US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA430

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000430 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR EUR/NCE AND EUR/NB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SW, LO, UNSC 
SUBJECT: SWEDISH DG FOR POL AFFAIRS ON SWEDEN AND THE UN 
 
 
1.  On May 31, the Swedish Embassy in Bratislava hosted a 
seminar on Global Security and the United Nations (UN), in 
conjunction with the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, as 
part of their commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 
birth of Dag Hammarskojld.  As part of the morning program, 
Ambassador Olof Skoog, Director General for Political 
Affairs at the Swedish Foreign Ministry, outlined his 
thoughts on recent UN failures, successes, and strategies 
that "smaller countries" like Sweden and Slovakia should 
keep in mind when sitting on the UN Security Council.  The 
meeting was well-attended by European Ambassadors resident 
in Bratislava, academics, and Slovak government personnel. 
 
SKOOG: UN COULD HAVE DONE MORE ON IRAQ 
 
2.  Skoog, who served as Executive Assistant to Hans Blix 
during the lead-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom, said that 
the UN is not free of blame for the "technically illegal" 
invasion of Iraq.  He noted that while there were UN member 
states that were not willing to allow inspections to 
continue, the UN also was not willing to explore other 
options when it came to pressuring Saddam Hussein, such as 
the credible threat of force. 
 
FRUSTRATED BY LACK OF DEFINITION FOR "TERRORISM" 
 
3.  Prescribing more involvement by "capitals" in the UN 
conflict resolution process, Skoog also described 
development as "key" to conflict resolution, and pointed 
out that there remain difficulties to overcome; the body, 
for example, still cannot accurately define "terrorism," 
due to what Skoog felt was a dragging of the feet by Arab 
states hesitant to object to suicide bombers in Israel. 
When it comes to suicide bombers, "Let's call it what it 
is," he suggested, "violence against civilians is 
terrorism."  How can we fight evil, he asked, if we can't 
even call it by name? 
 
WHAT THE UN NEEDS:  REFORM AND MORE INVOLVEMENT BY "SMALL 
STATES" 
 
4.  Skoog said that Sweden does not sanction the preemptive 
use of force as was seen in Iraq.  "We were against 
preemptive action in Russia against militants following the 
Beslan attack, and we were against its use in Iraq by the 
United States.  But we should not hide behind the Charter 
when atrocities are occurring." 
 
5.  The UNSC must be reformed, he claimed, as the world has 
changed since the 1940's.  While the G4 is calling for the 
creation of additional vetoes, Skoog said Sweden "is 
skeptical" as to whether giving the UNSC more seats and 
more vetoes will make the body more efficient.  He also 
suggested that countries like Sweden and Slovakia take a 
higher profile, particularly regarding human rights, as 
violators "have to be engaged, but can't be given control 
of the process as is the case with Libya." 
 
THAYER 
 
 
NNNN