SURINAME - UN THIRD COMMITTEE DEMARCHE

UNCLAS PARAMARIBO 000734

SIPDIS


SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL SN UNHRC
SUBJECT: SURINAME - UN THIRD COMMITTEE DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 204646


1. (SBU) DCM delivered reftel demarche on November 8 to
Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Frederick Boekstaaf,
who was accompanied by a representative of the Americas
desk. The ambassador promised to verify Suriname's position
with his international organizations department, but the
desk officer observed that he believed he had seen the
outgoing instruction. Reflecting Suriname's decision to
broach human rights issues with egregious violators, he
believed that instruction was to vote against the no-action
motions.


2. (SBU) Comment: While we are cheered that Suriname may
have decided to vote to bring the country resolutions to
formal discussion, we note that the GOS claimed to have
issued similar instructions last year, and Foreign Ministry
officials were clearly embarrassed when eventually
confronted by the Ambassador on Turkmenistan with the actual
action of the Surinamese delegate in New York. We will be
fascinated to see if their communications channels have
improved.
BARNES


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