VZCZCXYZ0003
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #8527 1330023
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 130010Z MAY 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0000

UNCLAS STATE 048527 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PHSA EWWT KCRM SO XA XY
SUBJECT: SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE CABLE ON UN ASSISTANCE 
TO THE CGPCS 
 
¶1.  This is an action request see paragraph 2. 
 
¶2.  ACTION REQUEST: USUN is requested to demarche the UN 
Secretariat at the appropriate level to obtain the 
objectives in paragraph 3.  USUN may draw from the background 
listed in paragraph 4-7 to achieve these objectives.  USUN 
should inform the Secretariat that we are demarching them in 
our national capacity, not as the Chair of the Contact Group 
on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS). 
 
¶3. OBJECTIVES: USUN should pursue the following objectives 
when delivering this demarche: 
 
-- Suggest the UN Secretariat delay its "report" on 
"socio-economic projects in Somalia that have direct 
relation to addressing piracy on land" until the next plenary 
meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the 
Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), not the upcoming "urgent" CGPCS 
meeting on May 29; 
 
-- Limit any UN "report" to Working Group (WG) 4 of the CGPCS 
to Public Diplomacy/Public Affairs issues per the 
mandate of WG4; 
 
-- Request that the UN Secretariat only accept "taskings" 
from the CGPCS that are formally requested from 
the CGPCS Chair via letter to the UN Secretary-General. 
 
¶4. BACKGROUND: On March 17, 2008 the CGPCS held its second 
plenary session in Cairo, Egypt.  During this meeting, and 
the meeting in Cairo several days earlier of WG4 of the CGPCS 
(also chaired by Egypt), the Egyptian delegation was 
insistent on the UN preparing a report on possible 
alternatives to piracy for the people of Somalia.  Evidently, 
UN Secretariat representatives (note: the UN is a participant 
in the CGPCS) agreed to take on this request for the UN.  The 
final communique of the plenary, which all states did not 
have a chance to clear on before publishing, stated: "The 
Contact Group welcomed the UN's readiness to present at its 
next meeting a needs assessment on socio-economic projects 
that have direct-relation to addressing piracy on land." 
 
¶5. Following the rise in incidents of piracy off the Somali 
coast in the last several months, including the 
attack of two U.S. flagged vessels in the Somalia basin, the 
United States called for an "urgent" meeting of the 
CGPCS to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on May 
¶29.  In preparation for this meeting, we have discovered 
the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), in response to 
the CGPCS' March 17 communique, is preparing a "report" 
for the next WG4 meeting of the CGPCS, to be held on May 25 
in Cairo.  The report will consist of: a communications 
strategy, an actionable concept on job creation in Somalia, a 
number of proposals on increasing the livelihood of the 
people of Somalia, and proposals on establishing a Somalia 
coast guard. 
 
¶6. The United States opposes the delivery of such a report to 
WG4 of the CGPCS because the mandate of this working 
group is limited to Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy 
activities.  We support the UN delivering a recommended 
communications strategy to WG4 at the May 25 meeting.  In 
general, the United States believes the CGPCS should focus 
its attentions only on direct actions to suppress acts of 
piracy and armed robbery at sea and not on addressing the 
longstanding root causes of piracy in Somalia, which we feel 
could be addressed more appropriately through other bilateral 
and multilateral mechanisms, such as the Contact Group for 
Somalia and existing UN development programs.  However, as we 
did agree to its inclusion in the CGPCS' March 17 Communique, 
we would not object to receiving such a report, as outlined 
above, from the UN to a future plenary meeting of the CGPCS. 
Unfortunately, as we already have a full agenda for the 
upcoming "urgent" meeting of the CGPCS, we would not support 
such a briefing at this time. 
 
¶7. The United States very much appreciates the UN's 
partnership in suppressing piracy off the Somali coast. 
Different UN organizations in discharging their UN mandates 
will undoubtedly collect information that will be 
beneficial to the CGPCS.  However, to avoid confusion in the 
future and to avoid the perception that the UN Secretariat 
works for the CGPCS, the United States would strongly 
recommend the UN require from the CGPCS chair a formal 
written request to the UN Secretary-General for UN assistance 
for each request.  We believe this simple procedure will lead 
to better cooperation between the UN and CGPCS in the future. 
 
¶8. REPORTING DEADLINE AND POC: USUN should deliver the 
demarche and report back any response by May 15, 2009. 
Please contact Joseph J. FitzGerald (IO/UNP) with any 
questions or for further information. 
CLINTON