VZCZCXYZ0021
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUNV #0085/01 0581043
ZNR UUUUU ZZH (CCY AD3689E5 MSI8447-695)
O 271043Z FEB 09
FM USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9063
USMISSION USUN GENEVA
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS UNVIE VIENNA 000085 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR IRAN COLLECTIVE 
 
C O R R E C T E D  C O P Y (ADDED ADDRESSEE AND SLUG LINE) 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PGOV SNAR KCRM UN IR
 
SUBJECT: Iran Poised to Chair 2010 Session of the UN Commission on 
Narcotic Drugs 
 
REF: 2008 UNVIE 401 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (U) This is an action request for IO, INR and NEA, see Para 13. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The chairmanship of the 2010 UN Commission on Narcotic 
Drugs (CND) will rotate to the Asia Group.  Iran has announced to 
the Group its intention to pursue the position.  If no other Asian 
country seeks the chairmanship, Iran plans to announce its candidacy 
at the 2009 CND in March 16-20, and will likely receive endorsement 
by the Group.  If another Asian candidate emerges, the Asia Group 
will probably delay making a decision until the Reconvened 
Commission to take place December 1-2, 2009.  Based on precedents 
and performance, Iran is expected to succeed in its quest.  Mission 
requests Washington guidance for these two scenarios, especially 
given the short fuse for the March CND. End Summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
Iran Announces its Intention 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The chairmanship of the CND rotates among regional groups, 
and it will be the turn for the Asia Group for the 2010 CND. 
Generally the reconvened CND session, which takes place at the end 
of a year, makes the decision on the chair of the next CND.  The 
handover takes place at the end of this reconvened session, and the 
new chair serves a one-year term.  Missionoff confirmed with two 
Asian delegations that in a meeting of the CND Asia Group on 
February 24, Iran, as expected, announced its intention to pursue 
aggressively the chairmanship of the 2010 CND.  Pakistan was the 
lone country which endorsed Iran's candidacy at that meeting. 
Although Thailand has unofficially expressed interest in the Chair, 
many Asian countries believe the Chair is Iran's for the taking. 
 
------------------ 
Arguing Precedent 
----------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In announcing Iran's candidacy to the Asia Group on 
February 24, Iranian Ambassador to the UN in Vienna, Ali Asghar 
Soltanieh, said that he would run on the strength of his record as a 
CND vice-chair, as well as past precedent.  (Note:  The CND bureau 
comprises the chair and vice chairs from each regional group.  End 
Note.)  In 2006 Pakistan served as the Asia Group vice-chair for the 
UN Commission on Criminal Justice and Crime Prevention and Criminal 
Justice (CCPCJ).  When the CCPCJ chair rotated to the Asia Group, 
Pakistan argued for its candidacy for chairman, based on its 
previous vice chairmanship.   South Korea, which was the other 
candidate, eventually withdrew.   Pakistan won endorsement by the 
Group.  Now, Iran is advancing the same argument.  Our Asian 
interlocutors believe that this argument will carry a lot of weight 
with the Group. 
 
------------------ 
More Precedent 
------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  On February 25, Namibia Counselor told us that for the 
CND, the next chairmanship always goes to the current bureau 
representative of the regional group which gets the  rotation. 
(Note: Namibia is the current chair representing the African Group. 
End Note.)  Since Iran is the current Asia Group representative on 
the bureau, he expects Iran to become the next CND chairman. 
 
-------------------------- 
Campaigning on Performance 
-------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  According to our interlocutors, Soltanieh is also touting 
his record as a CND vice-chair through the negotiations on the 
Action Plan/Annex document for the 10-year review of the 1998 the 
UNGA Special Session (UNGASS) resolution to combat drugs.  Soltanieh 
believes his leadership was well received, constructive and strong, 
and will urge Asia Group support based on that performance. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Mission concurs with this positive assessment on 
Soltanieh's part.  In contrast to his role at the IAEA, where he has 
been increasingly strident and unhelpful, Soltanieh, as chair of the 
negotiating sessions on the UNGASS Action Plan, was willing to use 
his authority to cut off circular interventions from any delegation, 
insisting that objections to existing language should be accompanied 
by proposed alternatives.  When appropriate, he adjourned formal 
negotiations for "informal-informal" consultations (i.e., candid 
discussions off the conference room floor), during which he pushed 
all parties to come to agreement.  As a result, he was able to 
finalize 211 paragraphs of the 215-paragraph action plan document. 
(Note: The unresolved four paragraphs touch on "harm reduction", 
 
where Iran and the U.S. are in a similar position, opposing the more 
extreme EU states.  End Note.)  He also brokered a "gentleman's 
agreement" between the U.S. and Canada on the one side, and Iran and 
Cuba on the other, to include reference to the Financial Action Task 
Force (FATF) in the action plan document, a critical issue for the 
U.S. and Canada, but bitterly opposed by the other two countries. 
 
