(U) USUNESCO: COUNTERING THE CULTURAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006376

SIPDIS

FROM USUNESCO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/2015
TAGS: SCUL ETRD EU UNESCO
SUBJECT: (U) USUNESCO: COUNTERING THE CULTURAL
DIVERSITY CONVENTION

REF: PARIS 4145

Classified by USUNESCO DCM Andrew Koss, for reasons 1.4
(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. With the UNESCO general conference
starting on October 3 and the General Conference Legal
Committee scheduled to meet that first week, things are
rapidly coming to a head. Several delegates have
indicated that strong pressure in their capitals may
help us to build a ground swell of support to slow the
convention and prevent it from being adopted at this
General Conference. Canada has put forward a draft
resolution at the current Executive Board to remove the
word "preliminary" from the draft convention and to
recommend that it be adopted by the General Conference.
Italy has approached us with a "compromise." End
Summary.

Countering the Canadian resolution
--------------


2. (C) As reported septel, Canada is floating a draft
resolution at the Executive Board that will move the
preliminary draft convention to the General Conference
without the word preliminary. This is an attempt to
circumvent General Conference rules of procedure that
stipulate a draft convention must be prepared seven
months before the General Conference. It also is
designed to circumvent the resolution of the previous
General Conference in 2003 that only called for a
report on a preliminary draft convention on cultural
diversity.


3. (C) The Canadians are working with Senegal to get
support. We know that Tanzania and Ukraine have
already signed and can assume that Brazil, the EU
members of the board (UK, France, Germany, Slovenia,
Hungary, Czech republic, Slovakia and Italy) as well as
EU-aspirant turkey have already signed. We of course
cannot work with Belarus or Cuba and assume Venezuela
will not join us. We also have doubts about
Switzerland.


4. (C) The following executive board members must be
convinced to remove their signature or not sign the
draft resolution:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Bahamas, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape
Verde, Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt,
Ghana, Guatemala, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Jamaica,
Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco,
Mozambique, Namibia, Pakistan, the Russian Federation,
Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Turkey, Ukraine, Tanzania,
Uruguay, Vanuatu, Vietnam and Yemen.

Building a groundswell of support at the General
Conference


5. (C) We need to build a groundswell of support to
slow things down at the General Conference. It would
be very difficult to get enough votes to stop passage
of the convention but if there is enough rumbling that
the process has moved too fast, we may build support
for delaying the convention.


6. (C) When asked by Ambassador Oliver recently if
Afghanistan could support the US in its efforts to
delay the cultural diversity convention, Ambassador
Mohammad Aziz (protect) indicated that pressure on
small countries like his is so intense that he would
need the "cover" of a group of 30 countries before he
could ask. This sentiment was echoed by the Costa
Rican deputy who has already gone back to San Jose for
instructions.


7. We have already reported that France and others have
intensely lobbied for this convention at the highest
levels. As an example of the pressure being applied,
the new Israeli ambassador to UNESCO recounted that
when meeting with French Ambassador Jean Guigenou to
seek support for Israel's run for the World Heritage
Committee, his French counterpart told him flat out
"no" because Israel had supported the US during the
last round of negotiations. Guigenou indicated France
might support Israel if Israel abstains during voting
at the General Conference. The Israeli indicated he
does not intend to give in to this kind of bullying.


8. Besides Afghanistan, we also have indications that
Kenya, Kuwait and the CAFTA countries would join a
group if given enough political cover. Colombia is
also likely to support our position as they tentatively
supported us during the last negotiations. Pressure
also needs to be applied to Chile, Argentina and Mexico
where it appears the culture ministers have won for the
moment. We also need to get the support of smaller
states that are usually forgotten in these matters.
Small Pacific and Caribbean states might well support
us as well as Anglophone African countries. We should
not overlook Suriname or Guyana. We would also
recommend approaching India which has been a vocal
supporter of the convention but may respond to appeals
from Washington about the trade aspects of the
convention as well as Pakistan, Thailand, Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Brunei. The Gulf
States are also possible supporters along with Jordan,
Egypt, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco. Australia and New
Zealand need some steel in their spines, as well as the
Japanese. EU aspirant countries will be tough but we
certainly should talk to all the Balkan countries,
especially Macedonia, Serbia and Albania. We tend to
think that francophone states are a lost cause but it's
still worth an effort.

Breaking the EU Lock
--------------


9. (C) It will be tough but we still believe that the
EU coalition is not that strong and could be broken
apart. Clearly the UK has chosen this convention to
show its Euro credentials, but Greece has continually
told us privately they think the process is a sham, and
Italy has said that it does not yet have instructions.
Free traders the Netherlands and Ireland may also be
open to appeals. The new Central European and Baltic
state members seem embarrassed that they support a
document that takes them back 15 years to state control
of culture and may well listen to high level
approaches. It's a long shot but it is worth a try.


10. Some of the EU members have already indicated
unease with the process. The new Austrian ambassador
(who arrived after the contentious June negotiations)
indicated that he wants a consensus document. The new
Belgian ambassador has also asked to meet to discuss
the convention. Probably most telling, the just-
departed Italian ambassador Francesco Caruso approached
Ambassador Oliver quietly to suggest that the US take a
reservation on the whole convention and allow it to go
through with the understanding that a working group
would be formed to work on convention problems and
produce an interpretative document. It appears that
Japan has received a similar approach. (Comment:
while we appreciate Caruso's attempt to mediate, we do
not know if he was acting alone or on behalf of other
EU members. Still, we view this formula as unworkable
and also doubt that France would ever accept it. End
Comment)


11. Comment. If we are to slow down the convention it
will take pressure at the highest levels in Washington
and around the world to convince governments that they
are supporting a non-democratic piece of international
law that has been cloaked in the language of culture.
End Comment.
OLIVER