CHR-59: ITALIANS SUPPORT VIRTUALLY ALL U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 001168 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR IO, IO/SHA. DRL, DRL/MLA, SA/PAB AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/19/2013 TAGS: PHUM IT UNHRC AFGHANISTAN HUMAN RIGHTS SUBJECT: CHR-59: ITALIANS SUPPORT VIRTUALLY ALL U.S. OBJECTIVES, PROPOSE AFGHANISTAN LANGUAGE REF: A. A)ROME 1144 ¶B. B) STATE 64728 ¶C. C) 02 STATE 215870 CLASSIFIED BY: POL M/C TOM COUNTRYMAN, REASONS 1.5 (B,D) ¶1. (U) ITALY LARGELY SUPPORTS U.S. OBJECTIVES AND PLANS FOR SPECIFIC COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS AT CHR-59, MFA HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE DIRECTOR CALVETTA TOLD US MARCH 19. RESPONDING TO OUR MARCH 13 DEMARCHE (CALVETTA WAS UNAVAILABLE PRIOR TO THE 19TH),CALVETTA SAID THE MFA WAS PLEASED WITH THE EXPANDED U.S.-EU HUMAN RIGHTS CONSULTATIONS. HE AND HIS COLLEAGUES HOPED WE COULD CONTINUE THEM DURING ITALY,S EU PRESIDENCY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR TO IMPROVE COORDINATION ON HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AT THE 2003 UNGA. ¶2. (C) CALVETTA INDICATED ITALY AND ITS FELLOW MEMBER-STATES GENERALLY SHARED OUR VIEWS ON THE SPECIFIC COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS (ITALIAN VIEWS ON SPECIAL UNGA/CHR SESSIONS DETAILED IN REF A); IT STRONGLY SUPPORTED RESOLUTIONS INTER ALIA ON CUBA, DPRK, BELARUS, TURKMENISTAN AND ZIMBABWE. IRAN REMAINED THE EXCEPTION; THE GAERC HAD DECIDED MARCH 18 NOT TO PURSUE/RUN AN IRAN RESOLUTION. CALVETTA REHEARSED FAMILIAR ARGUMENTS THAT THE LURE OF A TCA AGREEMENT WITH THE EU COULD STILL ENCOURAGE IMPROVED IRANIAN PERFORMANCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, STARTING WITH ADHERENCE TO THE EU BENCHMARKS. IRAN,S COMPLICATED POLITICAL SCENE, WITH AYATOLLAHS (SIC) REVIEWING DRAFT PARLIAMENTARY LEGISLATION, MEANT SIGNIFICANT CHANGE WOULD BE A SLOW PROCESS. CONSEQUENTLY, THE EU JUDGED IT NECESSARY TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL TIME ) PERHAPS A YEAR ) TO EVALUATE IRAN,S ACTUAL COMMITMENT TO THE BENCHMARKS. WE NOTED THE STEADY DETERIORATION IN IRAN,S HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD AND CLIMATE, EVEN WITH THE PROSPECT OF THE TCA, AS CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT INCENTIVES ALONE WERE INSUFFICIENT. CALVETTA SAID THE MFA HOPED THAT, IN THE WAKE OF THE GAERC'S DECISION, THE U.S. WOULD NOT FORCE THE ISSUE BY PROPOSING A RESOLUTION ON IRAN THAT WAS CERTAIN TO BE DEFEATED. ¶3. (C) CALVETTA CONFIRMED THAT ITALY WAS DRAFTING LANGUAGE ON AFGHANISTAN, TO BE PRESENTED AS AN ITEM NINE RESOLUTION. HE PROMISED TO SHARE THE DRAFT LANGUAGE ONCE IT WAS FINE-TUNED (AND DID SO AM MARCH 20; WE ARE E-MAILING THE TEXT TO IO, DRL, SA AND GENEVA). ON CHINA, CALVETTA INDICATED THE EU HAD AGREED TO SUPPORT A CHINA RESOLUTION IF THE U.S. DECIDED TO PRESENT ONE. ¶4. (SBU) TURNING TO THEMATIC ISSUES, CALVETTA NOTED THAT RECENT U.S.-EU CONSULTATIONS HAD FAILED TO SETTLE ON MUTUALLY-ACCEPTABLE LANGUAGE ON SUCH DIVISIVE ISSUES AS THE DEATH PENALTY, CHILD-SOLDIERS AND THE ICC. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, JOUSTING OVER OUR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS, CALVETTA ASKED THAT THE U.S. MAKE GREATER USE OF STATEMENTS AND EXPLANATION-OF-VOTES, RATHER THAN FORMAL CALLS FOR VOTES, TO OBJECT TO EU LANGUAGE ON THESE TOPICS. SUCH A TACTIC WOULD IMPROVE THE COHESION BOTH THE U.S. AND EU WERE TRYING TO CULTIVATE FOR THIS YEAR,S CHR SESSION. WE PUSHED BACK ALONG LINES OF REF C, NOTING THAT IT WOULD BE MUCH EASIER FOR US TO DO SO IF THEMATIC LANGUAGE WAS NOT SCATTERED LIBERALLY THROUGHOUT A SUCCESSION OF RESOLUTIONS. ¶5. (C) CALVETTA REAFFIRMED THAT ITALY WOULD BE MOUNTING A STRONG EFFORT FOR A SEAT ON CHR-60, REMINDING US THAT ITALY HAD STEPPED ASIDE THIS YEAR TO FACILITATE THE U.S. RETURN TO THE COMMISSION. WE REASSURED CALVETTA THAT WASHINGTON HAD NOT FORGOTTEN ITALY,S GESTURE AND OBSERVED THAT CHR-60 ELECTIONS WERE STILL TWO MONTHS OFF, WITHOUT OFFERING ANY SUBSTANTIVE COMMENT ON THE LIKELIHOOD OF U.S. SUPPORT FOR ITALY,S CANDIDACY. (COMMENT: WE EXPECT MORE FREQUENT REMINDERS ) AT HIGHER LEVELS ) OF ITALY,S GESTURE AS THE CHR-60 ELECTIONS NEAR.) SEMBLER NNNN 2003ROME01168 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL