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NSA Targets World Leaders for US Geopolitical Interests: United Nations
Selected extracts of "top" NSA intercepts of leaders of United Nations, taken from various editions of the National Security Agency's Top Secret Global SIGINT Highlights executive briefings.
- Japan Seeks Long-Term Pact With Specific Figures on Climate Change at G-8
- UNSYG Stresses Importance of EU Leadership Role in Climate Change
Japan Seeks Long-Term Pact With Specific Figures on Climate Change at G-8
| Date | 2008 |
| Classification | TOP SECRET//COMINT//NOFORN |
| WikiLeaks Synopsis Intercepted communication between Japanese and German diplomats reveal plans and concerns regarding the negotiations on climate change to be had at the G-8 summit in Copenhagen in 2009. |
|
Original NSA text:
Japan Seeks Long-Term Pact With Specific Figures on Climate Change at G-8 (TS//SI//NF)
(TS//SI//NF) Japan, preparing for its role as chairman of the Group-of-8 (G-8) summit at Lake Toya early in July, has given notice that it intends to strive for a long-term commitment on climate change with specific figures, while Germany believes that the crucial issue at the summit is whether the U.S. will accept going beyond Heiligendamm (the site of last year's G-8 summit) language in the framework of the G-8 if the emerging countries do not accept numerical targets at the Major Economies Meeting (MEM). (According to press reports, leaders from 16 countries, including the members of the G-8 plus China, India, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa, and Mexico, plan to discuss climate change on the margins of the G-8 summit in Japan.) Masaharu Kono, Japan's G-8 sherpa, emphasized Tokyo's position in an exchange with his German counterpart, Bernd Pfaffenback, on 17 June, while Pfaffenback provided his country's take on the issues to be addressed at Lake Toya. The German also noted that, in response to a U.S. request, his country would likely give up its demand for a 25- to 45-percent mid-term carbon dioxide reduction at the MEM. In addition, he does not believe that the emerging economies are willing to go beyond the Bali language at present, his feeling being that they prefer instead to wait until next year's G-8 summit in Copenhagen, because they do not wish to give up things now that they might be prepared to give up later. It is also Pfaffenback's position that a failure of the emerging economies to accept a long-term goal with numbers, even in brackets, would pose difficulties for the G-8 and possibly lead to a clash at the summit itself if there is no fallback position.
Unconventional
German leadership, Japanese diplomatic
Z-3/OO/4860-08, 191611Z
(TS//SI//NF) Japan, preparing for its role as chairman of the Group-of-8 (G-8) summit at Lake Toya early in July, has given notice that it intends to strive for a long-term commitment on climate change with specific figures, while Germany believes that the crucial issue at the summit is whether the U.S. will accept going beyond Heiligendamm (the site of last year's G-8 summit) language in the framework of the G-8 if the emerging countries do not accept numerical targets at the Major Economies Meeting (MEM). (According to press reports, leaders from 16 countries, including the members of the G-8 plus China, India, Brazil, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, South Africa, and Mexico, plan to discuss climate change on the margins of the G-8 summit in Japan.) Masaharu Kono, Japan's G-8 sherpa, emphasized Tokyo's position in an exchange with his German counterpart, Bernd Pfaffenback, on 17 June, while Pfaffenback provided his country's take on the issues to be addressed at Lake Toya. The German also noted that, in response to a U.S. request, his country would likely give up its demand for a 25- to 45-percent mid-term carbon dioxide reduction at the MEM. In addition, he does not believe that the emerging economies are willing to go beyond the Bali language at present, his feeling being that they prefer instead to wait until next year's G-8 summit in Copenhagen, because they do not wish to give up things now that they might be prepared to give up later. It is also Pfaffenback's position that a failure of the emerging economies to accept a long-term goal with numbers, even in brackets, would pose difficulties for the G-8 and possibly lead to a clash at the summit itself if there is no fallback position.
Unconventional
German leadership, Japanese diplomatic
Z-3/OO/4860-08, 191611Z
UNSYG Stresses Importance of EU Leadership Role in Climate Change
| Date | 2008 |
| Classification | TOP SECRET//COMINT-GAMMA//ORCON/NOFORN |
| WikiLeaks Synopsis Intercepted communication between UN Segretary-General Ban Ki-moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel reveal Ki-moon's confidence in EU as a necessary leader in the climate change negotiations. |
|
Original NSA text:
UNSYG Stresses Importance of EU Leadership Role in Climate Change (TS//SI-G//OC/NF)
(TS//SI-G//OC/NF) UNSYG Ban Ki-moon, in an exchange on 10 December with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pointed out that the world would be watching the EU with "keen interest" for reassurances that it will maintain its leadership role in combating climate change. He believes that the mid-December EU Summit in Brussels will impact on the UN Conference on Climate Change in Poznan as well as the 2009 Copenhagen Talks, stressing that without positive signals and continued leadership from the EU, it would be difficult for the UN to make a commitment in Poznan. Ban also maintained that since the new U.S. administration will have a very engaging and proactive attitude on the issue, the time is right for the EU and the whole world to create conditions necessary for reaching a meaningful deal at the 2009 UN Climate Talks. In that regard, Ban considered the Poznan Conference to be very important as a "bridge" toward Copenhagen. Ban also praised Merkel for her personal efforts regarding the issue of combating climate change and for encouraging other EU leaders to agree on the issue. For her part, Merkel was optimistic that the EU Summit would come to an agreement, although she acknowledged that the tough issue would involve carbon dioxide trading. Both Ban and Merkel favored holding a mini-summit in early 2009 to involve the new U.S. administration, believing that it is important to get a clear idea of U.S. intentions. Merkel believed that the climate-change issue should be discussed at the heads-of-state level, otherwise it would not work.
Unidentified
UN diplomatic, German leadership
Z-G/OO/503904-08, 112153Z
(TS//SI-G//OC/NF) UNSYG Ban Ki-moon, in an exchange on 10 December with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pointed out that the world would be watching the EU with "keen interest" for reassurances that it will maintain its leadership role in combating climate change. He believes that the mid-December EU Summit in Brussels will impact on the UN Conference on Climate Change in Poznan as well as the 2009 Copenhagen Talks, stressing that without positive signals and continued leadership from the EU, it would be difficult for the UN to make a commitment in Poznan. Ban also maintained that since the new U.S. administration will have a very engaging and proactive attitude on the issue, the time is right for the EU and the whole world to create conditions necessary for reaching a meaningful deal at the 2009 UN Climate Talks. In that regard, Ban considered the Poznan Conference to be very important as a "bridge" toward Copenhagen. Ban also praised Merkel for her personal efforts regarding the issue of combating climate change and for encouraging other EU leaders to agree on the issue. For her part, Merkel was optimistic that the EU Summit would come to an agreement, although she acknowledged that the tough issue would involve carbon dioxide trading. Both Ban and Merkel favored holding a mini-summit in early 2009 to involve the new U.S. administration, believing that it is important to get a clear idea of U.S. intentions. Merkel believed that the climate-change issue should be discussed at the heads-of-state level, otherwise it would not work.
Unidentified
UN diplomatic, German leadership
Z-G/OO/503904-08, 112153Z