TEXT OF HONDURAN PRESS RELEASE ON UNCHR CUBA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000766 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/CEN, AND WHA/PPC STATE FOR DRL, DRL/MLA, IO, AND INR/AN/IAA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL PINR KDEM CU HO CHR SUBJECT: TEXT OF HONDURAN PRESS RELEASE ON UNCHR CUBA RESOLUTION REF: (A) Tegucigalpa 759 (B) State 65652 ¶1. Below is Embassy's unofficial translation of the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release on the UNCHR Cuba resolution, issued at 12:00 p.m. E.S.T. on April 1. ¶2. Begin text: Ministry of Foreign Relations Republic of Honduras Press Communique No. 5 The Ministry of Foreign Relations, hereby informs the following to national and international opinion, on its position as a member in the context of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights: ¶1. The actions of Honduras in the Human Rights Commission are based, and will always be based, rigorously in International Law, divested of ideological prejudice or political interests; ¶2. Cuba is a friendly country and Honduras maintains normal diplomatic relations with it as well as a high level of cooperation; ¶3. In this sense, Honduras, in exercising its sovereignty, has submitted to the mandatory control and jurisdiction of jurisdictional instances that monitor compliance with Human Rights, just as all Nations without exception should commit to; Honduras responds in total sovereignty as it pronounces itself with respect to these matters, within the framework of the United Nations Charter, being a fundamental aspect of the Charter in addition to the principle of Nations' sovereign equality and the obligation of not threatening or using force in order to damage the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other Nations; ¶4. Taking into account all of the above, the Government of Honduras has submitted to the consideration of the Human Rights Commission the following draft resolution which has as its' fundamental objective, the authorization on the part of the Cuban Government for a Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to carry out her mandate in Cuba: "The Commission on Human Rights, Taking into consideration its resolution 2003/12 of April 17, 2003, Considering that in the aforementioned resolution the Commission urged the Government of Cuba to receive the Personal Representative of the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights and to afford all the necessary facilities so that she can fulfill the mandate established in the resolution 2002/18 of April 19, 2002, Conscious that compliance with human rights and fundamental liberties is an obligation inherent to all States in the framework of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, ¶1. Expresses that the Government of Cuba like all other sovereign States, independent of the prevailing exceptional international circumstances which have obliged many States to intensify security measures, should avoid the adoption of measures which could threaten fundamental rights, freedom of expression and the right to due process of its citizens. In this regard, laments the actions which occurred last year in Cuba in respect to sentencing of political dissidents and journalists, as has been reported by the international news media. ¶2. Expresses its hopes that the Government of Cuba will continue making an effort to strengthen religious freedom and that it will put into place measures with the objective of facilitating the transition toward the establishment of a fruitful dialogue with all the currents of thought and organized political groups in its society, despite the precarious international environment, with the objective of promoting the full development of democratic institutions and civil liberties. ¶3. Urges the Government of Cuba to cooperate, within the full exercise of its sovereignty, with the Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, facilitating the fulfillment of her mandate, as other sovereign States must do in compliance with the purposes and principles which govern the Charter of the United Nations. ¶4. Decides to give further consideration to this subject in the Sixty-first session, under the same agenda item." Tegucigalpa M.D.C., April 1, 2004 Directorate of Institutional Communication ¶3. End text. Palmer