EU VOTE FOR CUBAN ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION EXPECTED

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 004347 SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/CCA, IO/UNP, EUR/ERA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/08/2014 TAGS: PREL PHUM ETRD CU UNGA EUN USEU BRUSSELS SUBJECT: EU VOTE FOR CUBAN ANTI-EMBARGO RESOLUTION EXPECTED REF: STATE 215870 Classified By: USEU POLOFF TODD HUIZINGA, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Paulo Oliveira, UN desk officer in the EU Council Secretariat. He said EU representatives at the UN in New York had not yet discussed the resolution, but that he expected EU member states, as last year, to vote unanimously in favor of the Cuban anti-embargo resolution. He did say that he expected an explanation of vote to include "tough criticism of Cuba's human right record," based both on current EU-Cuba tensions and the EU's experience at this year's UNGA ministerial. (Cuban FM Perez Roque was a no-show at a scheduled meeting with Dutch EU presidency FM Bernard Bot.) SCOTT