Cablegate: Czech Political Director On Un Reform, Ccit And
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS PRAGUE 001056
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
FOR IO/PSC LMALENAS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PTER KUNR KPKO EZ UNGA UNSC ECOSOC
SUBJECT: CZECH POLITICAL DIRECTOR ON UN REFORM, CCIT AND
PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION
REF: A. STATE 128008
B. STATE 126870
C. STATE 130530
D. PRAGUE 1007
1. (U) This message is Sensitive But Unclassified - Not for
Internet Distribution.
2. (SBU) Summary. On July 14, the Charge d'Affairs met with
MFA Political Director Martin Povejsil to discuss reftels
regarding the G-4 proposal on UN Security Council reform,
support for the Comprehensive Convention on International
Terrorism (CCIT) and creation of a UN Peacebuilding
Commission. Povejsil reaffirmed our earlier report on Czech
support for the G-4 proposal (ref D), stating that they
believe it is the best option for countries of their size to
serve with some frequency on the Security Council. At the
same time, the Czechs are supportive of our administrative
reform goals and "agree 100%" that UNSC reform efforts should
not block or delay other very necessary reforms. Povejsil
said that the Czechs have been supportive of the CCIT and
hoped that the conflict over the definition of terrorism
would be resolved. Finally, he reaffirmed Czech support for
the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission, a point which
was later confirmed by the Director of the UN Department at
the MFA, Jan Kara. Kara was pleased to finally see a
concrete proposal on establishing the Peacebuilding
Commission and agreed that it should function as a subsidiary
organ of the UNSC. End Summary.
3. (SBU) The CDA opened the meeting by detailing our ref B
concerns about the G-4 proposal and USG desire that the rush
for UNSC reform not overtake other serious reform needs.
Povejsil admitted that the primary motivation behind the
Czech's support for the G-4 proposal is that it is one of the
few options that they believe would allow a country of its
size to serve on the UNSC with "reasonable frequency." He
added that with the security contribution that the Czechs are
making, they would like to see a reformed UNSC with adequate
space and opportunity for it to participate regularly,
particularly as the regional group to which it belongs is
"incapable of reaching consensus" on important issues. At
the same time, Povejsil "agreed 100%" that it is vital for
the UN that Security Council enlargement not prevent overall
reform of the system. According to him, the G-4 proposal is
simply one element of the reform package that they hope
everyone can agree on.
4. (SBU) In discussing the CCIT, Povejsil stated that the
Czech Republic had long been supportive of the treaty, but
that the crucial problem has been the definition of
terrorism. He also hoped that the coordinator's draft text
would be acceptable. This is in line with our meeting last
week with Director of the Department Jan Kara (ref D) who
said that adoption of the CCIT was also a priority for the EU
countries, and thus the Czech Republic. Kara also noted that
the U.S. points on the definition of terrorism were
definitely ones that the Czechs "can easily live with." Kara
added today that the Czechs are hoping that the CCIT will be
ready for signature by their Prime Minister when he travels
to New York in September to participate in the High-Level
Event.
5. (SBU) Finally, Povejsil reiterated Czech support for the
creation of a Peacebuilding Commission. In a follow-up
conversation with Jan Kara, he was very interested in the USG
proposal. According to Kara, while many countries have
expressed interest in the concept, the USG is one of the
first to make a concrete proposal about how the Peacebuilding
Commission should be set up. Furthermore, he agreed with the
USG proposal that the Commission should be be created via UN
Security Council resolution and function as a subsidiary
organ of the UNSC as the UNSC has the primary mandate for
peace and security issues. He added that putting it under
UNSC control would also make the Commission "more prompt and
rational" in its operations.
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DODMAN