NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL/WEOG: WEOG ALTERNATIVE FORUM

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 003045

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/01/2014
TAGS: PREL AORC IS NL UNGA
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL/WEOG: WEOG ALTERNATIVE FORUM
OPTION IN SOME FORA

REF: A. THE HAGUE 2990 (NOTAL)


B. STATE 235219

Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer for reasons 1.4 (b) a
nd (d).


1. (C) During a November 19 follow-up conversation to ref
A, Karel van Kesteren (MFA, UN Department) suggested to
Poloff that the EU is considering the option of holding
"WEOG" meetings by another name in places like the ILO or
WIPO in order to facilitate inclusion of Israel. He noted
that the EU considers the name "WEOG" to refer first and
foremost to the New York-based UN election grouping. In
other contexts (he cited the ILO),he observed that the same
countries that are in the New York WEOG already meet in an
expanded format with "like-minded" countries to discuss
substantive issues. Such a format, he imagined, could include
Israeli participation without calling into question the basic
structure of WEOG in New York and without using the New York
decision on Israeli participation as a global precedent, an
outcome it seems the EU still wants to avoid.


2. (SBU) Poloff encouraged van Kesteren to continue seeking
flexible EU thinking on this question. which will be on the
next CONUN agenda in Brussels in December.
SOBEL