RESPONSE TO CUBA AT UN HRC DEMARCHE DELIVERED

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 001511 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR EUR/NCE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL RO SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO CUBA AT UN HRC DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: STATE 160278 ¶1. (UN) Poloff delivered reftel demarche and non-paper to MFA Director for OSCE, CE, and Human Rights Issues, Steluta Arhire and MFA Director for UN, Petru Dumitru. They said GOR was in agreement and as part of EU group would support the US position regarding NGOs and the working groups dealing country specific mandates. They told Poloff they would call their representative at HRC and advise them of this on 9/26. ¶2. (SBU) Dumitru expressed the opinion that Cuba was being very aggressive in its attempts to control HRC sessions. He said this was likely a result of establishing a new council with new procedures. He added that the old Commission on Human Rights had traditions that helped keep some of the members behavior in check. Dumitru added, however, that it would be unlikely Cuba would stop taking this aggressive posture. He noted in closing that he is open to any future USG suggestions on dealing with the HRC. Taubman