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FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7668
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN IMMEDIATE 1131
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE 1210
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 2598
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 6438
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 2898
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 1172
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE 1227

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001055 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR USUN/W AND IO/UNP; NSC FOR POWER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KUNR UNGA UNSC GE JA BR IN
SUBJECT: UNGA: UNSURPRISING PLENARY DEBATE ON UNSC REFORM 
 
REF: USUN NEW YORK 1053 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The General Assembly held its annual 
plenary debate on November 12-13 to discuss Security Council 
reform, as well as the annual report of the Security Council 
(reported reftel).  Seventy-five delegations spoke and 
largely reiterated positions expressed during 
intergovernmental negotiations during the 63rd session.  The 
Group of Four (G4) called for further negotiations on an 
expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members since 
that appears to have the broadest support from the 
membership.  They also called for the Chair of 
intergovernmental negotiations to produce a negotiating text. 
 The Uniting for Consensus (UFC) bloc reiterated opposition 
to any expansion of permanent members and called only for an 
expansion of non-permanent members.  They also called for 
further discussion of the intermediate option, which G4 
members and supporters reject.  The African Group continued 
to emphasize the Ezulwini Consensus and Sirte Declaration 
calling for two permanent seats and two additional elected 
seats for African states.  The Libyan representative called 
for the replacement of all Security Council permanent members 
with regional group representatives. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Summary cont'd: In terms of the P-5, the United 
Kingdom and France supported the G4; they also called for 
further consideration of the intermediate option.  Ambassador 
Wolff reiterated U.S. support in principle for a limited 
expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members. 
Russia urged that the Council be kept small and that there be 
no infringement upon the current powers of permanent members. 
 China supported a reasonable reform with increased 
representation of developing states.  Besides demonstrating 
strong support for the Chair of intergovernmental 
negotiations, Afghan Perm Rep Tanin, the plenary debate also 
illustrated the membership's wide dislike of the veto and 
preference for its abolition.  While the G-4 prefer the 
extension of the veto to new permanent members if the veto is 
not abolished, the UFC is against any such extension.  A 
number of European states also advocated further 
consideration of the intermediate option, and small states 
called for greater opportunities to serve as elected members. 
 Ambassador Tanin announced in a November 16 letter to the 
membership that intergovernmental negotiations would resume 
for a fourth round on December 8 focused on all the positions 
and proposals of member states.  End summary. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The General Assembly met November 12-13 for a joint 
plenary debate on Security Council reform, as well as the 
annual report of the Security Council (reported septel). 
Seventy-four member states and one observer (Holy See) took 
the floor.  As the Italian Perm Rep emphasized on the second 
day, it was clear that no proposal on Security Council reform 
enjoys the necessary support (i.e., two-thirds of the 
membership) and negotiations toward a compromise solution 
must continue.  At the end of the debate, Japan and the DPRK 
exchanged rights of reply in response to the DPRK's comments 
that Japan would not be a suitable future permanent member of 
the Security Council since, according to the DPRK Perm Rep, 
Japan has not recognized and repaired its "crime-woven past." 
 
President of the General Assembly's remarks 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  In his introduction, President of the General 
Assembly (PGA) Ali Abdussalam Treki called for a strengthened 
United Nations that is "more democratic, open and inclusive 
-- adapted to the changing realities and capable of 
responding to the challenges that we confront."  He 
underscored that intergovernmental negotiations will continue 
during the 64th session, as agreed in Decision 63/565 on 
September 14, 2009, and, per his letter to the membership of 
October 13, 2009, that Afghan Perm Rep Tanin will continue to 
chair the negotiations on his behalf.  He said that member 
states would soon be informed of the "way forward to continue 
these negotiations."  He described the challenge ahead to 
find a "reform model which is comprehensive, and which takes 
into account the inter-linkages of the five key issues...and 
accommodates the interests and concerns of all Member States, 
including the large majority of small and medium states, and 
the under-represented regions particularly Africa whose 
legitimate demand to address the historic injustice with 
 
regard to its rightful representation on the Council is yet 
to be heeded." 
 
