US embassy cable - 05PARIS8353

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 008353 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2015 
TAGS: SCUL, FR, UNESCO 
SUBJECT: UNESCO:  FRENCH CANDIDATE REPORTEDLY HAS LEAD 
FOR POST OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR CULTURE 
 
1. (C) Classified by Andrew, C. Koss, Charge, U.S. 
Mission to Unesco in Paris, reason 1.4 (d). 
 
2.  (C)  Summary.  Corridor rumors place Francoise 
Riviere, the French chief of staff to UNESCO Director 
General (DG) Matsuura, as the leading candidate among 
the 320 applicants to replace retiring Algerian Mounir 
Bouchenaki, the skillful and respected Assistant 
Director-General (ADG) for Culture.  Francisco 
Bandarin, the energetic director of the World Heritage 
Center, and Katerina Stenou, who heads up the UNESCO 
culture section that supported the Cultural Diversity 
talks, have also applied for the position.  Other 
candidates include a Moroccan and a Saudi; some Arab 
countries reps are reportedly determined to see the 
position go to a national of an Arab country.  Iranian 
UNESCO Ambassador Jalali may have put his hat in the 
race, though this remains unconfirmed and the Iraqi 
deputy permanent delegate seeks to be chosen by 
acclamation, though he did not submit an application. 
An Amcit candidature would likely not be viable, as the 
last ADG hired was an American.  End summary. 
 
3. (C) Riviere, a capable, experienced and hard-working 
announced to colleagues in the DG's office on 24 
November that she had submitted her candidacy for the 
ADG Culture position.  She reportedly said that the ADG 
culture position has been a long-time ambition.  (She 
has a master's degree in nineteenth century French 
literature.)  Riviere's command of the minutia of the 
UNESCO bureaucracy was indispensable to Matsuura when 
he arrived six years ago, a staffer reports, but 
Matsuura now allows an increasing number of persons who 
informally report directly to him - something that 
reportedly riles Riviere. 
 
4.  (C) The DCM spoke to Katerina Stenou of the 
cultural division (see below) on December 2 who told 
him that Riviere played a greater behind-the-scenes 
role manipulating the cultural diversity convention 
than we had previously known by controlling much of the 
paperwork and even changing language during the 
process.  Stenou said that Riviere has also expressed 
interest in being named Deputy Director General for 
programs if such a position were established and she 
could not get the ADG culture job.  (Note:  There has 
been talk about a second DDG job but nothing 
substantive so far.)  A further option she mentioned 
for Riviere was another job in the French government. 
(Comment:  If Riviere is moved out of UNESCO by the 
GOF, it would be a clear indication of who is calling 
the shots.) 
 
5.  (C)  Stenou also mentioned that the French 
ambassador met with the DG and told him there needs to 
be more French people hired at UNESCO because so many 
of the jobs currently filled are at a low (GS) level. 
(Comment:  A word of warning!  If the GOF wants more 
senior officials at UNESCO, despite being seriously 
over-represented, it could easily be expected that 
France will lobby other states hard for Riviere's 
candidacy, much as the GOF lobbied hard for the 
cultural diversity convention.) 
 
6.  (C)  Francesco Bandarin, the Italian head of the 
World Heritage Center (WHC), has also applied for the 
position.  The 1972 World Heritage Convention is 
UNESCO's flagship convention, and Bandarin, a skilled 
fund raiser, projects an image of a dynamic go-getter. 
In principle, the World Heritage Center is part of the 
Culture Sector, but Bandarin has done his best to give 
the WHC a wholly separate image.  This has caused some 
bruised feelings. 
 
7.  (C)  In a meeting with Ambassador Oliver on 
December 5, Bandarin said that the cultural section 
needs a major shake-up of responsibilities and staff. 
He also expressed chagrin that the head of the WHC has 
little direct access to the DG.  He proposed that among 
the changes he would seek, if chosen, would be to place 
the intangible cultural heritage division with the 
world heritage division. 
 
8.  (C)  Katerina Stenou, one of four section chiefs 
who work under Bouchenaki, has also applied.  A Greek 
national, she heads up the section that provided 
administrative support for the Cultural Diversity 
Convention.  She unsuccessfully tried to hide her 
support for the Cultural Diversity Convention 
throughout the long negotiation process leading up to 
its October 2005 adoption over the strong objections of 
the United States.  Though Stenou has claimed to be 
neutral, she has given a number of speeches supporting 
the convention, including a recent speech in Dakar. 
Stenou also claimed to have the support of many African 
members. 
 
