Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS5990
2005-09-02 14:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

USUNESCO: CULTURAL DIVERSITY JUGGERNAUT

Tags:  SCUL ETRD EU CJAN UNESCO 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 005990 

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION TO UNESCO

STATE PASS USTR ALLGEIER, BALASSA
IO/UNESCO FOR JANE COWLEY
EUR/ER FOR PETER CHASE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2015
TAGS: SCUL ETRD EU CJAN UNESCO
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: CULTURAL DIVERSITY JUGGERNAUT
BARRELS TOWARD PASSAGE OF CONVENTION AT OCTOBER GENERAL
CONFERENCE

REF: A) PARIS 5185, PARIS 5417, C) PARIS 5116, D)

PARIS 4528

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 005990

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION TO UNESCO

STATE PASS USTR ALLGEIER, BALASSA
IO/UNESCO FOR JANE COWLEY
EUR/ER FOR PETER CHASE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/02/2015
TAGS: SCUL ETRD EU CJAN UNESCO
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: CULTURAL DIVERSITY JUGGERNAUT
BARRELS TOWARD PASSAGE OF CONVENTION AT OCTOBER GENERAL
CONFERENCE

REF: A) PARIS 5185, PARIS 5417, C) PARIS 5116, D)

PARIS 4528


1. (C) This cable is classified by DCM Andrew Koss,
for reasons: 1.4 (b) and (d).

Is UNESCO in the throes of mass hysteria
-------------- --


2. (C) Summary: A picture is beginning to emerge of
French and EU pressure on other UNESCO members to get
the draft cultural diversity convention passed by
UNESCO's fall General Conference and to allow the EU to
play an unprecedented role in a UN organization. At
the same time, in a recent series of speeches, French
leaders have made no secret of France's desire to use
the convention document to curb American audiovisual
exports by removing ill-defined "cultural goods and
services" from WTO disciplines. US Mission continues
at every opportunity to point out that the draft
Convention is a flawed document that is poorly written
and contradictory and could be used to undermine human
rights by giving governments broad rights to control
access to culture expressions. Meanwhile, China may
have already provided a glimpse of the future by using
culture as a pretext to censor the media.
Unfortunately, UNESCO's member states seem to be in the
throes of mass hysteria and beyond the reach of
rational argument. End Summary.

Whatever it takes to get the job done - and we've just
seen the tip of the iceberg
-------------- --------------

3. (C) A picture of pressure and tools used by France
and other convention proponents to gain support from
UNESCO member states is beginning to emerge. The
Kenyan deputy permanent delegate (protect) recently
told us of a "workshop" on cultural diversity organized
by the South African government at the Paris Hilton
during the two days before the last negotiating
session. According to the Kenyan, when he asked who
was paying for the sumptuous event which included sit-
down lunches, he was told by a colleague not to ask
questions. (Note and comment: the Mission recently

inquired about holding a reception for the General
Conference in the same space at the Hilton and the
estimate was close to USD10,000. We do not know the
finances of the South African government but do find it
surprising that they are flushing enough to spend
thousands of dollars on such an event. It is easy to
assume it was paid for by one of the convention's
wealthier proponents, much as a Smithsonian conference
on cultural diversity last winter was funded by the
Canadian government.)


4. (C) The Kenyan also told us that in the run-up to
the last Executive Board, discussion on the EU role in
UNESCO, his president was demarched by the British
Ambassador. Subsequently the Kenyan delegation to
UNESCO received instructions to support the EU. The
Ambassador of Afghanistan tells us his foreign minister
was approached in Kabul. He also tell us that EU
pressure and feelings of loyalty to the US really put
his country in a tight spot.


5. (C) The Mexican deputy (protect) also recently
painted a picture of steady high-level pressure on his
government to support the convention. When Mexico did
not fall into line during the last negotiations and
took a reservation about article 20, the deputy was
upbraided by the French Ambassador to UNESCO.

