CANADA: RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON MDA AND A RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 001799 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015 TAGS: AORC PHUM PREF PREL IS SZ CA ICRC SUBJECT: CANADA: RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON MDA AND A RESPONSE TO SWISS CIRCULAR NOTE ON CONFERENCE FOR THIRD ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL REF: STATE 104272 Classified By: POL M/C BRIAN FLORA, REASONS: 1.4(B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche concerning full membership for the Israeli National Society (MDA) in the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, to Allisa Golberg, deputy director of the human rights division at Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC),on June 13. Golberg referred to the meetings she attended last week in Ottawa with PRM DAS Linda Thomas-Greenfield, in which this issue was discussed. ¶2. (C) Continuing, Golberg said she was not optimistic that a conference could be held in October, given the continued opposition by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) on the Emblem issue. She indicated that FAC is in contact with the Swiss Government on this matter. Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa DICKSON