HOLY SEE RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON CLONING CONVENTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 005346

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/WE MENNUTI, IO/

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2012
TAGS: AORC KSCA PREL VT UNGA
SUBJECT: HOLY SEE RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON CLONING CONVENTION

REF: A. A) STATE 209737

B. B) VATICAN 4241

CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR JIM NICHOLSON. REASON: 1.5 (B).


1. (U) EMBASSY APPROACHED HOLY SEE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER
MIGLIORE OCTOBER 25 TO REQUEST HOLY SEE DEMARCHES TO
ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC) MEMBER STATES IN
ORDER TO SECURE BROADER SUPPORT FOR THE U.S.-SPONSORED
RESOLUTION BANNING ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING. MIGLIORE
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INDICATED HE WOULD CONSIDER THE U.S. PROPOSAL AND REQUESTED
DCM REVIEW ISSUE WITH HIM OCTOBER 29. AT THAT MEETING, DCM
REITERATED THE U.S. VIEW THAT THE HOLY SEE MIGHT BE ABLE TO
REINFORCE OUR EFFORTS TO BUILD SUPPORT AMONG OIC COUNTRIES.
DCM NOTED THAT THE HOLY SEE'S BELIEF THAT HUMAN CLONING
REPRESENTS AN ASSAULT ON HUMAN DIGNITY WOULD RESONATE WITH
OIC COUNTRIES.


2. (SBU) MIGLIORE RESPONDED THAT THE HOLY SEE STRONGLY
SUPPORTED A COMPLETE BAN, AND WAS WORKING ACTIVELY TO ACHIEVE
IT. HE INDICATED THAT THEY WERE LOBBYING ACTIVELY IN LATIN
AMERICA, AFRICA, AND EUROPE, AS WE HAD URGED IN AN EARLIER
APPROACH. AT THE SAME TIME, HE CAUTIONED THAT THE HOLY SEE
CONTINUED TO KEEP THE DOOR OPEN TO ALTERNATIVES SHORT OF A
TOTAL BAN, AS LONG AS THEY RESPECTED MORAL PRINCIPLES. HE
EMPHASIZED, AS HE HAD PREVIOUSLY (REF B),THAT THE HOLY SEE
DID NOT WANT TO BE LEFT WITH NOTHING IN THE EVENT A TOTAL BAN
COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED.


3. (C) REGARDING THE U.S. REQUEST FOR THE HOLY SEE TO
APPROACH OIC COUNTRIES, MIGLIORE SAID THE HOLY SEE BELIEVED
THAT THE U.S. AND OTHER COUNTRIES WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN
BUILDING SUPPORT AMONG OIC COUNTRIES. "WE CANNOT CREATE
SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE A HOLY ALLIANCE," HE ASSERTED. DCM
NOTED THAT THE HOLY SEE HAD WORKED EFFECTIVELY WITH OIC
COUNTRIES IN 1994 AT THE UN POPULATION CONFERENCE IN CAIRO,
AND THAT WE BELIEVED SIMILAR MORAL ISSUES WERE AT STAKE IN
THIS CASE. MIGLIORE INSISTED THAT THIS CASE WAS DIFFERENT
THAN 1994 BECAUSE AT THAT TIME THERE HAD BEEN TREMENDOUS TIME
PRESSURE. IN THIS CASE, THERE WAS MORE TIME AND THERE WERE
BETTER OPTIONS ON THE TABLE. PRESSED FURTHER, MIGLIORE SAID
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THE HOLY SEE HAD TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT ITS INTERNATIONAL IMAGE.
"WE DON'T WANT TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT OUR VIEWS AND
THOSE OF THE MUSLIM WORLD ARE ONE AND THE SAME."


4. (C) REGARDING THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY, MIGLIORE
ELABORATED ON THE HOLY SEE'S PERSPECTIVE AND STRATEGY LEADING
UP TO WHAT THEY UNDERSTOOD WOULD BE A FEBRUARY VOTE ON THE
RESOLUTION. INITIALLY, THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO LOBBY HARD FOR
A TOTAL BAN. IF IT APPEARED THAT THE VOTES FOR SUCH A BAN
WOULD NOT BE THERE, THEY WOULD CONSIDER SUPPORTING A MODIFIED
FRENCH/GERMAN TEXT THAT RESPECTED MORAL PRINCIPLES. SUCH A
TEXT: 1) MUST NOT CLOSE THE MANDATE OF THE COMMITTEE, WHICH
MUST BE ABLE TO REOPEN AND BROADEN; 2) MUST INCLUDE WORDING
TO MAKE CLEAR THAT AGREEMENT ON THE PARTIAL BAN DOES NOT
IMPLY APPROVAL OF THERAPEUTIC CLONING.


5. (C) MIGLIORE SAID THE HOLY SEE WAS CONCERNED THAT AN
INCREASING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES, INCLUDING JAPAN, CHINA,
SINGAPORE, AND THE UK WERE ALREADY USING THERAPEUTIC CLONING,
AND THAT THIS WAS BECOMING A REALITY THAT WOULD BE HARD TO
PUT BACK IN THE BOTTLE. HE EXPECTED THAT THESE COUNTRIES
WOULD STRONGLY RESIST EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE A TOTAL BAN.
SKODON

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2002VATICA05346 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL