HONDURAS WILL VOTE FOR UNCHR CUBA RESOLUTION; BUT FM SAYS GOH WILL DECLINE TO CO-SPONSOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000695 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/PPC, AND WHA/CEN STATE FOR DRL/MLA AND IO/SHA E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2015 TAGS: PHUM PREL CU HO UNHRC CHR SUBJECT: HONDURAS WILL VOTE FOR UNCHR CUBA RESOLUTION; BUT FM SAYS GOH WILL DECLINE TO CO-SPONSOR REF: A. TEGUCIGALPA 611 ¶B. STATE 44494 ¶C. STATE 42847 ¶D. GENEVA 609 Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer; Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) With the Cuban Ambassador in the Casa Presidencial waiting room, Honduran President Ricardo Maduro assured Ambassador on March 30 that Honduras will vote for the annual UNCHR Cuba resolution this year. He said Honduras would not change its historic position of supporting efforts at the UNCHR to press for greater respect for human rights in Cuba. ¶2. (C) Two days earlier, Foreign Minister Leonidas Rosa Bautista had told Ambassador that the GOH would vote for the Cuba resolution, but would not co-sponsor the U.S-drafted UNCHR Cuba resolution. Palmer