Group of Four 
------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) India spoke first from the Group of Four (G4) and 
emphasized that a preference had been expressed by a majority 
of member states during the previous rounds of 
intergovernmental negotiations for an expansion in both 
categories of membership -- permanent and non-permanent.  The 
Indian public delegate pressed for a "text" from Afghan Perm 
Rep Tanin in order to focus the intergovernmental 
negotiations and move them forward in a results-oriented 
manner.  He argued that the "institutions of global 
governance cannot remain chained to the balance of power that 
existed in 1945" and said that an expansion of only elected 
seats is not a broad enough reform step.  He said that the 
intermediate option raises more questions than answers and 
only pushes off reform decisions to the future, thereby 
eroding the credibility and legitimacy of the Council.  The 
German Charge called for the Chair to provide a text which 
would narrow down the options in order to begin the 
negotiation process, and said that there is a majority 
preference for an expansion in both categories.  He also said 
that any "intermediate solution must be constructed in a 
fashion so as to pave the way for an expansion in both 
categories" and rejected other variations of the intermediate 
model.  He specifically called for permanent seats for an 
"African presence," Brazil and India as countries from the 
South, and German and Japan as countries who significantly 
contribute to the maintenance of international peace and 
security. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Brazilian Deputy Perm Rep echoed the points 
made by her group colleagues from India and Germany and 
called for a "concrete outcome" by the end of the 64th 
session.  In order to achieve that, she said it is 
"imperative to narrow down the options for reform as soon as 
possible, discarding those that have a very limited chance to 
achieve the majority required for Charter amendments."  She, 
too, called for a text from Ambassador Tanin.  She restated 
Brazil's position in favor of a Council of 25 members with 
six new permanent members and four new non-permanent seats, 
including developing countries in both categories.  The 
Japanese Perm Rep echoed the statements made by his group and 
called for an enlarged Council with new permanent members 
"which have demonstrated well the readiness, capacity and 
resources to carry through implementation of Security Council 
decisions."  He, too, called for a paper from the Chair but 
said that if the Chair could not formulate such a paper, then 
the membership should find "Member States-driven ways to 
produce it." 
 
Uniting for Consensus 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Uniting for Consensus (UFC) group members 
reiterated their opposition to any expansion of the Council's 
permanent membership.  The Pakistani Charge called for a 
reformed Council to be "diverse and plural in context of 
geographical representation."  He emphasized that Africa's 
demand for permanent seats is for the entire region and 
different than proposals that seek permanent membership for 
individual states.  (Note: The Swazi Perm Rep later responded 
and said that the African Group's quest for permanent seats 
was not for a regional seat.  End note.)  The Italian Perm 
Rep also commented on the significant role regional 
organizations play in the Council's work and called for an 
"increased regional dimension" in the Council's provisional 
rules "by contrast to an increase in seats for a tiny group 
of countries." 
 
¶8.  (SBU) While there is disagreement amongst UFC members on 
the size of an expanded Council, the South Korean Perm Rep 
called for an increase in elected seats "to help meet the 
goal of granting equitable access to all qualified member 
states, large or small, to serve on the Council" and the 
Canadian Perm Rep limited his call to a "modest increase" in 
elected members.  Several UFC members underlined that the 
proposal put forward in April 2009 by UFC members Italy and 
Colombia showed a willingness to review their previous model 
 
and renounce maximalist positions in an effort to reach a 
compromise that can garner the "widest possible political 
acceptance." 
 
¶9.  (SBU) UFC members also underscored the need to maintain 
the linkage between the five key issues and called for 
comprehensive reform based on the principle of a single 
undertaking.  (Note: In contrast, the Filipino Perm Rep (not 
a UFC member) issued a call for "what can be adopted now must 
be approved now.  End note.)  The Spanish Perm Rep 
specifically noted that "some delegations have refused to 
tackle some of these issues, such as 'the question of the 
veto,' 'working methods' and 'the relationship between the 
Security Council and the General Assembly.'"  (Comment: U.S. 
statements during intergovernmental negotiations, as well as 
those of other P-5 members, have emphasized that prolonged 
discussion of these three issues are not "fruitful avenues" 
for discussion and could lead to impasse at the expense of 
progress on expansion.  End comment.) 
 
African Group 
------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) Fifteen African delegations spoke during the 
plenary debate.  The Sierra Leone Perm Rep spoke first on 
behalf of the African Group.  He described the pace of the 
reform effort to date as "not to our liking" but noted that 
delegations have "remained remarkably engaged with interest." 
 Given that the Council spends 70 percent of its time on 
issues relating to Africa, he reiterated Africa's common 
position reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte 
Declaration for no less than two permanent seats with all 
privileges (including the veto) and two additional 
non-permanent seats for Africa, with "the African Union being 
credited the responsibility for the selection of Africa's 
candidates."  (Comment:  Despite this description, he and the 
Swazi Perm Rep both claimed that this would not be a regional 
seat; however, it could run contrary to the U.S. position 
that any permanent seat must be country-specific and the 
country to be added as a permanent member of the Security 
Council would have to be designated by name in any specific 
UN Charter amendment.  End comment.)  He said it is "Africa's 
determined position" that the "intermediary/transitional/or 
intermediate approach ought not to factor as a viable 
proposition" since it predated and did not emerge from 
intergovernmental negotiations. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The South African Perm Rep joined with the G4 and 
called for Tanin to produce a compromise text which makes "an 
attempt at narrowing down the options, focusing on those that 
are likely to garner the widest required and necessary 
support."  He noted that an expansion in both categories 
"commanded the most support," according to the Chair's July 
16, 2009 letter to the membership.  The Nigerian and 
Mauritian Perm Reps also called for Tanin to produce a 
compromise text.  The Egyptian Perm Rep, who often joins the 
UFC, argued against narrowing down the options and called for 
all proposals to stay under consideration.   He also stressed 
Egypt's conviction that the Council's effectiveness is not 
linked to the size of an enlarged Council.  Like the rest of 
the African Group, he argued against consideration of the 
intermediate option since it does not respond to Africa's 
demands. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) While the Libyan representative upheld the 
Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, he then 
commented that the Council has failed, given the extreme 
misuse of veto rights to achieve narrow national interests. 
In order to rid the Council of national selfishness, he 
called for the replacement of permanent members with members 
from regional groups.  He specifically named Africa, the 
European Union, ASEAN, and included the "United States" as 
potential regional permanent members. 
 
