VATICAN ON CLONING CONVENTION: DON'T MAKE THE IDEAL THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 004241 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KSCA PREL AORC TBIO TPHY KSCA PREL AORC TBIO TPHY VT UNGA VTUNGA SUBJECT: VATICAN ON CLONING CONVENTION: DON'T MAKE THE IDEAL THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD REF: STATE 160115 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: VATICAN DFM MIGLIORE TOLD DCM AUGUST 30 THAT THE HOLY SEE SHARED U.S. GOALS ON THE CLONING CONVENTION AND SUPPORTED USG EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A UN CONVENTION TO BAN ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING. HOWEVER, THE VATICAN FEARED THAT UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 04241 01 OF 02 030554Z PRESSING TOO HARD FOR A COMPREHENSIVE BAN NOW MIGHT LEAD TO A MISSED OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE A GLOBAL BAN ON HUMAN CLONING THAT THE HOLY SEE REGARDS AS FUNDAMENTAL. THE HOLY SEE IS PREPARED TO WORK WITH THE U.S. IN THE LEAD UP TO THE UNGA IN PURSUIT OF A TOTAL BAN, AND MIGLIORE TOOK ON BOARD THE NAMES OF THE COUNTRIES WHICH REFTEL RECOMMENDS THEY APPROACH. NEVERTHELESS, THE HOLY SEE IS PREPARED TO PURSUE AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IF IT APPEARS THAT A COMPREHENSIVE BAN IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE. THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD DELETE THE LANGUAGE IN THE CURRENT DRAFT UN RESOLUTION THAT LEAVES OPEN OTHER HUMAN CLONING ACTIVITIES, WHILE RETAINING EXPLICIT REFERENCES TO THE INTENT TO MOVE AFTER PHASE ONE (REPRODUCTIVE CLONING) TO A PHASE TWO THAT WOULD BAN ALL OTHER FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING. THE HOLY SEE BELIEVES THIS WOULD ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLE THAT ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING ARE CURRENTLY REGARDED AS "UNACCEPTABLE." END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) DCM PRESENTED REFTEL REQUEST TO VATICAN DFM CELESTINO MIGLIORE ON AUGUST 30. MIGLIORE INDICATED HE HAD HEARD FROM THE HOLY SEE'S PERMANENT OBSERVER MISSION IN NEW YORK ABOUT THE U.S. APPROACH, AND CAUTIONED THAT THE U.S. MIGHT BE TOO AMBITIOUS. HE SAID THAT THE HOLY SEE FULLY SUPPORTED US EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON HUMAN CLONING BECAUSE WE SHARE THE SAME STRONG MORAL CONCERNS. HE FEARED, HOWEVER, THAT IT WOULD PROVE IMPOSSIBLE TO GENERATE THE VOTES AT THIS TIME TO AUTHORIZE A CONVENTION ON A COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON HUMAN CLONING. IN THIS CASE, THE HOLY SEE BELIEVED IT COULD PROVE IMPOSSIBLE TO REGAIN THE MOMENTUM FOR SUCH A BAN IN THE FUTURE, AND THE MOMENT TO ACHIEVE A BAN ON HUMAN CLONING COULD PASS. MIGLIORE PREFERRED TO PRESS NOW FOR THE PHASE ONE BAN AS PROPOSED BY THE FRENCH AND GERMANS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 VATICA 04241 01 OF 02 030554Z BUT WITH CHANGED LANGUAGE IN THE AUTHORIZING RESOLUTION. ¶3. (SBU) WHILE THE HOLY SEE AGREED THAT THE TWO PHASE APPROACH CARRIED RISKS, THEY HAD DEVELOPED AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE FRENCH AND GERMAN PROPOSAL THAT THEY BELIEVED COULD ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLE AGAINST ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING, WHILE LOCKING IN A COMMITMENT TO NEGOTIATIONS ON THE SECOND STEP. SPECIFICALLY, THE HOLY SEE WOULD PROPOSE DELETING OP 3(B),WHICH HE PARAPHRASED AS READING: "THE SOCIAL COMMITTEE CLARIFIES THAT A BAN ON HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE CLONING IS NOT TO PREJUDICE THE LEGALITY OR ILLEGALITY OF OTHER