VATICAN SUPPORTS AND WILL ADVOCATE FOR U.S. AMENDMENT TO CSW

C O N F I D E N T I A L VATICAN 000453

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/WE-JLEVIN; IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/3/2015
TAGS: PHUM PREL VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN SUPPORTS AND WILL ADVOCATE FOR U.S. AMENDMENT TO CSW
DECLARATION

REF: STATE 035876

CLASSIFIED BY: D. Brent Hardt, Charge D'Affaires, EXEC, STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) Per reftel, Charge met March 2 with Holy See
Undersecretary for Relations with States Monsignor Pietro
Parolin to urge the Vatican to lobby key countries in favor of
the U.S. amendment to the Commission on the Status of Women
(CSW) Declaration prior to the March 4 vote in New York.


2. (C) Monsignor Parolin made clear that the Holy See fully
supported the amendment, adding that the Vatican was "very, very
pleased with this initiative." He told Charge that the Holy See
has already been actively engaged in lobbying for the amendment
in New York and with Embassies to the Holy See here in Rome. He
had been in close contact with UN Permanent Observer Archbishop
Celestino Migliore, who he understood had met with U.S.
officials the day before to coordinate strategy.


3. (C) Parolin indicated that he would have been happy to
contact the Vatican's nuncios in our target countries as the
U.S. desired, but that the short timeframe would not allow the
Nuncios to make contact with ministries in time for the
ministries to instruct their UN delegations. Instead, Parolin
said the Secretariat of State would directly contact the
Ambassadors to the Holy See from the key countries to request
that they convey the Vatican's high-level interest in this issue
and recommend support for the U.S. amendment.


4. (C) In fact, based on his earlier conversation with
Archbishop Migliore, Parolin said he had already contacted the
Ambassadors from Slovakia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua to outline the Holy
See's position and urge support for the U.S. amendment. Looking
at the additional countries mentioned in our demarche, Parolin
said he would also contact the Ambassadors from Gabon,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Philippines, Australia, and
Chile. Parolin noted that he would try with Argentina, but that
in the wake of Argentina's position on cloning, he doubted it
could be brought on board.


5. (C) Regarding the other countries, Parolin pointed out that
the Nigerian, Ugandan and Kenyan Ambassadors were not located in
Rome, and would be more difficult to contact. East Timor would
require the Vatican to contact their Nuncio in Jakarta, which
they would endeavor to do, but which might not work in time for
the vote. The Holy See does not have diplomatic relations with
Somalia. bringing the meting to a quick close, Parolin said he
would immediately begin his round of calls to the key Embassies.


HARDT