Permanent Members 
----------------- 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Ambassador Wolff delivered the U.S. remarks which 
can be found on the USUN website 
(usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/2009/1319 36.htm) and 
emphasized that the United States is open in principle to a 
limited expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members 
 
and that any expansion of permanent members must be 
country-specific and take into account the ability of 
countries to contribute to the maintenance of international 
peace and security and the other purposes of the United 
Nations.  He said that the United States is not open to an 
enlargement of the Council by a Charter amendment that 
changes the current veto structure and that whatever formula 
that emerges for an expansion should bear in mind Charter 
requirements for ratification. 
 
¶14.  (SBU) The new UK Perm Rep, speaking for the first time 
in the GA, reiterated UK support for permanent membership for 
Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan, as well as "permanent 
representation for Africa."  He urged that the focus of the 
64th session be on maintaining the momentum begun in 
intergovernmental negotiations last session.  He welcomed the 
third round session on the intermediate model and said it 
might be a "means of ending the deadlock, and providing a 
stepping stone towards permanent reform."  The French Perm 
Rep also supported the Group of Four for permanent member 
status and "an increased presence of African countries within 
the Security Council, in particular among its permanent 
members."  He also noted the "question of the presence of an 
Arab state as part of the permanent members of the Security 
Council" but said that any expansion should not detract from 
the Council's effectiveness or credibility.  He, too, argued 
in favor of the intermediate option, and joined the G4 in 
calling for a "document from the President in charge of the 
negotiations highlighting the main parameters of the reform, 
in particular the composition of the Security Council." 
(Comment: The French position appears to be hewing closer to 
the German position.  Our UK colleagues have even commented 
on this to us.  End comment.) 
 
¶15.  (SBU) The Russian Perm Rep voiced his government's 
support of making the Council more representative but not at 
the peril of becoming less effective.  He urged keeping the 
Council small and warned against any infringement on the 
current powers of the permanent members.  He said any reform 
should garner the support of more than two-thirds of member 
states.  He voiced a continued willingness to discuss the 
intermediate option and urged that intergovernmental 
negotiations be continued in a calm and transparent manner 
with all options discussed.  The Chinese Perm Rep said that 
China supports a "reasonable reform of the Security Council" 
with increased representation, especially of developing 
states, but admitted the issue is "complicated and delicate." 
 
Wide dislike of the veto 
------------------------ 
 
¶16.  (SBU) One of the few themes running through the vast 
majority of statements, regardless of group affiliation, was 
a widespread dislike of permanent members' veto rights and 
preference to abolish the veto.  If abolition is not 
possible, the G4 and African Group members and their 
supporters seek to extend the veto to all new permanent 
members so as to not create a new category of permanent 
members with a lower status.  UFC members also argued in 
favor of the abolition of the veto but were loathe to extend 
it to any new permanent members since they are stridently 
opposed to new permanent members.  G4 members noted that any 
new veto rights would not be exercised by new members until a 
future reform conference, while others argued for limiting 
the veto's application to only Chapter VII matters, banning 
its use on issues of genocide, war crimes, or violations of 
international humanitarian law, or increasing the threshold 
for its use to two permanent members having to exercise it 
for it to take effect or granting override powers to a 
supermajority of the Council or the General Assembly.  Most 
of the P-5 were clear in their statements that they would not 
support any change to current members' veto rights. 
 
Intermediate option favored 
by many European states 
--------------------------- 
 
¶17.  (SBU) In addition to permanent members France and UK who 
are promoting the intermediate option, a number of other 
European states (who are not members of one of the other 
major groups) appear to be wholeheartedly behind the concept 
as well, including Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, and 
 
Switzerland, as the only "realistic option to break the 
deadlock." 
 
Small states call for 
greater representation 
---------------------- 
 
¶18.  (SBU) The Perm Rep of Barbados, who spoke on behalf of 
CARICOM, voiced support for the G4 and African Group 
positions and also called for an increase in elected seats to 
enable more small states, particularly small island 
developing states, to have more opportunities to serve on the 
Council. 
 
Next step: Fourth 
round starts Dec. 8 
------------------- 
 
¶19.  (SBU) As the PGA summed up at the end of the plenary 
debate, there continues to be strong interest in 
intergovernmental negotiations and strong support for 
Ambassador Tanin's chairmanship of the intergovernmental 
negotiations but little agreement on anything else.  On 
November 16, Ambassador Tanin circulated a letter to the 
membership proposing to start the fourth round of 
intergovernmental negotiations on December 8.  He said the 
first meeting would "revolve around all the positions and 
proposals by Member States on the table by now and by then. 
A second exchange of the fourth round would "revolve around 
areas of convergence." 
Wolff