HUMAN CLONING ACTIVITIES." THIS DELETION, COMBINED WITH EXISTING LANGUAGE FURTHER DOWN IN THE RESOLUTION EXPLICITLY CALLING FOR BOTH A BAN ON REPRODUCTIVE CLONING AND A SUBSEQUENT CONVENTION BANNING ALL OTHER FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING WOULD ESTABLISH THE PRINCIPLE THAT ANY FORM OF HUMAN CLONING WAS "INADMISSIBLE" WHILE OFFERING A WAY TO MOVE FORWARD NOW, MIGLIORE MAINTAINED. ¶4. (SBU) DCM ASSURED MIGLIORE THAT THE USG APPRECIATED THE HOLY SEE'S DESIRE TO LOCK IN THE PRINCIPLE BANNING HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE CLONING IN THE EVENT A COMPREHENSIVE BAN APPEARED UNATTAINABLE. HE REITERATED THAT AT THIS POINT, HOWEVER, THE US BELIEVED IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BUILD CONSENSUS FOR THE CONVENTION ON A COMPREHENSIVE BAN AND INTENDED TO WORK HARD TO BUILD A COALITION TO THAT END. DCM PRESSED MIGLIORE TO JOIN US NOW IN PURSUIT OF A COMPREHENSIVE BAN, WHILE KEEPING THEIR ALTERNATIVE APPROACH IN RESERVE FOR THE TIME BEING. MIGLIORE INDICATED THE HOLY SEE WOULD WORK WITH UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ4886 PAGE 01 VATICA 04241 02 OF 02 030555Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 WHA-00 DS-00 EAP-00 UTED-00 VC-00 HHS-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OES-01 OIC-02 PER-00 SSO-00 SS-00 TEST-00 DSCC-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W -------------- E174A4 030555Z /38 O 030536Z SEP 02 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN PRIORITY AMEMBASSY BELIZE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY LA PAZ PRIORITY AMEMBASSY LIMA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MANILA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO PRIORITY AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY AMEMBASSY SAN JOSE PRIORITY AMEMBASSY SAN SALVADOR PRIORITY AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO PRIORITY AMEMBASSY WARSAW PRIORITY USINT HAVANA PRIORITY USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 004241 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KSCA PREL AORC TBIO TPHY KSCA PREL AORC TBIO TPHY VT UNGA VTUNGA SUBJECT: VATICAN ON CLONING CONVENTION: DON'T MAKE THE IDEAL THE ENEMY OF THE GOOD THE U.S. IN THIS FASHION, AND TOOK NOTE OF THE FIVE COUNTRIES MENTIONED REFTEL AS LIKELY TO BE OPEN TO HOLY SEE INFLUENCE. STILL, HE REITERATED THAT THE HOLY SEE WOULD WANT TO PRESS FOR ITS ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE IF AND WHEN IT SAW THAT CONSENSUS WAS BECOMING TOO HARD TO ACHIEVE. ¶5. (SBU) COMMENT: THE HOLY SEE'S CAUTION ON AN ISSUE THAT UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 04241 02 OF 02 030555Z GOES TO THE CORE OF ITS MISSION WAS SURPRISING, PARTICULARLY WITH POWERFUL ALLIES IN THE USG AND OTHER COUNTRIES THAT SUPPORT A CONVENTION ADDRESSING A COMPREHENSIVE BAN. IN THIS CASE, THE CAUTION REFLECTS NOT ONLY THE HOLY SEE'S PRAGMATISM, BUT ALSO THE EXTREME IMPORTANCE THE HOLY SEE ATTACHES TO A BAN ON HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE CLONING AND DESIRE TO ACHIEVE AGREEMENT ON SUCH A BAN. WE ARE CONFIDENT THE HOLY SEE WILL ENCOURAGE ITS UN OBSERVER IN NEW YORK AND NUNCIOS IN POLAND, THE PHILIPPINES, HONDURAS, ZIMBABWE, AND IVORY COAST TO APPROACH THE HOST GOVERNMENTS TO SEEK OUT SUPPORT FOR OUR APPROACH TO THE ISSUE, AND MIGLIORE HAS AGREED TO UPDATE US ON THEIR DISCUSSIONS. WITH THEIR FINGER TO THE WIND, HOWEVER, THEY WILL TURN TO THEIR COMPROMISE IF THEY DEEM IT NECESSARY PRESERVE THE CHANCE FOR A FUTURE GLOBAL BAN. NICHOLSON SKODON UNCLASSIFIED > 2002VATICA04241 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED