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Jul 16, 2009, 2:52pm

Open Minds Forum :: Disclosure Related Topics :: United Nations Secret UFO Meeting :: Source Reveals Secret UFO Meeting at U.N.

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Topic: Source Reveals Secret UFO Meeting at U.N. (Read 105,479 times)

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Re: Source Reveals Secret UFO Meeting at U.N.
« Reply #1605 on May 6, 2008, 5:23pm »

Finally, some investigation news!

Date: 6 May 2008
Our Reference: 0201-08

International Organisations Department
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Tel: 020 7008 3562
Fax: 020 7008 3744

[Redacted: My contact details]

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST

Dear [redacted],

I am writing further to my email of 7 April 2008 informing you that we judged the qualified exemption contained in s27 (international relations) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to be engaged and that the public interest test would be considered. Furthermore, in order to consider the public interest in this case, we required an extension of the 20 working day response time limit permitted under the 2000 Act.

We are now in a position to respond to your request for information in which you ask for the details of all meetings at the United Nations in New York that were attended by Sir John Sawers (or his representative) during the period from 11 February to 15 February 2008.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

The UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sir John Sawers, attended seven (7) official meetings at the United Nations between Monday 11 February and Friday 15 February 2008. These meetings were open to the full UN membership or to members of the UN Security Council. Details of these meetings can be found on the UN web site (www.un.org <http://www.un.org>) or at the specific sites listed below:

Monday 11 February

0930-1100       Opening of Climate Change event http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/themclimatechange.shtml (Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Building) Programme, participants, statement and related-documents can be found at http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/themclimatechange.shtml

Tuesday 12 February

1020-1315       SC Open Debate: Children and armed conflict http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/PRO/N08/236/11/PDF/N0823611.pdf?OpenElement (Security Council Chamber, UN Building); Records for this meeting can be found at http://www.un.org/ - Welcome - Documents, Maps - Meeting Records - 2008 - S/PV.5834.

1315-1500       Security Council lunch with the Secretary-General (UN Delegates Dining Room, 4th Floor, UN Building); No record exists for this meeting

1515-2015       SC Open Debate: Children and armed conflict (continued) http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/PRO/N08/237/56/PDF/N0823756.pdf?OpenElement (Security Council Chamber, UN Building); Records for this meeting can be found at http://www.un.org/ - Welcome - Documents, Maps - Meeting Records - 2008 - S/PV.5834 (Resumption 1).

Wednesday 13 February

0930-1200       Statement to the General Assembly on Climate Change http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet....d=1199212542736
Copy of statement can be found on the UK Mission web site http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/servlet....d=1199212542736

1800-1915       Lithuanian National Day (UN Delegates Dining Room, 4th Floor, UN Building); No record exists for this meeting

Thursday 14 February

Sir John Sawers (or his representative) attended no (0) official meetings on this day.

Friday 15 February

1000-1200       Security Council: Adoption of DRC Sanctions http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=S/PV.5836&Lang=E resolution followed by briefing on African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM); Records for this meeting can be found at <http://www.un.org/> - Welcome - Documents, Maps - Meeting Records - 2008 - S/PV.5836

PRIVATE MEETINGS OF THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL (UNSC)

Sir John Sawers attended four (4) private meetings of the UN Security Council (listed below).
Monday 11 February 1610-1615       Timor Leste (Security Council Consultations Room, UN Building)
Wednesday 13 February 1000-1130       DRC Sanctions; Chad (Security Council Consultations Room, UN Building)
Thursday 14 February 1500-1600       Private debate on Kosovo (Security Council Chamber, UN Building)
Friday 15 February 1430-1500       Ethiopia/Eritrea (Security Council Consultations Room, UN Building)

Although it is public knowledge that these meetings took place and that the UK as a permanent member of the Security Council attended, these meetings were confidential diplomatic discussions. In the case of private meetings of the Security Council, the clear expectation of members of the Council is that such discussions will remain confidential. The same goes for Security Council consultations, which are private, informal meetings of the Security Council. Under the Provisional Rules of Procedure of the Security Council (which can be found at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/scrules.htm), meetings are held in public unless the Security Council decides otherwise. If any meeting of the Security Council is held in private, this indicates that the members of the Security Council consider that the subject matter of the discussion needs to be addressed without the glare of publicity to aid a free and frank exchange. It would undermine such necessary confidentiality if individual member States or the UN were to reveal their own records of these discussions while the issues are still live.

We therefore judge that the information we hold regarding these meetings to be exempt under sections 27 (1)(a),(b) and 27(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 which covers international relations.

BILATERAL MEETINGS

Lastly, Sir John Sawers held a number of bilateral meetings with UN officials and other UN delegations on a range of issues as part of his routine business as Permanent Representative, covering issues such as conflict situations on the agenda of the Security Council, development assistance and UN reform.

These meetings were conducted on the common understanding that the discussions were confidential exchanges of views, which would not be revealed. It would damage the United Kingdom's relations with other members States and with the UN itself if the UK Mission could not be relied on to maintain the confidentiality of such exchanges and would prejudice the Mission's ability to represent the UK's interests at the UN and other States or UN officials might become more cautious about the information they revealed.
Similarly, we judge that the information we hold regarding bilateral meetings to be exempt under sections 27 (1)(a),(b) and 27(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

PUBLIC INTEREST TEST
While there are good arguments in favour of disclosing this information such as the benefits of increasing public knowledge of the issues and of informing debate, we must also take account of and give appropriate weight to arguments in favour of withholding this information. In particular, the effective conduct of international relations depends upon maintaining trust and confidence between Governments and international organisations. Failure to maintain this trust and confidence would seriously hamper the United Kingdom's ability to protect and promote UK interests through international relations.

In considering the public interest, we have weighed these arguments and concluded that in this case disclosure of the records of these discussions (both private UNSC meetings and bilateral discussions) would prejudice the United Kingdom's relations with other States and with the United Nations. For these reasons we consider that the public interest in maintaining this exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosure.

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint, or request a review of our decision you should write to me at the above address. You have 40 working days to do so. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are not content with the outcome of that internal review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have exhausted the complaint procedure provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely,

Ursula Antwi-Boasiako
International Organisations Department