VZCZCXRO7144
OO RUEHJO
DE RUCNDT #0452 1242036
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 042036Z MAY 09 ZDF
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6457
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000452 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR USUN/W, L, IO, PM, AF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR KPKO UNSC SO
SUBJECT: SOMALIA/UN: P3 FAVOR CONTINUED ASSESSED SUPPORT TO 
AMISOM 
 
REF: A. SENIOR-KHAMBATTA EMAIL 4/30 
     ¶B. USUN 443 
 
¶1. (SBU) 1. The UK convened a second round of P3 negotiations 
on their draft Somalia resolution on May 1.  As at the 
previous meeting, poloff did not offer substantive 
suggestions, but asked the UK and France to be patient with 
USG decisionmaking and to preserve flexibility in the text in 
preparation for U.S. edits in coming days.  Discussion 
centered on French proposals on the text (ref A). 
 
¶2. (SBU) Poloff asked the P3 what their budgetary experts 
thought of the draft resolution.  The UK and France explained 
that, to their lawyers, the precedent is the same as UNSCR 
1863, and that they do not see it as problematic.  They are 
not troubled by the distinction between UN support to a UNPKO 
and UN support to a non-UN operation.  For them, the core 
issue is that assessments to support AMISOM under UNSCR 1863 
(or the UK draft resolution) will be levied by the General 
Assembly in response to an explicit request of the Security 
Council.  In their view, a Security Council mandate for 
another non-UN operation would not allow the GA to issue an 
assessment unless the resolution contained a similar, 
explicit UNSC request for the Secretary-General to provide UN 
support.  Because an affirmative decision of the Security 
Council would be needed to make use of the precedent 
established by UNSCR 1863, the UK and France do not believe 
it threatens their long-term equities as major UN 
contributors. 
 
Rice