ARGENTINA: DEMARCHE ON UNSC SYRIA-LEBANON

1. (C) PolCouns delivered reftel demarche to Argentine MFA
director for international organizations Ambassador Guillermo
Gonzalez on May 16. Gonzalez was accompanied by Minister
Jorge Gomez and Minister Maria Raballo.



2. (C) Gonzalez said he had been in contact throughout the
day with the GoA mission in New York. He said the GoA was in
agreement that a new resolution was needed and that the P-3
text should form the basis for a new resolution. He said
considerable progress had been made in discussions over the
last week. However, he noted that operative paragraph 4, as
relayed in reftel, still posed a hurdle. He said the GoA
mission in New York had submitted alternative language to the
P-3 which "watered down" the paragraph a bit by referring to
the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. He said the
GoA mission had told him this revised language had been
accepted by the British and French. They were now waiting to
hear the U.S. reaction to the proposed language. He said the
GoA had no further objections to the resolution apart from OP


4. However, if they could not obtain the desired changes to
OP 4, Argentina would most likely abstain on the resolution
vote.



3. (C) Gonzalez (strictly protect) said "off the record"
that Argentina faced a "real dilemma" in voting for the
resolution. He said the Syrian ambassador would in a few
weeks time be championing Argentina's position on the
Falklands/Malvinas before the UN Decolonization Committee.
He said even if Argentina supported the resolution, they
would be delivering an explanation of vote in order to
"soften" the impact on Syria.



4. (C) Per ref B, Ambassador had a call in to FM Taiana to
discuss the issue. Ambassador spoke separately to MFA Deputy
Foreign Minister Roberto Garcia Moritan and North America
director Ambassador Vicente Espeche Gil to explain the
importance of the vote and the need for Argentina to avoid
becoming "isolated" on this issue. Espeche Gil repeated the
information in paragraph 3, but seemed optimistic that a
compromise could be reached that would allow the GoA to vote
for the resolution. Garcia Moritan went further: he said to
"tell Washington not to worry" since it was "unthinkable" for
Argentina to become isolated on this issue. He asked for
some flexibility on our part on OP 4. Ambassador said he
would convey Garcia Moritan's request to Washington
immediately.
GUTIERREZ