32D GA: INSCRIPTION AND ALLOCATION OF AGENDA ITEMS (GRENADA UFO ISSUE).

[Terry W. Colvin]

This September 1977 teletype is presumably declassified now that Wikileaks leaked all those State Dept. messages.

Terry W. Colvin
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R 162347Z SEP 77
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5438
BT
C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN 3096
E.O. 11652: GDS
TAGS: UNGA, PFOR
SUBJECT: 32D GA: INSCRIPTION AND ALLOCATION OF AGENDA ITEMS
(GRENADA UFO ISSUE)
1. SUMMARY. THIS TEL CONTAINS OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON INSCRIPTION
AND ALLOCATION QUESTIONS THAT WILL COME BEFORE THE GENERAL COMMITTEE
ON 22 AND 23 SEPTEMBER. TO THE EXTENT POSSIBLE WE WOULD LIKE TO
ADDESSS THESE PROCEDURAL ISSUES IN AN UNCONTENTIOUS WAY, RESERVING
THAT STATEMENT OF U.S. VIEWS UNTIL THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TAKES UP THE
SUBSTANCE OF THESE ITEMS. END SUMMARY.
2. ETAILS. INSCRIPTION. OUR GENERAL POSITION WOULD BE TO SUPPORT
INSCRIPTION OF ITEMS REQUESTED BY MEMBERS STATES REGARDLESS OF OUR
VIEWS ON SUBTANCE. CONSISTENT WITH THE SO-CALLED TRADITION OF
LIBERAL INSCRPITION WHICH THE U.S. HAS FOLLOWED FOR MANY YEARS,
WE HAVE OPPOSED INSCRIPTION ONLY ON THOSE SINGULAR OCCASIONS
INVOLVING A DIRECT U.S. INTEREST, E.G., THE UNSUCCESSFUL CUBAN
EFFORT IN 1971 TO INSCRIBE AN ITEM ON PUERTO RICO.
3. (A) WE SHOULD SUPPORT THE AUSTRALIAN-LED PORPOSAL FOR A NEW ITEM
FOR A STUDY OF THE MULTILATERAL TREATY-MAKINGPROCESS WITH A VIEW TO
IMPORVING THAT PROCESS.
(B) THE AF GROUP HAS ASKED FOR INSCRIPTION OF THE "QUESTION OF THE
CAMORIAN CONFIDENTIAL ISLAND OF MAYOTTE" PURSANT TO AN OAU HEADS OF
STATE DECISION. LAST YEAR FRANCE VOTED NO; IN DEFERENCE TO FRENCH
REQUEST WE ABSTAINED ALONG WITH THREE OTHER GC MEMBERS, EIGHTEEN
VOTING YES. FRENCH MISSION HAS NOT YETTOLD U.S. OF ITS POSITION.
THEY MAY POSSIBLY ABSTAIN THIS YEAR, IN WHICHCASE WE SHOULD VOTE
YES; IF THEY NOTE NO AND ASK THA WE ABSTAIN, WE SHOULD REPEAT
LAST YEAR'S ABSTENTION.
(C) IN ACCORDNACE WITHUSUAL PRACTICE, WE WOULD EXPECT GC CHAIRMAN
MOJSOV TO HANDLE EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL FOR A NEW ITEM ON ISRAELI
SETTLEMENTS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES BY ASKING WHETHER ANY GC
DELEGATION OBJECTS. WE RECOMMEND U.S. GO ALONG WITH INSCRIPTION
AND MAKE A BRIEF STATEMENT NOTING OUR LIBERAL INSCRIPTION TRADITION
BUT RESERVING AS TO ONE-SIDED WORDING OF THE PROPOSED ITEM AND THE
SUPPORTING FAHMY LETTER ACCORDING TO WHICH THE NEW ITEM WOULD BE
ENTITLED "RECENT ILLEGAL ISRAELI MEASURES IN THE OCCUPIED ARAB
TERRITORIES DESIGNED TO CHANGE THE LEGAL STATUS, GEOGRAPHICAL
NATURE AND DEMOGRAPHIC COMPOSITIONS OF THOSE TERRITORIES IN
CONTRAVENTION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CHARTER OF THEUN, OF
ISRAEL'S INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE FOURTH GENEVA
CONVENTION OF 1949 AND OF UN RESOLUTIONS, AND OBSTRUCTION OF
EFFORTS AIMED AT ACHIEVING A JUST AND LASTING PEACE IN THE MIDDLE
EAST." THERE IS NO BASIS FOR EXPECTING ANY OTHER MEMBER OF THE GC
TO ASK FOR A VOTE ON INSCRIPTION OF THE ITEM.
4. (D) ON GRENADAN PM GAIRY'S PROPOSAL FOR A SECRETARIAT STUDY OF
