USUNESCO: INDIA EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT

UNCLAS PARIS 006548 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL ETRD IN UNESCO SUBJECT: USUNESCO: INDIA EXPRESSES CONCERNS ABOUT REOPENING THE CONVENTION ¶1. In her statement today at the Executive Board on the Canadian draft decision to move the cultural diversity convention forward, the Indian Ambassador stated her concerns about reopening the convention. In her statement, she said, "The Draft Convention, which has gone through an extensive intergovernmental process represents a delicate balance of interests. This includes article 20 of the draft convention. To reopen the discussions could unravel this balance and result in a draft that does not represent this balance." ¶2. Comment: The word "balance" in her statement means offsetting, contradictory statements. Her major concern is that reopening negotiations on the convention will lead to a clearer but worse document, including the possibility of losing paragraph two in article 20. India has been able to so ardently support the convention because of the document's inherent inconsistencies. Oliver