MORATINOS AGREES WITH US POSITION FOR WEOG

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 003232 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/27/2014 TAGS: OPDC PHUM PREL SP SUBJECT: MORATINOS AGREES WITH US POSITION FOR WEOG ROTATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION REF: A. REF A: STATE 172297 ¶B. REF B: MADRID 03080 Classified By: Political Counselor Kathleen Fitzpatrick for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos agrees with US efforts to reach a rotation agreement within WEOG to occupy the posts assigned in the Human Rights Commission. Poloff received the text of Moratinos' response to Secretary of State Colin Powell's August 11 letter (Ref A) from Gonzalo Alvarez Garrido, Acting MFA Deputy Director General for UN Affairs, on August 26. ¶2. (SBU) Begin Text of Letter. ¶3. (SBU) Dear Rt. Hon. Colin Powell, Secretary of State, United States of America. ¶4. (SBU) Thank you for your letter of August 11; I have made note of your request to continue working on the rotation agreement in the WEOG in relation to the Human Rights Commission, which we will consider with the greatest interest. I hope that this is another of the many United Nations fields in which Spain can work efficiently with the United States. ¶5. (SBU) I agree with you on the need to reach a rotation agreement within the WEOG, to occupy the posts assigned in the Human Rights Commission. As you point out in your letter, this agreement would allow WEOG members to concentrate better on the defense and promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in the HRC. Like you, I think the work done by Canada and Holland provides a point of departure for negotiation which we also wish to foment, to reach an understanding which is satisfactory to all. In this sense, I am grateful for the United States' willingness to cede another year in the arrangement under the plan proposed by Canada and Holland. ¶6. (SBU) In previous negotiations, Spain already expressed its concern about the number of years assigned particularly when, in the past, this country was clearly underrepresented in the HRC. To reach a satisfactory agreement, all of us, large and less large, will have to act flexibly, making sacrifices in order to come to compromise solutions. ¶7. (SBU) Spain, certainly along with the other members of the European Union, is absolutely willing to work and coordinate on this matter with the United States in New York, and with all WEOG partners, on the basis of the reflections so far produced by Canada and the Netherlands. ¶8. (SBU) I have given instructions to our Mission in New York to continue in contact with your representative--which I understand has already happened in this matter--and with other WEOG members, to reach an agreement as soon as possible. ¶9. (SBU) Sincerely, Miguel Angel Moratinos. ¶10. (SBU) End Text of Letter. ¶11. (C) Comment: Spain has favored WEOG rotation reform for the HRC in the past, although they had problems with the years allocated to Spain in the membership matrix proposed by Canada and the Netherlands. For example, the proposed matrix allocated Spain 11 years of membership in a 20-year cycle, while Canada, a country with 10 million fewer people than Spain, was allocated 14 years of membership during the 20-year cycle. The GOS's willingness to show flexibility and make sacrifices to achieve a compromise in a timely fashion is an encouraging development. MANZANARES