President Robert Mugabe called for two more permanent seats for Africa on the United Nations Security Council with veto power and two additional non-permanent seats.
He said the United Nations General Assembly was the best forum to tackle global issues but it needed to serve the collective interest of all its members, not just a select few.
He also called for an increase in investment in agriculture in developing countries and the removal or reduction of agricultural subsidies.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09USUNNEWYORK887, UN GENERAL DEBATE CONTINUES (SEPTEMBER 25 AM)
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Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO9007
RR RUEHTRO
DE RUCNDT #0887/01 2822125
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 092125Z OCT 09 ZDK ZDK
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHAB/AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN 1646
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 1771
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN 0206
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 0194
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2516
RUEHKR/AMEMBASSY KOROR 0123
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT 1566
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 0766
RUEHOU/AMEMBASSY OUAGADOUGOU 0009
RUEHPL/AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS 0141
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE 1474
RUEHSV/AMEMBASSY SUVA 0449
RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN 0622
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 2296
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 1637
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7292
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USUN NEW YORK 000887
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y IN PARAGRAPH 8 LINE 9 ADDED TWO WORDS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNGA ECON PGOV PREL AORC KPKO US ZI NR PS
EN, IV, UV, LE, SO, MK, DO, KR, PK, AC, KU, MP
SUBJECT: UN GENERAL DEBATE CONTINUES (SEPTEMBER 25 AM)
USUN NEW Y 00000887 001.4 OF 003
¶1. SUMMARY: The UN General Debate continued on September 25
on a range of topics from climate change to UN reform
(particularly Security Council membership), the
Israel-Palestine dispute and multilateralism. The following
heads of state or government spoke: Zimbabwe; Nauru; Palau;
Estonia; Cote d’Ivoire; Burkina Faso; Lebanon; Somalia;
Macedonia; Dominica; Kiribati; Pakistan; Palestinian
Authority; Antigua and Barbuda; Kuwait; and Mauritius. Full
text of statements is available on at
www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate, video archives are at
www.un.org/webcast/2009.html. END SUMMARY
¶2. Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s
position that the UN General Assembly is the “best forum to
tackle global issues” but that it needs to serve the
collective interest of all of its members, not just a select
few. He advocated for Africa’s position for two more
permanent seats on the Security Council with veto power plus
two additional non-permanent seats. Mugabe called for an
increase in investment in agriculture in developing countries
in addition to the removal or reduction of agricultural
subsidies. He also urged the international community and
pharmaceutical companies to make anti-retroviral drugs more
accessible. Although he complimented the United States on
the recent non-proliferation agreement with Russia, he
criticized the United States (and the E.U.) for imposing
sanctions on Zimbabwe and for continuing the embargo on Cuba.
¶3. Nauru: President Marcus Stephen called for the
revitalization of the multilateral system to make it more
equitable and representative. Stephen urged Member States
not to lose focus of the MDGs, and invited the United Nations
to open a field office in Nauru. He advocated for immediate
action to address climate change and for developed countries
to provide one percent of GDP to developing countries for
adaptation and mitigation efforts. He closed with a request
to include Taiwan more substantively in UN activities and to
make Japan, India, Germany, and Brazil permanent members of
the Security Council.
¶4. Palau: President Johnson Toribiong began his address by
thanking the permanent members of the Security Council for
recognizing Palau’s sovereignty. Like other small island
countries, Toribiong expressed his concern over the effects
of climate change and hopes the Summit on Climate Change in
Copenhagen will yield concrete results. He identified Japan
for a permanent seat on the Security Council and also
recommended including Taiwan in UN activities. Toribiong
stated that Palau is ending all commercial shark fishing in
its waters and called for a worldwide moratorium on deep sea
trawling.
¶5. Estonia: President Toomas Hendrik Ilves implored
countries to avoid protectionist policies in the wake of the
financial crisis. He encouraged Member States to reach a
comprehensive and binding agreement at the Summit on Climate
Change in Copenhagen including a “polluter pays” principle.
Ilves expressed his support for the stability and security of
both Georgia and Afghanistan and warned members not to
underestimate cyber threats. He closed with a push for
Security Council restructuring, gender reform, and
humanitarian issues.
¶6. Cote d’Ivoire: President Laurent Gbagbo said his country
had been hit hard by the energy, food, and financial crises.
Gbagbo appealed for reform of the international monetary and
financial systems and noted that reform is essential if the
United Nations does not want to become obsolete. He
commented that there needs to be more dialogue on religion
and peace among member nations and that countries need to
focus on the MDGs.
¶7. Burkina Faso: President Blaise Compaore observed that it
was not fair that African nations were the ones most affected
by the economic crisis even though they did not cause it.
USUN NEW Y 00000887 002.4 OF 003
Similarly, he noted that climate change severely affected
Africa (most recently with floods) and hoped that the Summit
on Climate Change in Copenhagen would yield bold decisions.
Compaore called for peaceful resolutions to problems in
Sudan, Madagascar, and Guinea. He concluded by thanking
President Obama for leading the Security Council resolution
on non-proliferation and by calling for reform of the
Security Council.
