GOG ON IRAN RESOLUTION IN UNGA

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 003162 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN AND IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2014 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL GT IR UNGA SUBJECT: GOG ON IRAN RESOLUTION IN UNGA REF: A. GUATEMALA 02964 ¶B. GUATEMALA 2941 ¶C. STATE 243652 ¶D. GUATEMALA 2819 Classified By: DCM D. Bruce Wharton, reason: 1.4 (d). ¶1. (C) Poloff spoke to Luis Carranza, Deputy Director for UN Affairs in the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry, to express appreciation for Guatemala's vote in 3rd Committee on the Turkmenistan resolution, but again note disappointment about Guatemala's abstention on the Iran resolution. Poloff asked whether the GOG would consider changing their position and voting &yes8 on the Iran resolution during the UNGA plenary session. Carranza said that he doubted that the GOG would vary its position on the Iran resolution (specifically, he said "only in a very extreme situation"). ¶2. (C) Carranza promised to advise the MFA leadership again of our explicit interest in the vote and will inform us if there are any developments. Carranza ignored PolOff,s reference to the contrast between Guatemala,s vote and the votes of Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras in favor of the resolution. HAMILTON