Wikileaks - MCDLI
226061 9/20/2009 20:18 09STATE97566 Secretary of State CONFIDENTIAL VZCZCXRO0069 OO RUEHSL DE RUEHC #7566/01 2632037 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O P 202018Z SEP 09 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO IMMEDIATE 8680 RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK IMMEDIATE 9733 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 6635 RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA IMMEDIATE 5275 RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON IMMEDIATE 0319 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 0541 RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL IMMEDIATE 1920 RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES IMMEDIATE 7613 RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA IMMEDIATE 0002 RUEHSJ/AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE IMMEDIATE 1269 RUEHMN/AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO IMMEDIATE 3116 RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA IMMEDIATE 9457 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 4974 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA IMMEDIATE 3903 RUEHNC/AMEMBASSY NICOSIA IMMEDIATE 5550 RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE IMMEDIATE 0970 RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN IMMEDIATE 0941 RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN IMMEDIATE 0210 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI IMMEDIATE 2285 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN IMMEDIATE 3624 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS IMMEDIATE 1227 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST IMMEDIATE 7678 RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN IMMEDIATE 1046 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 2340 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS IMMEDIATE 2617 RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG IMMEDIATE 6011 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 6372 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW IMMEDIATE 4849 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON IMMEDIATE 7880 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST IMMEDIATE 2123 RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA IMMEDIATE 0424 RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA IMMEDIATE 6762 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 2634 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM IMMEDIATE 8043 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 6756 INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 7805 C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 097566
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2019 TAGS: PREL, UNGA SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST: UNGA WALKOUT REDLINES
Classified By: IO PDAS Gerald C. Anderson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (U) This is an action request (see para 4) for delivery at the most senior appropriate level of host government at OOB Monday, September 21.
2. (C) For posts in EU member states, please note that there will be an EU Political Directors meeting in NYC on Monday, September 21 and we hope to have instructions to EU missions relayed in advance of that meeting.
Background
----------
3. (C) The United States has decided that we will break with past practice and start out every UNGA speech with an appropriate-level person behind the U.S. placard during all/all speeches at the UN General Assembly high-level event September 23-October 2. The seniority of the person in the chair will be calibrated appropriately to the speaker. Given the September 18 speech by Iranian President Ahmadinejad in which he again denied the fact of the Holocaust and called for the destruction of the state of Israel, a UN member state, and given the ongoing concerns about the unpredictable nature of Libyan President Qadahafi?s recent public remarks, Washington has decided to establish some clear redlines for walking out during these speeches in the case of extremely offensive remarks. Paragraph 7 contains those redlines.
4. (C) Department requests that posts reach out to appropriately senior-level of host governments OOB on Monday, September 21 to convey the talking points in para 6 and our redlines in para 7 and request that host governments agree to join us in a walkout and to so instruct their missions in New York and their delegations for UNGA.
5. (C) We understand that the French, UK and Canadian PermReps in New York have recommended to capitals that their governments join us in a walkout and anticipate sending a lower level (first secretary or below) to these speeches. The EU does not yet have a common position. We understand that the PermRep of EU President Sweden opposes a walkout under any circumstances and is attempting to organize a meeting of EU Political Directors on Monday, September 21 in New York to attempt to achieve an EU consensus position. He acknowledged there is not consensus yet.
Talking Points
--------------
STATE 00097566 002 OF 003
6. (U) Beginning Talking Points:
-- The United States has decided that we will break with past practice and start out every UNGA speech with an appropriate-level person behind the U.S. placard during all/all speeches at the UN General Assembly high-level event starting on September 23 and running through October 2. The seniority of the person in the chair will be calibrated appropriately to the speaker. This in keeping with our increased engagement in multilateral institutions.
-- However, given the September 18 speech by Iranian President Ahmadinejad in which he again denied the fact of the Holocaust and called for the destruction of the state of Israel, a UN member state, and given the ongoing concerns about the unpredictable nature of Libyan President Qadahafi?s recent public remarks, Washington has decided to establish some clear redlines for walking out during these speeches in the case of extremely offensive remarks, the types of remarks that transcend legitimate political discourse and grossly exceed the minimum proprieties of the UNGA.
-- We request that your government join us in such a walk-out of either the Iranian or the Libyan speeches if these redlines are crossed.
For EU member states only:
-- We understand that your Political Directors will meet in New York on Monday morning September 21 local time to discuss this issue. We hope that the EU will agree to these redlines. If your country cannot agree, we hope that you will not block consensus for other members of the EU joining in walking out.
U.S. Redlines
-------------
7. (U) Our redlines for walking out of a speech, which should be conveyed to the host government, are: -- Denying the historical reality of the Holocaust -- Comparing U.S. or Israeli actions to those of Nazi Germany -- Using other clearly anti-Semitic rhetoric, including suggestions (similar to those in Ahmadinejad?s 2008 UNGA remarks) that Jews or Zionists control the media and the financial system or have formed a nefarious conspiracy -- Threatening the destruction of Israel or any other UN member state -- Denying Israel?s or another UN member state?s right to exist -- Suggesting that the United States deserved 9/11 -- Embracing or justifying the Lockerbie bombing -- If asked: The U.S. will, of course, reserve the right to respond to any other obnoxious or offensive statements.
STATE 00097566 003 OF 003
Reporting Deadline
------------------
8. (U) Department requests responses from posts to this cable be sent to Washington and USUN New York and be slugged for Christopher Deutsch in IO/UNP and to Jennifer Simon at USUN no later than OOB Tuesday, September 22. CLINTON