¶8. Lebanon: President General Michel Sleiman focused his
entire speech on the Palestine-Israel issue. He criticized
Israel for its settlement construction and use of force and
for not wanting peace. Sleiman reaffirmed his country’s
position that it is not in the Palestinian refugees’ national
interest for Lebanon to allow permanent settlement in its
territories. He called on the international community to
follow through with Security Council Resolution 1701 which
he said requires Israel to withdraw from certain areas.
¶9. Somalia: President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed listed
three priorities for his country: 1) to improve the security
situation, 2) to promote reconciliation and 3) to provide
humanitarian assistance to displaced persons. He said
Somalia is rebuilding its naval forces and coast guard to
combat piracy. Ahmed commented that terrorism is not
confined to Somalia and that it should be tackled with
international assistance. He plans to institute a
transparent system of government which will respect
individual freedoms, gender and rights, and encourage foreign
direct investment and individual ownership. Ahmed requested
that the Security Council revisit its arms embargo resolution
against Somalia to help him rebuild his country’s security
forces.
¶10. Macedonia: President Gjorge Ivanov highlighted the
importance of the MDGs, fighting climate change, regional
cooperation, and multilateralism. Macedonia hopes to join
the European Union and NATO soon. Ivanov reproached Greece
and stated that Macedonia was entitled to a solution that
affirmed its right to “self determination and self
identification.”
¶11. Dominica: President Nicholas Joseph Orville Liverpool
reiterated Caribbean Community (CARICOM) concerns that the
economic and food crises affected island nations the hardest.
He welcomed the USD 15 billion from the G-8 for food
security but warned that countries need to remove agriculture
subsidies. Liverpool expects a solution to the “Earth
Crisis” at the Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen. He
expressed concern over the situation in Haiti but embraced
the appointment of former U.S. President Clinton as Special
Envoy for Haiti. Finally, Liverpool demanded the removal of
the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
¶12. Kiribati: President Anote Tong centered his address on
the issue of climate change and called for a global compact
on climate change for “if we don’t act now, who the hell is
going to do it?” Tong noted that Kiribati does not want to
graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status as it
relies heavily on assistance provided to LDCs. Kiribati
supports allowing Taiwan to participate more meaningfully in
the United Nations.
¶13. Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari, with a picture of
Benazir Bhutto at his side, described Pakistan’s transition
to democracy and his plans to make democracy sustainable and
irreversible. Zardari highlighted his goals for Pakistan:
the return of internally displaced persons to their homes,
reconstruction, economic development, market access, and
counterterrorism. He advocated for a resolution to the
Kashmir dispute, support for Palestine, the release of Aung
San Suu Kyi in Burma, friendship with India, and promotion of
non-proliferation. Zardari petitioned for foreign direct
investment in agriculture, mega-hydroelectric projects, and
infrastructure deals.
USUN NEW Y 00000887 003.4 OF 003
¶14. Palestinian Authority: President Mahmoud Abbas described
the situation in the Middle East as a “lack of commitment to
the (U.N.) Charter.” Abbas welcomed President Obama’s
support for the two state solution and called on the
international community to exert pressure on Israel to stop
its settlement activities, release the approximately 11,000
prisoners, and lift the siege on the Gaza Strip.
¶15. Antigua and Barbuda: Prime Minister Winston Baldwin
Spencer advocated the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas
(ALBA) as an alternative to the Washington Consensus,
espousing its principles of solidarity, cooperation, and
respect for sovereignty. He criticized institutions such as
the IMF for their conditionalities and blamed developed
countries for the current climate change problem. Spencer
backed non-proliferation, nuclear disarmament, the end to the
U.S. embargo on Cuba, gender equality, women’s empowerment,
and a permanent memorial to victims of the transatlantic
slave trade.
¶16. Kuwait: Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad
Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah highlighted Kuwait’s successes,
such as topping the Arab states in the fields of education
and health and ranking third globally in combating drug use
and trade. Al-Sabah supported the recent Security Council
resolution on non-proliferation and urged that Israel join
the Non-Proliferation Treaty and be subject to review by the
International Atomic Energy Agency. Kuwait condemned the
terrorist acts in Iraq and stressed the importance of a
unified and peaceful Iraq. He condemned Israel for its
“illegal policies and practices in contradiction to
international law and relevant U.N. resolutions.” Al-Sabah
called for the peaceful resolution of the Iran nuclear
dispute and for Iran to settle the Emirates Islands argument.
¶17. Mauritius: Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam
appealed for Bretton Woods institutions reform and protested
that for too long global economic decisions were made by too
few. He called for a Marshall Plan for developing countries
and for the successful achievement of the MDGs and Doha
Round. Ramgoolam contended that countries that polluted the
most should shoulder more of the burden. He advocated for
the Human Rights Council, the International Criminal Court,
the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma, and for permanent
positions on the Security Council for India, a Latin American
country, and an African country. Ramgoolam criticized the
unconstitutional governments in Madagascar and Honduras, and
the United Kingdom for not returning the Chagos Archipelago.
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