UN/EU/WEOG/ISRAEL: EU MAY RELENT AT CND, UNEP, ILO

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002990 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2014 TAGS: PREL AORC IS NL KCRM UNEP WIPO ILO EUN SUBJECT: UN/EU/WEOG/ISRAEL: EU MAY RELENT AT CND, UNEP, ILO REF: A. THE HAGUE 2870 ¶B. STATE 235219 ¶C. ROME 4280 Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer for reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) The EU is looking anew at ways to include Israel in WEOG deliberations, particularly in the CND, UNEP and IOL, Pieter Ramaer (MFA deputy in the UN department) told Poloff November 16. At the EU's CONUN meeting November 15, Ramaer reported, the Dutch circulated our ref b notes (that we had discussed with them, ref a) and the meeting "went into them in detail." "EU Partners agreed to take a fresh look at options in various fora," Ramaer said. He conceded that the EU might see this as an opportunity to win points with Israel at this critical time by relenting where possible on Israeli WEOG participation. ¶2. (C) Elaborating for Poloff on November 16, Marwieke Tillema, of the same office, said the Dutch have asked their Ambassadors in Vienna, Nairobi, and Geneva to canvass EU partners for advice on the implications of any changes and then report back to The Hague prior to the next CONUN on December 6. At that meeting, the EU wil see if they can make some kind of positive decision on including Israel in WEOGs outside of New York. COMMENT ¶3. (C) Ramaer's comments may indicate fresh momentum for WEOG to admit Israel, for example in less-politicized fora such as CND, UNEP, and ILO. The Dutch, at least, appear sensitive to the idea that giving Israel this long-sought prize could improve relations with Europe (and Isreali views of the Quartet) at a critical moment. It may be useful to follow up Dutch approaches in Vienna, Nairobi, and Geneva to see if this issue develops any traction. SOBEL