HONDURAN VICE FM GIVEN INPUT FOR DRAFTING UNCHR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000574

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/CEN, AND WHA/PPC
STATE FOR DRL AND DRL/MLA, IO, AND INR/AN/IAA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2014
TAGS: PHUM PINR PREL KDEM CU HO CHR
SUBJECT: HONDURAN VICE FM GIVEN INPUT FOR DRAFTING UNCHR
CUBA RESOLUTION

REF: A. WAGNER/PIERCE E-MAILS 03/09-10


B. FISK/PALMER TELCON AND FAX 03/09

C. TEGUCIGALPA 531

D. TEGUCIGALPA 503

E. TEGUCIGALPA 468

F. TEGUCIGALPA 365

G. TEGUCIGALPA 307

H. STATE 20401

I. STATE 13279 (ALL NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) DCM and PolOffs met March 10 with Vice Foreign
Minister Anibal Quinonez and MFA Senior Advisor Policarpo
Callejas on the issue of drafting the UN Commission on Human
Rights (UNCHR) resolution on Cuba. The meeting followed the
Secretary's March 9 meeting with President Ricardo Maduro in

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Washington (refs A and B). Quinonez appeared not to have yet
received a readout of the Secretary's meeting with Maduro
from GOH participants. Thus, DCM briefed Quinonez on the
meeting, most notably Maduro's agreement to draft a UNCHR
Cuba resolution. EmbOffs gave Quinonez copies of past UNCHR
Cuba resolutions, UNESCO statements on the crackdown on
dissidents in Cuba and the awarding of the 2004 UNESCO World
Press Freedom Prize to Cuban dissident poet and journalist
Raul Rivero, and U.S. goals for the 2004 resolution (which
EmbOffs had previously given Quinonez). EmbOffs emphasized
that the U.S. was hoping for a draft resolution ASAP, as the
plan was to have a resolution introduced in Geneva March 15.


2. (C) Callejas stressed that, by agreeing to draft the
resolution, the GOH was definitely putting at risk Cuban
signature of a pending bilateral convention on maritime
borders. Quinonez noted that this issue would likely be spun
negatively by the opposition and the press.


3. (C) Callejas then asked what, if anything, was the U.S.
doing for Honduras in return. DCM replied that the Secretary
and Maduro had discussed several areas of bilateral
cooperation and the Secretary had asked the Honduran
Ambassador to the U.S., Mario Canahuati, to follow-up with
WHA A/S Noriega on specific issues.


4. (C) Later in the afternoon, Ambassador spoke with
President Maduro upon his return from Washington to thank him
for his support on the UNCHR Cuba resolution. Maduro said
that he had agreed to commit Honduras to draft the resolution
as a matter of principle, noting that the U.S. was Honduras'
closest ally and that drafting the resolution was the right
thing to do. He added, however, that he too was concerned
about the maritime border agreement with Cuba. Maduro said
that the pending agreement was a high priority item for
Honduras that may be affected as a result of his decision.
He agreed to discuss with the Embassy how the resolution was
progressing tomorrow.


5. (C) Comment: It is clear that the decision to draft the
UNCHR resolution on Cuba was President Maduro's and not
supported by career MFA officials. Post notes with interest
the fact that Quinonez and Callejas had not yet received
instructions on how to proceed from Foreign Minister Leonidas
Rosa Bautista, who returned to Honduras with President
Maduro. While we expect the MFA to dutifully draft a
resolution, it is clear that considerable guidance, coaxing,
and perhaps pushing, will be required from this end to ensure
that the proposed resolution has teeth and that it is
submitted on time. End Comment.
PALMER