EU/NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL: SUPPORTING ISRAEL'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002870

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2014
TAGS: PREL AORC KIPR IS NL UNEP WIPO ILO EUN
SUBJECT: EU/NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL: SUPPORTING ISRAEL'S
MEMBERSHIP IN CONSULTATIVE GROUPS AT SELECTED UN AGENCIES

REF: SECSTATE 235219

Classified By: Andrew Schofer, Political Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d).


1. (C) The EU has been discussing how Israel might
participate in WEOG meetings outside New York, according to
Pieter Ramaer (Head of Legal and Political Affairs, MFA UN
Department). Speaking with Poloff about reftel on November
5, Ramaer said the recent CONUN meeting in Brussels
considered Israel's lock-out from WEOG counsels beyond New
York in the broader context of discussing how the new EU 10
member states should participate in UN regional groups.
(Ramaer said that Estonia, for example, had at one time
lobbied hard for a change from its Eastern European Group
membership to WEOG; now, Estonia is happy to remain in
"Eastern Europe" since her chances of election to UN bodies
are greater there.)


2. (C) Ramaer revealed that the CONUN meetings discussed
the possibility of setting up new, informal groupings in UN
cities where WEOG members, and perhaps other "like minded"
countries, could convene, in what would be an unofficial,
non-WEOG format. Here, Israel could participate in
substantive discussions that might take place while the EU
could sidestep political problems.


3. (C) Poloff agreed to pass this idea on as one possible
practical solution, while pointing out that the EU would
seemingly sacrifice little political capital in the larger UN
context by agreeing to extend straightforward WEOG
participation rights to Israel beyond New York. Ramaer
replied that it remained an internal EU problem, with some
seeing broader Israeli WEOG participation as a slippery slope
of general Israel membership in WEOG. Poloff countered that
it was no secret that the USG supported Israel's meaningful
participation in UN affairs, and if the Asia group (where
Israel should belong) refused to admit Israel, then it was
incumbent on another group to uphold UN principals. Israel
had already been elected to positions in UN bodies, and it
made no sense to exclude her from meaningful exercise of her
privileges and duties.


4. (C) Finally, Poloff suggested that it might be timely
for the EU, as an MEPP Quartet member, to support Israeli
WEOG participation as a conciliatory gesture. It could
reinforce Israel's appreciation of European bona fides in the
MEPP. Ramaer agreed that this might be a timely and
interesting avenue to pursue and that he would share the idea
with EU partners.
SOBEL