SPANISH POSITION ON ROLLOVER OF UNSCR 1487

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 001716 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/10/2014 TAGS: PREL SP UNSC KICC SUBJECT: SPANISH POSITION ON ROLLOVER OF UNSCR 1487 REF: STATE 98319 Classified By: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Political Counselor, for Reasons 1 .4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel demarche to Inigo de Palacio, MFA Director of UN Affairs, on May 7. De Palacio stated while no decision had yet been made, Spain may abstain on the vote to roll over UN Security Council Resolution 1487 this year. He said that the change from voting in favor to abstaining on the resolution springs from GOS concerns that the rollover of the deferral of ICC investigations and prosecutions for UN peacekeepers has become seen as an automatic and blanket renewal, which the MFA believes may violate the Article 16 provisions of the ICC. De Palacio commented that even if Spain abstains, he believed that the rollover of the resolution would still garner enough yes votes to pass. PolCouns stressed how important it would be to have Spain on board on this issue and that the rollover vote should not be a forum to re-argue our differences regarding the ICC. De Palacio said that he would present our position to the MFA, but that he did not expect a final decision to be made until the following week. ¶2. (C) Regarding the timing of the UNSC vote, De Palacio stated that Spain, regardless of its vote, would support the USG in having the ICC resolution rollover voted on this month. MANZANARES