France pulls no punches - It's all about the U.S.
-------------- --------------


6. (U) Calls by President Chirac (ref A) and Foreign
Minister Doust Blazy to the annual gathering of French
Ambassadors for passage of the UNESCO cultural
diversity convention were not nearly as strong as that
issued by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de
Vabres in a July 19 speech (ref B) who made it clear
(comment: despite claims to the contrary) that the rush
to draft a convention has been about trade and
thwarting the United States all along: "We are thus
committed to a true `race against the clock' against
the parallel process of the signing of a bilateral free
trade agreements that have been suggested to many
countries by the United States and that contain clauses
for the liberalization of cultural and audio-visual
offers of service, as with the Doha Round underway in
the World Trade Organization."


7. (U) In other parts of the speech to French
diplomatic staff Donnedieu de Varbres issued a call to
arms: "There is in the immediate future something at
stake on which I ask you to continue to mobilize with
the greatest energy: adoption of the convention on
cultural diversity at the time of the UNESCO General
Conference."

Brazil, dancing to a French beat?
--------------


8. (SBU) France has embraced Brazilian culture in a
big way with its Year of Brazil. All summer Paris has
been full of expensive and splashy Brazilian cultural
events and culture minister Gilberto Gil has been a
frequent visitor. Given the attention and money
lavished on them by the French, it is hardly a surprise
that the Brazilians have been among the most ardent
supporters of the convention. They are apparently so
sure of victory at the General Conference that they
announced at an August 25-26 OAS culture committee
meeting that they will be hosting a meeting in November
on implementing the convention.

China invokes "National Cultural Diversity"
--------------


9. (SBU) We were given a recent glimpse of the type of
mischief for which this convention might be used.
According to a number of press stores, the Chinese
government recently clamped down on foreign satellite
broadcasts under the pretext of "protecting national
security." Not coincidentally, China is a fervid
supporter of the current draft. We have used this as
an example of what the convention could lead to in
conversations with our UNESCO colleagues.

We invited your lawyers to meet ours, but we didn't
mean it
-------------- --------------


10. (SBU) The EU's invitation (ref C) to hold a meeting
of lawyers appears to be window dressing. On August 30
Ambassador Oliver received a frantic call from the UK
ambassador Tim Craddock who was concerned that the
meeting (now scheduled for September 16) may evolve
into something more serious than he intended. He
emphasized that he certainly did not intend to open the
convention to further negotiation as all 25 members
supported the draft convention and did not share our
concerns about article 20 or feel that it would cause
trade problems. (Comment: Craddock seems to have gone
out on a limb and might be in hot waters with his EU
colleagues. It appears he did not really expect us to
take him up on his offer. We also are incredulous
about Craddock's assertion that FCO lawyers have no
problems with the draft convention as it stands now.)

Comment: UNESCO the UN's `Intellectual' organization
-------------- --------------


11. (C) Comment: Though UNESCO prides itself on being
the UN's intellectual body, rational arguments are
falling on deaf ears. The proponents feel they have a
victory and don't want to let it go, no matter how
specious it is. We also find among the supporters a
general inability to explain what the convention does
to protect cultural diversity beyond trade terms.


12. (C) Comment continued: Although France and Canada
have been the primary impulses behind the convention,
the EC could not have had a unified position if all 25
members had not agreed. The sad reality is that even
some of our closer friends in the EU have gone along
with the convention, though they knew they were putting
themselves at odds with the US. The British demarche
in Kenya is a good example. To the extent it is an
excuse, we have heard from the Czechs and Poles that
their foreign ministries see this as a cultural issue
and just do not want to be involved.


13. (C) Comment continued: This orchestrated campaign
has gone on for the past two years with unlimited
resources provided by the convention's proponents and
led by France and Canada who do not seem to care if
this causes potentially serious problems for the US
reengagement with UNESCO. Ambassador Oliver will be
meeting with the Director General on September 2 and
will strongly object to the both the process and
substance of the convention. She will urge the DG to
return to the original charge of the 2003 General
Conference to provide a preliminary draft text.

OLIVER