GUATEMALA ON CUBAN CANDIDACY TO CHR WORKING GROUP

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 000081 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/11/2015 TAGS: PHUM GT CU UNCHR SUBJECT: GUATEMALA ON CUBAN CANDIDACY TO CHR WORKING GROUP ON SITUATIONS REF: STATE 3750 Classified By: Ambassador John Hamilton for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) (C) Embassy Guatemala polcouns delivered reftel points to Ambassador Carla Rodriguez, U/S for Multilateral Relations in the Guatemalan MFA. Rodriguez said the GRULAC met January 10 in Geneva and had left for a follow-on meeting the issue of naming its candidate for the CHR Working Group on Situations. She said the follow-on meeting had not been scheduled but thought it would be around January 20. Rodriguez said Guatemalan Permrep Ambassador Lars Pira had consulted with the MFA, and the MFA had decided it could not be a candidate for the Working Group, in part because there were three 1503 complaints pending against Guatemala. Rodriguez indicated Guatemala and other GRULAC countries shared our concerns about Cuba's candidacy but were unable to identify a viable alternative. HAMILTON