VZCZCXRO0856
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMA RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0789 2371931
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 251931Z AUG 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7106
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000789 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNSC AU KPKO
SUBJECT: MAJOR DONORS DISCUSS AU-UN PANEL FOLLOW-UP REPORT 
WITH U/SYG MALCORRA 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  U/SYG for Field Support Susanna Malcorra 
told U.S., France, Germany, Japan, and U.K. Deputy 
Permreps/Political Counselors (major donors) on August 21 
that a forthcoming Secretary-General's report on support for 
African Union-United Nations (AU-UN) peacekeeping operations 
would flesh out several options for financing joint AU-UN 
operations, but would not draw any conclusions as to the best 
financing option.  Major donors expressed strong concerns 
about the viability of financing AU-UN operations through UN 
assessed contributions, as had been proposed in a report of 
an AU-UN panel in December 2008.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Deputy Permreps/Political Counselors from the U.S., 
France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. discussed possible 
recommendations for financing AU-UN peacekeeping operations 
with Undersecretary-General for Field Support Susanna 
Malcorra and Assistant Secretary-General Edmund Mulet on 
August 21, in advance of the release of a report of the 
Secretary-General (SYG) on practical ways to support the 
African Union (AU) when it undertakes UN-authorized 
peacekeeping operations.  The Security Council had requested 
the report in a March 18 Presidential Statement (PRST), 
following a debate on the "Report of the African-Union-United 
Nations Panel on Modalities for Support to African Union 
Peacekeeping Operations" (A/63/666-S/2008/813).  The PRST 
requested that the new report be issued by September 18, and 
that it examine "practical ways to provide effective support 
for the African Union when it undertakes peacekeeping 
operations authorized by the United Nations," as well as 
"include a detailed assessment of the recommendations 
contained in the report of the AU-UN panel, in particular, 
those on financing." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Malcorra told the donors that the SYG's report would 
flesh out several financing options contained in the AU-UN 
panel's recommendations, but would neither draw conclusions 
about the most viable financing option nor present 
full-fledged financing proposals. Instead, the Secretariat 
saw the report as a part of the continuing dialogue between 
the Secretariat and member states on the modalities of 
financing peacekeeping operations.  Mulet emphasized that the 
draft report would examine not only the AU-UN panel 
recommendations on financing for AU-UN operations, but also 
examine the modalities of building African Union capacity and 
managing the strategic relationship between the AU and the 
UN.  Africa Office Director Margaret Carey said that the 
report would also acknowledge that voluntary contributions 
into trust funds and assessed contributions from AU members 
were other options that would be explored in the report. 
Carey pointed out that funding AU operations through 
voluntary contributions did not always provide sufficient 
resources for fulfilling a mission. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The donor representatives welcomed the intention of 
the Secretariat for the report to be a broad based discussion 
of the AU-UN panel recommendations, and agreed that any 
conclusion in favor of the AU-UN panel's recommendation that 
UN assessed contributions be used to finance AU peacekeeping 
operations authorized by the UN Security Council would be 
premature.  French Deputy Permrep LaCroix added that assessed 
contributions would create a disincentive for the African 
Union to develop its own capacity to finance peacekeeping 
operations.  France, he said, would like to widen the pool of 
contributors to peacekeeping operations, but assessed 
contributions would hinder that effort. German Deputy Permrep 
Ney said UN assessed contributions would create conditions 
whereby one entity (AU) had political and operational 
responsibility for peacekeeping missions, while another 
entity (UN) would bear the financial obligation.  Japanese 
Deputy Permrep Okuda made clear that Japan believed UN 
assessed contributions should only be used for UN activities, 
so that accountability for the use of the funds could be 
maintained.  U.K. Political Counselor Quarrey acknowledged 
that the Council had used assessed contributions for its 
AMISOM mission, but emphasized that such a decision should 
only be taken in unique circumstances.  USUN Political 
Minister-Counselor concurred with the comments of major 
donors, said that the U.S. also did not see assessed 
contributions as a viable method of funding AU peacekeeping 
operations due to transparency and accountability issues, and 
pressed for assurances that analysis of other options, 
including trust funds and assessed contributions from AU 
members, would be reflected in the report. 
RICE