US embassy cable - 05MADRID1104

UNCLAS MADRID 001104 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE AND IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, SP, UNDP 
SUBJECT: EU PARLIAMENTARIAN SALAFRANCA ON UNDP CANDIDACY 
 
1. (SBU) Spanish EU Parliamentarian for the Popular Party 
(PP) Jose Ignacio Salafranca visited Charge on March 18 to 
solicit USG support for his bid to replace Malloch Brown as 
UNDP director.  Salafranca said he wanted to clarify to the 
USG that although he had the support of the Spanish 
Government, he was not the Socialist government's candidate. 
According to Salafranca, his name was first put forward by 
high-level friends in the EU and UN systems (including Javier 
Ruperez, Executive Director of the UN's Counter-Terrorism 
Secretariat) and he only approached the GOS for support after 
 
SIPDIS 
having gained the backing of EU Commission President Durao 
Barroso and the French government.  Salafranca then went to 
Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos in early March to request 
that the Spanish MFA indicate its support for his candidacy 
(despite the fact that he represents the opposition PP) via a 
note verbale circulated to the diplomatic community in 
Madrid.  Moratinos agreed to do so, which Salafranca said led 
to an internal dispute within the ruling Socialist Party 
(PSOE), many of whose members resented the government's 
backing of a PP candidate to an important UN position.  This 
internal PSOE debate delayed the release of the note verbale 
supporting Salafranca's candidacy by over two weeks, but the 
note was eventually circulated in Madrid (copy of diplomatic 
note was faxed to EUR/WE on March 21 along with a letter from 
Salafranca requesting USG support for his candidacy.) 
 
2. (SBU) Salafranca said that although the UNDP director is 
appointed by the UNSYG and not elected by UN members, he 
understood that the USG's view would have great bearing on 
UNSYG Annan's decision.  He wanted to request the USG's 
support, or at least head off USG hostility to his candidacy 
just because it had been sanctioned by the Zapatero 
government.  He asked whether the USG had given its backing 
to the UK candidate or any other nominee.  Charge explained 
that the USG had taken no position on any of the UNDP 
candidates.  Salafranca said he had the support of several 
Latin American countries (Chile, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, 
Peru, Guatemala, and Costa Rica) and several North African 
countries (Algeria, Turkey, Tunisia).  He implied that 
high-level figures such as Durao Barroso and former Spanish 
President Jose Maria Aznar may contact the USG to lobby on 
his behalf. 
 
3. (SBU) Salafranca approached USINT Havana and USEU on his 
candidacy before visiting Embassy Madrid, evidently because 
of his frequent interaction/cooperation with the USG in 
Brussels on Cuba issues.  He thought that USINT and USEU 
would be better placed than Embassy Madrid to relay his bona 
fides to Washington since after nearly 15 years in Brussels 
he had few dealings with USG officials in Madrid. 
MANZANARES