POSSIBLE SHIFT IN CANADA'S UNGA ANTI-ISRAEL

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 003229 SIPDIS IO/UNP -- HOTZ; WHA/PPC E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2005 TAGS: PREL CA IS UNGA SUBJECT: POSSIBLE SHIFT IN CANADA'S UNGA ANTI-ISRAEL RESOLUTION VOTE REF: SECSTATE 188933 Classified By: POL M/C Brian Flora. Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) As requested in reftel, poloff met with Wendy Drukier, Deputy Director of United Nations and Commonwealth Affairs Division, and Anne Flanagan Whalen, Deputy Director of the Middle East Division, at Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) on 28 October to discuss Canada's upcoming vote on extending the mandates of the three UN bodies. ¶2. (C) Flanagan Whalen said that the GoC will repeat its "no" vote on resolutions 59/28 and 59/121 but that no firm decision had been made to change last year's abstention on resolution 59/29. She did not rule out the possibility that Canada may vote against 59/29, flagging last year's explanation of the vote as a "strong indicator" of the position her office had recommended Canada take this year. ¶3. (U) The text indicates that the GoC "holds the same concerns about the Division for Palestinian Rights, which supports the Committee (on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (for which they voted against))" and that it will "continue to review this resolution from the perspective of consistency with our policy and will seriously consider voting against the resolution next year, unless it can be demonstrated that the work of the Division makes a constructive contribution to the peace process." Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa WILKINS