SPAIN'S VIEWS ON PREVENTING AN UNMANDATED SESSION

UNCLAS MADRID 001756

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM SP UNCHR UNGA
SUBJECT: SPAIN'S VIEWS ON PREVENTING AN UNMANDATED SESSION
ON CHR REFORM

REF: STATE 82967


1. Poloff discussed reftel demarche with Juan Manuel
Gonzales de Linares, Deputy Director General for UN Affairs
at the MFA. Gonzales de Linares confirmed to poloff that
Spain shares U.S. views and is against a Working Group to
discuss human rights reform in Geneva. Gonzales de Linares
said that the GOS favors resolving Commission on Human Rights
(CHR) reform issues in New York. The GOS was "shocked" to
find out that the budgetary implications of a CHR meeting in
Geneva would exceed USD 265,000.


2. When Gonzales de Linares was asked if he agreed with all
of our points, he responded that the GOS favors resolving CHR
reform issues in New York under ECOSOC because the CHR had
previous opportunities to address this issue in April, not
necessarily because the CHR has no independent mandate to
discuss its own reform. The GOS believes that the CHR has
such a mandate because of precedents set in 1994 with
previous Working Groups.
MANZANARES