FONMIN GUL RESPONSE TO SECRETARY POWELL RE

UNCLAS ANKARA 005940

SIPDIS

IO/SHA PLEASE PASS TO SASHA MEHRA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPDC PHUM PREL TU
SUBJECT: FONMIN GUL RESPONSE TO SECRETARY POWELL RE
COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS WEOG ROTATION

REF: A. STATE 209853

B. ANKARA 5764


1. Turkish response on Commission for Human Rights WEOG
rotation is contained in letter from FonMin Gul to Secretary
Powell (para 2; original being pouched to Department).
Turkey asks for U.S. support for increase in number of years
allocated to Turkey.


2. Text of Turkish response:

Dear Mr. Secretary of State,

Thank you very much for your Letter of 29 September 2004
(Reftel A). Turkey, as a country which is fully committed to
achieving the highest standards in democracy, the rule of law
and the promotion and protection of human rights is very much
interested in serving actively in the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights (CHR). Within this framework,
Turkey gives utmost importance to improving the work of the
Commission and looks favorably at a rotation scheme for
membership of WEOG countries.

With this understanding, Turkey is ready to accept a rotation
plan for the CHR within the WEOG. We believe that objective
criteria such as size, population, GDP, and contributions to
the UN should be used in determining as to how many a years
a country will serve in the CHR. However, the Dutch-Canadian
proposal, which has been recently conveyed to us, does not
seem to be fair with regard to the distribution of years for
membership for Turkey. During the 21-year period, the
Dutch-Canadian proposal envisages only 6 years for Turkey
while granting more to other countries such as Italy (14),
Spain (11),Austria (8) and Portugal (7). We believe that as
a country which has achieved sweeping reforms that have been
highly regarded by the international community, Turkey is
better placed today to play a much more active role within
the CHR. With these considerations we request that Turkey be
a member of the CHR for at least 8 years during this period.

While desiring a successful conclusion of the long-standing
efforts in bringing a rotation scheme for membership of WEOG,
I look forward to your support for a longer term for Turkey's
participation in the CHR than the one proposed in the
Dutch-Canadian conceptual framework. Sincerely, Abdullah Gul.

End text.
EDELMAN