ARGENTINA: DEMARCHE ON UNSC SYRIA-LEBANON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 001127 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP AND NEA/ELA E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2015 TAGS: PREL UNSC SY LE AR SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: DEMARCHE ON UNSC SYRIA-LEBANON RESOLUTION REF: A. STATE 78356 ¶B. BOLTON-GUTIERREZ TELCOM 5/16 Classified By: Ambassador Lino Gutierrez for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶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