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DE RUCNDT #0555 1532216
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O 022216Z JUN 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6666
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNDSC/DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUCNCLS/SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000555 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA
SUBJECT: BAN KI-MOON BRIEFS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON PAKISTAN, 
SRI LANKA, DISARMAMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
¶1. (SBU) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the General 
Assembly during a June 1 briefing on his recent travels, that 
he was considering appointing a senior-level envoy to 
coordinate delivery of humanitarian assistance to the 2.4 
million people who have been displaced in the Swat Valley in 
Pakistan.  The SYG categorically dismissed media reports that 
the UN had underreported the number of casualties from the 
conflict in Sri Lanka.  He said he had encouraged the Sri 
Lankan government to consider calls for an investigation into 
civilian casualties, but that further UN engagement in an 
inquiry would need to follow a decision of the Human Rights 
Council, the General Assembly or another body.  Ban said he 
was reconsidering an earlier decision to restructure the 
Department for Disarmament in light of recent rapprochement 
between Russia and the U.S. that had allowed the Disarmament 
Conference to adopt its first Program of Work in twelve 
years. Ban said he hoped the September 22, 2009 Climate 
Change Summit would not be a series of one-way interventions, 
but instead an "interactive Summit."  He also said the WHO 
alert level would remain at "5" for the H1N1 virus, though he 
acknowledged H1N1's severity was currently not as acute as 
its scope and its spread.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) At a June 1 briefing for the General Assembly on his 
recent travels to Bahrain, Sri Lanka, Geneva, and Copenhagen, 
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was concerned about the 
"unfolding crisis" in Pakistan, in which over 2.4 million 
persons had been displaced from their homes due to fighting 
in the Swat Valley.  Ban said the UN had received commitments 
for only about one-fifth of the 543 million dollars in 
assistance it had sought in a May 22 flash appeal and urged 
members to provice additional support.  He said he was 
considering appointing a senior-level envoy to coordinate the 
delivery of humanitarian assistance. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Briefing on his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the SYG 
expressed "deep concern" about the high number of civilian 
casualties in the conflict.  Both the Sri Lankan government 
and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had violated 
the "inviolability of civilians," he said, but he 
"categorically denied" suggestions that the UN had 
deliberately underestimated the number of civilian 
casualties.  Band said he had urged government leaders to 
address the grievances of all communities and to find a 
lasting political solution that leads to reconciliation.  He 
also said he had urged the government to accept calls for a 
fully accountable and transparent independent investigation 
of civilian casualties, but he stressed that the UN would not 
be involved in such an investigation unless called upon to do 
so by the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly or other 
competent UN body. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Reporting on his recent trip to Geneva, the SYG said 
was pleased that the Conference on Disarmament had broken a 
12 year impasse over the Program of Work.  The rapprochement 
between the U.S. and Russia on disarmament had led him to 
reconsider his intention to restructure the Department of 
Disarmament and appoint a High Representative, he said. 
While he thought the role of a High Representative was 
important, he said it was "not as important as the political 
will of member states." 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Secretary-General also said he was planning to 
make the September 22, 2009 Climate Change Summit "the most 
interactive meeting", rather than a typical Summit, which he 
described as a series of one-sided speeches by leaders 
interspersed with bilateral meetings.  Instead Ban wanted the 
climate event to be a "multi-lane" program that would provide 
an opportunity to work out sticking points and facilitate 
negotiations among members.  He said he planned to consult 
with members at both expert and Permrep levels in the course 
of planning the detailed framework for the Summit. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Responding to questions about World Health 
Organization efforts on the H1N1 virus, Ban said that so far, 
15500 cases of H1N1 had been identified, with 98 reported 
deaths.  The WHO alert level would remain at "5" (pandemic 
level), he said, adding that there was a difference between 
the scope and spread of the pandemic and its severity.  He 
acknowledged that WHO might be need to find a way to be more 
flexible and realistic in managing alert levels in cases 
where the severity does not match the spread and scope. 
RICE