BAHRAIN: UNGA RESOLUTION ON HUMAN CLONING

UNCLAS MANAMA 001662 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, IO/T E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: TBIO PREL BA UNGA SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: UNGA RESOLUTION ON HUMAN CLONING REF: A. STATE 233492 ¶B. MANAMA 1622 Sensitive but unclassified (deliberative process); please protect accordingly. Not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (SBU) Pol/Econ chief October 30 delivered Ref A demarche concerning the state of play on the Costa Rica resolution on cloning to MFA Director for International Organization Affairs Ghassan Shaikho. Shaikho was interested to hear that Saudi Arabia will vote in favor of the resolution and commented that the SAG must have obtained an opinion (fatwa) from Saudi religious scholars in favor of banning all forms of human cloning. If this was the case, the GOB would review the fatwa and possibly also make use of it in justifying a vote in favor of the Costa Rica resolution. The GOB had still not received a fatwa from Bahrain's Ministry of Islamic Affairs (Ref B). He stated that Bahrain always coordinates its UN votes with Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries. Shaikho said he would pass the information to Bahrain's mission to the UN and get an update. MONROE