevant UN rules and procedures, legal advice, past 
practice, and member states' input through the OEWG to 
provide "swift action and steadfast leadership."  The PGA 
announced that intergovernmental negotiations would commence 
on February 19 in an informal plenary of the GA at which the 
PGA said he would "present a work plan, providing clarity on 
the terms and modalities, and also providing a short-term 
schedule of meetings on in particular the five key issues." 
(Note: The five key issues, per Decision 62/557 (e) (ii), are 
"categories of membership, the question of the veto, regional 
representation, size of an enlarged Council and working 
methods of the Security Council, and the relationship between 
the Council and the General Assembly.  End note.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In closing his presentation, the PGA quoted the 
2005 World Summit Outcome document: "An early reform of the 
Security Council -- an essential element of our overall 
effort to reform the United Nations -- in order to make it 
more broadly representative, efficient and transparent and 
thus to further enhance its effectiveness and the legitimacy 
 
and implementations of its decisions."  He recalled Decision 
62/557 which states that intergovernmental negotiations be 
conducted "in good faith, with mutual respect and in an open, 
inclusive and transparent manner" and "seeking a solution 
that can garner the widest possible political acceptance by 
Member States." 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  The PGA then opened the floor, and 25 delegations 
commented.  The debate focused on two issues: whether the PGA 
should issue his work plan before or after discussion with 
members, and what format those discussions should take -- 
informal consultations with some or all of the members in 
separate groupings or in a session of the informal plenary of 
 
 
the GA.  The first seven speakers (Italy, Pakistan, 
Argentina, Spain, Mexico, Malta, and South Korea) were from 
the Uniting for Consensus (UFC) bloc and cautioned the PGA 
against issuing a work plan that delves into substance, 
specifically his intent to provide "clarity on the terms and 
modalities," before consulting widely with the membership. 
The Singapore Perm Rep called on the PGA to circulate his 
draft work plan to all Member States at the same time and in 
advance of the informal plenary session on February 19.  He 
said that there should not be consultations with only the 
major groups, such as the UFC, Group of Four (G-4), and P-5, 
since that will leave the rest of the membership without a 
voice, contrary to the PGA's professed spirit of 
democratizing the UN.  The G-4 response was led by the German 
Perm Rep who agreed that pre-consultations of only certain 
groups would not be helpful; and said instead discussions 
should be in the informal plenary after the work plan is 
distributed.  The Algerian Perm Rep, an Africa Group and UFC 
member, said he concurred with Singapore's suggestion and 
proposed that the PGA hold a meeting of the informal plenary 
of the GA prior to February 19 for a discussion of "terms and 
modalities" so that intergovernmental negotiations could be 
launched on February 19.  At the end of the meeting, the PGA 
said he welcomed the Algerian intervention. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Brazilian Perm Rep, a G-4 member, proposed that 
the PGA draw up a composite paper organizing all of the 
member states' proposals and include that in the work plan. 
Other G-4 members and supporters, such as Barbados, Nigeria, 
Japan, Panama, India, Ecuador, and Mauritius subsequently 
voiced support for this idea.  The Rwandan Perm Rep  spoke on 
behalf of the African Group and welcomed the launch date for 
intergovernmental negotiations.  He said February 19 would be 
the first day of a new era toward ending the injustice of 
Africa not being properly represented on the Security 
Council. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Venezuela, which had not taken the floor during the 
six OEWG meetings, used the informal plenary session to voice 
strong support for the PGA and welcome the launch date for 
intergovernmental negotiations, and called for the building 
of a new world order in which the UN would not be immune to 
change.  He said that President Chavez has repeatedly 
stressed the need for reform of the Security Council in terms 
of both categories of members (i.e., permanent and elected), 
the elimination of the veto, and working methods. 
Rice