 
--------------- 
On Drug Control 
--------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) Missionoffs have observed that Iran shares much common 
ground with the U.S. on drug control.  Our contacts at the UN Office 
on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have touted Iran's diligent efforts to 
fight drugs, among which are what they describe as impressive 
efforts to control the border with Afghanistan, and the use of 
religion in treating addicts (Reftel).  In UNODC fora, Iran has 
spoken of the lives lost in enforcing drug laws.  In the course of 
the UNGASS negotiations since November, the Iranian delegation 
approached us several times to offer language suggestions that it 
deemed helpful to the USG position.  During informal-informal 
consultations on February 24 on two contentious paragraphs touching 
on "harm reduction" in the UNGASS Political Declaration, the Iranian 
representative announced that its Permanent Mission has received 
instructions from the President's office to oppose the term both in 
the political declaration and the action plan.  This very strong 
position also aids USDEL and other delegations opposed to the term. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Thailand Interested, but Faces Uphill Battle 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Our Asian interlocutors told us that although Thailand has 
not yet announced a formal candidacy, it is interested in becoming 
the chair.  Philippines and other countries are encouraging Thailand 
to run, if for no other reason than to allow a delay in a formal 
decision.  (Note:  If no country opposes Iran, Missionoff has been 
told that Iran will announce its candidacy at the March 2009 CND, 
and the Asia Group in all likelihood will give Iran its endorsement. 
 However, if another Asian country formally submits its candidacy, 
the Group will have a reason to delay its decision to the Reconvened 
CND due to take place December 1-2.  End note.)  In the view of 
these interlocutors, Thailand faces an uphill battle.  The CCPCJ and 
CND precedents, coupled with Iran's aggressive campaign, its active 
participation as a delegation and effective leadership as 
vice-chair, all stack the deck against a Thai victory. 
 
---------------------------- 
Comment and Action Requested 
---------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Mission was impressed by Soltanieh's vigor during his 
chairmanship of the UNGASS negotiations, as well as his largely 
fair-minded and results-oriented approach.  However, Mission is 
aware of an apparent Iranian campaign to assume leadership positions 
across the UN.  We are concerned about the prospect of Iran 
dominating a variety of UN fora in Vienna.  Iranian chairmanship of 
the CND, albeit for one year, could compound Iran's disruptive 
influence in other Vienna agencies -- sharpest in the IAEA.  On the 
other hand, given Iran's self interest in fighting drugs, Iran may 
use the CND chairmanship to surprise us on how it could be 
cooperative in areas in which we have common goals. 
 
¶11.  (SBU) If Washington decides to engage Iran, the CND in Vienna 
may be a place to start.  We can refer to Iran by name in our 
interventions from the floor, if it shares/supports a USG position. 
We can also have bilateral discussions with Iran on issues of common 
interest during the CND.  If Iran announces its candidacy for the 
CND chairmanship in the plenary session during the March 16-20 
period, and if its candidacy receives Asia Group endorsement, USDEL 
could openly congratulate Iran from the plenary floor.  A further 
step could be expression of our willingness to work with the new 
chair on drug control issues important to our two countries and/or 
to all member states.  This can be followed by consultations in both 
a bilateral and multilateral context in the months leading to the 
December reconvened session. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) The CND will be preceded by a high-level segment on March 
11-13.  We have learned that the Iranian delegation of 15 will be 
led by General Moghadam, head of the National Drug Control 
Headquarters, and will include the head of Iran's narcotics police 
force, as well as several directors general from relevant 
ministries.  Thus another step USDEL could take is to meet with the 
Iranian delegation on a technical level, which is something that 
could happen quite naturally in the course of negotiating 
resolutions. 
 
¶13. (SBU) Action Requested:  Mission requests Washington guidance on 
how we should react to the Iranian candidacy, if it is announced at 
 
the March CND, and in particular, if Iran emerges as the lone 
candidate endorsed by the Asia Group.  Mission also seeks Washington 
guidance on whether we should encourage a rival candidacy.  Absent 
further guidance, Mission will stick to its standard position on 
such matters that selection is up to the concerned regional Group. 
End Comment and Action Requested. 
 
 
SCHULTE