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