Viewing cable 08USUNNEWYORK176, ICELANDIC PRESIDENT GRIMSSON PITCHES CANDIDACY FOR

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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
08USUNNEWYORK176	2008-02-25 22:10	2011-01-13 05:05	UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY	USUN New York

VZCZCXRO6780
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN
RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHTRO RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0176 0562210
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 252210Z FEB 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3800
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK PRIORITY 0147

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000176 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL UNSC IC
SUBJECT: ICELANDIC PRESIDENT GRIMSSON PITCHES CANDIDACY FOR 
SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT 
 
¶1. (SBU) On February 22, Icelandic President Grimsson told 
Ambassador Khalilzad that he had been "personally engaged" 
since last year in Iceland's race against Austria and Turkey 
for a seat on the Security Council in 2009-2010.  Grimsson 
said Iceland had been offering potential supporters 
cooperation on clean energy and education, but "unlike our 
competitors, not financial assistance."  President Grimsson 
also said he had heard complaints from small-to-medium-sized 
states that non-permanent members of the Security Council do 
not brief them on Council activity, so Iceland has been 
promising these states improved dialogue if it wins a Council 
seat. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Grimsson asked whether the U.S. could support 
Iceland's bid to which Khalilzad responded that the U.S. will 
give weight to Iceland's status as a NATO partner.  Khalilzad 
agreed that we should aim for more openness and transparency 
in the Security Council.  In response to a question from 
Khalilzad regarding how the vote count looks, Grimsson said 
that Iceland has been "seeing momentum from the middle of 
last year up to now."  One of Grimsson's aides noted that 
Iceland's development cooperation with twenty-six countries 
in the Caribbean and South Pacific has been increasing as a 
result of Iceland's outreach.  Grimsson also stated that 
Security Council membership would allow Iceland to bring its 
traditionally strong relationship with the US and UK to a new 
level of cooperation. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Khalilzad asked Grimsson if Iceland had a 
main agenda it wanted to bring to the Security Council.  He 
responded that it did not have an agenda as such, but is 
interested in focusing on human rights, refugees, women's 
issues and climate change.  Grimsson discussed his views on 
climate change at length.  (Note: Grimsson gave a climate 
change briefing at the UN's Dag Hammarskjold Library on 
February 21. End note.) 
 
KHALILZAD