UNGA 59 HUMAN RIGHTS: DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002868 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL NL EUN UNGA SUBJECT: UNGA 59 HUMAN RIGHTS: DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTIONS REF: SECSTATE 236869 ¶1. Please see guidance request in paragraph 3. ¶2. Poloff shared reftel points with Guillaume Teerling (Senior Advisor, Human Rights office, MFA) on November 5. As the EU and the USG are cooperating closely in the Third Committee, Teerling required no convincing. Teerling said that the Netherlands, as EU President, would shortly send similar demarche instructions to EU member states' embassies worldwide. He asked that the USG pay special attention to lobbying for the Zimbabwe resolution as it has the weakest support in the Third Committee and faces stiff opposition from the Africans. ¶3. Regarding the resolution tabled by Belarus against the United States, Teerling said that the EU mission in New York had circulated the text on November 3 and proposed to member states that the EU vote against it with an EOV. Poloff asked that the EU consider pressing Belarus to withdraw the resolution altogether. Specifically, Teerling asked for clarification of the points raised in PP6, regarding a December 23, 2003 decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that criticized the voting rights of citizens of Washington, D.C. GUIDANCE REQUEST: Post would appreciate any background information we can share with the Dutch government regarding the representation rights of citizens of the District of Colombia and the USG position on the OAS/IACHR decision. SOBEL