Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04DUBLIN1286
2004-09-01 10:44:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Dublin
Cable title:  

IRISH REACTION TO U.S. UNGA INITIATIVES

Tags:  PREL ECON PHUM KDEM AORC UNGA UN 
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UNCLAS DUBLIN 001286 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON PHUM KDEM AORC UNGA UN
SUBJECT: IRISH REACTION TO U.S. UNGA INITIATIVES

REF: A. STATE 152009


B. DUBLIN 1260

UNCLAS DUBLIN 001286

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL ECON PHUM KDEM AORC UNGA UN
SUBJECT: IRISH REACTION TO U.S. UNGA INITIATIVES

REF: A. STATE 152009


B. DUBLIN 1260


1. On August 31, Post delivered ref A talking points on U.S.
initiatives for the 59th UN General Assembly to John Deady
and Julian Clare, Director and First Secretary, respectively,
of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) UN Section.

--------------
Economic Freedom
--------------


2. Ireland adheres to the principles of the Monterrey
Consensus and is skeptical of innovative financing mechanisms
for official development assistance, such as the
International Financing Facility and global taxation schemes,
said Deady (echoing views of Irish aid officials in ref B).
Qualifying this remark, Deady noted that Ireland administered
education programs in developing countries without making
good governance a condition for assistance, in contrast, he
said, to the approach used for the Millennium Challenge
Account. He explained that Ireland saw this as a
"chicken-and-egg situation," whereby improvements to primary
and secondary education in such countries helped to improve
the prospects for good governance.

--------------
Trafficking in Persons
--------------


3. Ireland and the EU would support any UN resolution that
would enhance international efforts to combat trafficking in
persons (TIP),observed Deady. He added that TIP was a
serious problem that would continue to occupy the EU
Commission's Directorate-General for Justice and Home
Affairs, particularly with the trafficking of young persons
out of eastern Europe.

--------------
Promoting Democracy
--------------


4. Ireland is a member of the Democracy Caucus and supports
increased cooperation among Caucus members on the promotion
of human rights and the rule of law, according to Deady.
Ireland hoped, however, that the Caucus would not complicate
dealings with non-democracies in the UN on issues with
cross-cutting interests.

--------------
Banning Human Cloning
--------------


5. Ireland supported Costa Rica's draft UN resolution
against human cloning, said Deady. He noted that the cloning
issue would continue to be divisive within and among EU
Member States, with the UK the leading proponent of cloning
research and Belgian and Sweden the strongest opponents.

--------------
Reducing Middle East Tensions
--------------


6. Ireland would prefer to have fewer UN Middle East
resolutions and to see EU positions reflected more clearly in
such resolutions, said Deady. He recalled that the EU had
coordinated to vote against or abstain on three Middle East
resolutions in 2003 that were biased against Israel. Ireland
had also sponsored a UN resolution against anti-Semitism in
2003, but had withdrawn the measure after failing to receive
sufficient General Assembly support. Deady observed that
there were likely to be more, rather than less, Middle East
resolutions this year, due to concerns associated with the
construction of Israel's security barrier. He added his
impression that a number of Middle East resolutions were not
so much anti-Israel as pro-Palestinian, emphasizing
Palestinians' rights under international law.
KENNY