UFO'S, WE WOULD LIKEWISE NOT OBJECT TO A CONSENSUS GC RECOMMENDATION.
WE AGREE WITH OTHER PERMANENT MEMBERS ON SILLINESS OF THE ITEM BUT
TRYING TO PRESERVE THE GA AGAINST TRIVIALIZATION OF THIS SORT IS
NOT A BURDEN THAT WE SHOULD ASSUME IN THE GC IN VIEW OF OTHER U.S.
INTEREST AT THE 32D SESSION.
5. ALOCATION. MOST CONTROVERSAIL ALLOCATION ISSUE CONCERNS CYPRUS
ITEM. LIKELY DEVELOPMENT IS REPEAT OF LAST YEAR'S DEBATE WHICH LED
TO ALLOCATION OF CYPRUS ITEM TO PLENARY WITH PROVISION FOR SPECIAL
POLITICAL COMMITTEE TO HEAR REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CYPRIOT COMMUNI-
TIES. THIS RESULT WAS OVER A TURKISH NEGATIVE VOTE, U.S. AND EIGHT
OTHER ABSTENTIONS, AND 12 VOTES IN FAVOR. (PLENARY SUBSEQUENTLY
ACCEPTED GC RECOMMENDATION WITHOUT FURTHER VOTE.) WE WOULD RECOMMEND
AN ABSTENTION IF CHAIRMAN PROPOSES FOLLOWING 1976 FORMULA. HOWEVER,
IF ALL AGREED TO ALLOCATION TO , AND HEARING OF COMMUNITY REPRE-
SENTATIVES IN, PLENARY, WE SHOULD NOT DISSENT. AT ONE TIME THE U.S.
OPPOSED ANY GA DECISIONS, WHETHER ON ALLOCATION OR OTHERWISE, THAT
WOULD RESULT IN PERSONS OTHER THAN REPRESENTATIVES OF MEMBERS STATES
BEING HEARD IN PLENARY. HOWEVER, GIVEN APPEARANCE OF ARAFAT IN
PLENARY IN 1974, OTHER PLO SPOKESMEN IN 1975 AND 1976, AND ANC AND
PAC SPOKESMEN WHEN PLENARY TOOK UP APARTHIED ITEM LAST YEAR, WE
THINK U.S. SHOULD NOT PRESS THIS POINT. BARRING SIGNIFICANT DEVELOP-
MENTS, INSTITUTIONAL REASONS SHOULD NOT RPT NOT LEAD U.S. TO PUSH
POSITIONS PROTECTIVE OF PLENARY WHEN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY TAKES
AN OPPOSITE STANCE. 6. NO OPPOSITION SEEMS LIKELY TO BE AROUSED BY
AUSTRALIAN REQUEST FOR ALLOCATION OF TREATY-MAKING ITEM TO LEGAL
COMMITTEE AND GRENADA UFO ITEM TO SPC. WE WOULD GO ALONG. WE WOULD
ALSO RECOMMEND NOT OBJECTING TO EGYPTIAN REQUEST FOR ALLOCATION OF
SETTLEMENTS ITEM OF PLEARY, WHICH IN ANY EVENT WILL BE FOCUS OF
PALESTINE AND MIDDLE EAST ITEMS.
7. WE ARE CONSULTING WITH SMUN AND WEO'S TO DETERMINE WHETHER WE
CAN GET SOVIET AGREEMENT TO REFER TO NON-USE OF FORCE ITEM BOTH TO
THE FIRST AND THE LEGAL COMMITTEES. WE GUESS THE SOVIETS WILL EEEK
ESTABLISHMENT BY THE GA OF COMMITTEE TO LOOK INTO A NEW NON-USE
TREATY. THERE IS SOME CHANCE THAT THE COMMITTEE'S MANDATE WOULD BE
MORE FAVORABLE IF THE LEGAL COMMITTEE HAD A REAL CHANCE AT INFLU-
ENCING ITS FRAMING. AT THIS POINT THE EVOLVING COMPOSITION OF THE GC
SEEMS TO OFFER A REASONABLE POSSIBILITY OF A SUCCESSFUL VOTE WERE
THE USSR TO TRY TO INSIST ON ALLOCATION EXCLUSIVELY TO THE FIRST
COMMITTEE. IN THAT CASE UKUN IS CONSIDERING TAKING THE LEAD IN
PROPOSING THAT THE GC RECOMMEND ALLOCATION EXCLUSIVELY TO THE
LEGAL COMMITTEE; THIS WOULD INDUCE SMUN TO AGREE TO JOINT CONSIDER-
ATION OR THE GC WOULD VOTE ON THE ISSUE. WE BELIEVE VOTING COULD BE
HELD TO A REASONABLY NON-CONFRONTATIONAL LIMIT AND WILL BE REPORTING
FURTHER.
8. ALTHOUGH U.S.-USSR CONSULTATIONS 16 SEPTEMBER REVEALED NOTHING AS
TO SUBJECT OF SOVIET INITIAIVES AT 32D SESSION, STAFF-LEVEL COMMENTS
SUGGEST GROMYKO WILL BRING TWO ITEMS WHICH HE WILL REVEAL IN SOVIET
GENERAL DEBATE STATEMENT 27 SEPTEMBER. GC WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH
THESE AT A LATER MEETING.
YOUNG
BT