9.  (C)  Some reps of Arab Group countries are openly 
determined to see an Arab national replace the Algerian 
Bouchenaki.  They might well line up in support of 
either the Moroccan or the Saudi.  The Moroccan is a 
Mr. Touri who formerly served as a member of Morocco's 
World Heritage delegation (note: he is apparently known 
in Morocco as Mr. Heritage) and currently works for the 
Ministry of Culture.  Stenou told the DCM that when the 
Moroccan ambassador told the DG that the position 
should remain in the hands of the Arab group, the DG 
purportedly did not agree.  The Moroccan ambassador's 
position was seconded by the Iraqi deputy who said that 
having a European like Riviere serve as ADG was 
unthinkable.  He too felt that the job should stay 
within the Arab group.  (Note:  There is one other ADG 
from the group-the ADG for external relations is from 
Yemen.) 
 
10.  (C)  The Iraqi deputy Chawki Alhamadany has spoken 
to both the Ambassador and DCM about his interest in 
the position but has not formally applied for the job. 
He wants to receive the support of a number of 
delegations who he hopes will pressure the DG to take 
him for the job.  Alhamadany formerly headed the UNESCO 
Beirut office where he oversaw a project that 
serialized thousands of copies of books in Arab 
newspapers.  He also claims to be well known in the 
Arab world as a writer and poet.  When discussing his 
candidacy with Katerina Stenou, Stenou told the DCM 
that there are rumors of financial improprieties 
connected to his tenure in Beirut. 
 
11.  (C)  Corridor gossip places French national 
Riviere in the front-running position, even though it 
would be difficult for UNESCO to put a Group One 
national (Europe and North America) in a position now 
held by a developing country national.  (Note.  The ADG 
for Science is a German and the ADG for Education is an 
Amcit.  End note.)  The DG reportedly would like to 
name a woman to the position, as there is now only one 
woman (Riviere herself, as Chief of Staff) among the 
ranks of the dozen-or-so ADGs in UNESCO. 
 
12.  (C)  Milagros del Corral, Bouchenaki's deputy in 
the Culture sector, told poloff 25 November that it 
would be unlikely that an Amcit would be seriously 
considered for the ADG Culture position, given that an 
American, Peter Smith, was the most recent ADG hire and 
that he had only begun his tenure as the ADG in charge 
of the Education sector in June 2005.  Del Corral 
agreed with poloff's observation that it might also be 
difficult for the DG to consider an Amcit, given that 
the USG had been virtually isolated in its opposition 
to the adoption of the Convention on Cultural 
Expressions at the October 2005 UNESCO General 
Conference. 
 
13.  (C)  Del Corral, who retires at the end of the 
year, said that an Amcit would be ideally suited to 
fill her position.  In addition to serving as 
Bouchenaki's deputy, she heads up the Global Alliance 
program, aimed at helping small business specializing 
in items particular to the regional cultures to market 
their goods.  She stressed: 
 
--An American would bring a practical head to the 
Global Alliance, which provides practical support for 
cultural diversity and would be a welcome relief from 
all the theoreticians, she said. 
--The DG remained distressed that no compromise could 
be found concerning the Cultural Diversity Convention 
and was anxious to ensure continuing American 
involvement in the culture sector, she noted. 
 
There was no American national in UNESCO appropriate 
for the position, she concluded, but she was sure that 
there are many Americans who could fill the position 
well.  (Note:  Del Corral's job has not yet been 
posted, though she is retiring at the End of the year. 
Bouchenaki has delayed his retirement until the end of 
February at the request of the DG.  End note.) 
 
14.  (C)  Comment.  French national Riviere's candidacy 
is worrisome.  Under her leadership, the Culture sector 
would likely be a loud and effective voice arguing for 
member state ratification of the Cultural Diversity 
Convention. It would probably also support more state 
control of cultural policies in general. 
 
Her strong views, informed by decades of experience in 
the UNESCO bureaucracy, would almost certainly not be 
tempered by an Amcit deputy, especially one from 
outside UNESCO. 
 
Ambassador Oliver met with DG Matsuura on 6 December 
and raised her concerns with him about the need to 
choose a good ADG for Culture (septel). 
 
KOSS