HONDURAN FM ON UNCHR RESOLUTIONS: YES VOTE ON CUBA, ABSTENTION PLANNED ON BELARUS BUT AMB URGES YES VOTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 000786

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/PPC, AND WHA/CEN
STATE FOR DRL/MLA, IO/SHA, AND EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: PHUM PREL KDEM HO BO UNHRC CHR RU
SUBJECT: HONDURAN FM ON UNCHR RESOLUTIONS: YES VOTE ON
CUBA, ABSTENTION PLANNED ON BELARUS BUT AMB URGES YES VOTE

REF: A. OLSEN/GARZA E-MAIL 04/13 (NOTAL)


B. TEGUCIGALPA 764

C. STATE 64376/63981

D. OLSEN/GARZA E-MAIL 04/06 (NOTAL)

E. TEGUCIGALPA 716

F. STATE 56093

G. TEGUCIGALPA 611

H. STATE 44494

I. STATE 42847

Classified By: Ambassador Larry Palmer;
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Ambassador met the morning of April 13, on the margins
of a G-17 meeting, with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro to
verify the GOH's planned vote in favor of the UNCHR Cuba
resolution. President Maduro confirmed that the GOH would
vote in favor of the Cuba resolution.


2. (C) PolOff then spoke at mid-day with Honduran MFA Vice
Minister AMB Mario Fortin, who reiterated that Honduras would
vote for the UNCHR Cuba resolution and that the Honduran
PermRep in Geneva had been sent instructions. Fortin also
reiterated that Honduras would vote against any no-action
motion on the Belarus resolution, and said that FM Leonidas
Rosa Bautista was still considering the GOH's final position
on the resolution itself. The conversation was a follow-up
to PolCouns' conversation with Fortin April 12 when PolCouns
urged Fortin to change the GOH position from abstention to
yes on the Belarus resolution.


3. (C) AMB then spoke in the afternoon with FM Rosa Bautista
who again reiterated that the GOH would vote for the Cuba
resolution, but would not co-sponsor it. With regard to the
Belarus resolution, the FM said that the GOH still planned to
abstain on the actual resolution, at the request of Russia.
AMB pushed hard for a yes vote on the Belarus resolution,
emphasizing the importance to the U.S. of the resolution's
passage. The FM agreed to tell AMB prior to the vote if the
GOH would not vote yes on the Belarus resolution.


4. (C) The Spanish DCM, on behalf of the EU, also continues
to push Vice Foreign Minister Fortin for Honduran support for
the UNCHR resolution on Belarus.


5. (C) Comment: Post is certain that the GOH will vote in
favor of the Cuba resolution. The Belarus resolution is a
different story. While the GOH abstained on the Belarus
resolution in 2004 and apparently promised Russia it would do
so again this year, Post believes there is a chance that the
GOH will change its position and vote in favor of the
resolution. End Comment.
Palmer