VATICAN REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO FULL CLONING BAN,

UNCLAS VATICAN 001055 SIPDIS FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI) IO/T E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AORC TBIO VT UNGA KSIA SUBJECT: VATICAN REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO FULL CLONING BAN, WILLINGNESS TO COORDINATE ON UN CONVENTION REF: A) STATE 51552 (NOTAL) ¶1. PER DEPARTMENT'S REQUEST (REF A),DCM AND POLOFF REVIEWED THE U.S. APPROACH TO ACHIEVING AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION TO BAN ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING WITH NEW VATICAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PIETRO PAROLIN. PAROLIN, WHO WAS FULLY CONVERSANT WITH THE STATE OF PLAY ON THE CONVENTION, ASSURED US THAT THE HOLY SEE REMAINED FIRMLY COMMITTED TO WORKING WITH US TO ACHIEVE A GLOBAL BAN ON ALL FORMS OF HUMAN UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 01055 140925Z CLONING. DCM EMPHASIZED THE GROWING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR A COMPLETE BAN, AND REITERATED THE FIRM U.S. OPPOSITION TO A PARTIAL BAN. REFLECTING THE BROAD RANGE OF SUPPORT AMONG KEY COUNTRIES, PAROLIN EXPRESSED THE HOLY SEE'S WILLINGNESS TO CONTINUE APPROACHING KEY UNDECIDED COUNTRIES TO BUILD FURTHER SUPPORT PRIOR TO THE FINAL DECISION ON A MANDATE FOR THE UN CLONING CONVENTION. HE AGREED TO DO SO BOTH AT THE UN (VIA PERMANENT OBSERVER ARCHBISHOP MIGLIORE) AND IN CAPITALS. ¶2. RECOGNIZING OUR VIEW OF THE HOLY SEE AS A KEY ALLY IN ACHIEVING A COMPLETE BAN, DCM EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF AN UNBENDING HOLY SEE POSITION IN FAVOR OF A COMPLETE BAN. WE POINTED OUT THAT ANY SIGNAL OF HOLY SEE FLEXIBILITY TOWARD A TWO-STEP APPROACH COULD OFFER WAVERING GOVERNMENTS MORAL COVER FOR A POSITION IN FAVOR OF THE FRENCH-GERMAN TWO-STEP APPROACH. WHILE REAFFIRMING SUPPORT FOR A COMPLETE BAN, PAROLIN REITERATED THE POSITION, PREVIOUSLY OUTLINED BY ARCHBISHOP MIGLIORE (REF B),THAT IF IT APPEARED THE PUSH FOR A COMPLETE BAN WAS LEADING TO NO AGREEMENT AT ALL, THE HOLY SEE WOULD SUPPORT A TWO-STEP PROCESS SUCH AS THE FRENCH-GERMAN PROPOSAL. HE SAID THE HOLY SEE WOULD REGARD THIS AS "THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS." AT THE SAME TIME, HE SAID THE HOLY SEE WOULD INSIST ON LOCKING IN THE PRINCIPAL THAT NO FORM OF CLONING WAS ACCEPTABLE, AND THAT WORK ON A THERAPEUTIC BAN WOULD IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW ACHIEVEMENT OF THE REPRODUCTIVE BAN. DCM POINTED OUT THAT LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS IN FRANCE AND GERMANY TO BAN CLONING COULD AFFECT THE POSITION THESE COUNTRIES HAVE PREVIOUSLY PUT FORWARD. PAROLIN DEMONSTRATED CONSIDERABLE INTEREST IN THESE DEVELOPMENTS AND AGREED THAT THEY WERE ENCOURAGING. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 VATICA 01055 140925Z ¶3. COMMENT: PAROLIN'S CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE STATUS OF THE CLONING ISSUE AND HIS AFFIRMATION THAT THE HOLY SEE'S GOAL REMAINS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTERNATIONAL PRINCIPLE THAT HUMAN CLONING IN ANY FORM WAS UNACCEPTABLE SUGGEST THAT HE WILL BE A STRONG ALLY IN OUR EFFORT TO ACHIEVE AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION BANNING ALL FORMS OF CLONING. PAROLIN APPEARED PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN OUR TALLY OF COUNTRIES MAKING UP THE THREE STREAMS OF THOUGHT ON A CONVENTION, AS WELL AS DOMESTIC LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN KEY COUNTRIES. EMBASSY RECOMMENDS THE DEPARTMENT AND USUN KEEP THE HOLY SEE UP TO DATE ON SUPPORT FOR THE FULL BAN AND ON DOMESTIC POLITICAL SHIFTS IN KEY COUNTRIES SO THEY CAN TARGET THEIR ADVOCACY MOST EFFECTIVELY ON COUNTRIES IN LATIN AMERICA, AFRICA AND ASIA WHERE THE HOLY SEE CAN BEST BRING ITS INFLUENCE TO BEAR. NICHOLSON UNCLASSIFIED > 2003VATICA01055 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED