Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06COLOMBO1710
2006-10-17 05:02:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA SUPPORTS POSTPONING UNGA VOTE ON RIGHTS
how-toVZCZCXYZ0001 RR RUEHWEB DE RUEHLM #1710 2900502 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 170502Z OCT 06 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4494 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 9501 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1427 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0459
UNCLAS COLOMBO 001710
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP AND SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KTIA UNGA CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA SUPPORTS POSTPONING UNGA VOTE ON RIGHTS
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
REF: A) STATE 169257 B) COLOMBO 01020
This message is sensitive but unclassified.
UNCLAS COLOMBO 001710
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP AND SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KTIA UNGA CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA SUPPORTS POSTPONING UNGA VOTE ON RIGHTS
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
REF: A) STATE 169257 B) COLOMBO 01020
This message is sensitive but unclassified.
1. (SBU) The Australian High Commission approached us
regarding joint delivery of reftel demarche, to which we
agreed. Poloff accompanied Australian Deputy High
Commissioner and political officer to a meeting on October 13
with Sumedha Ekanayake, Deputy Director for UN and
Multilateral Affairs at Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. The Australians took the lead, and providing copies
of ref (a) non-papers. We, in turn, emphasized that the
absence of a definition of indigenous peoples was a
fundamental flaw that could easily encourage self-selected
population subsets to disregard national laws.
2. (SBU) Ekanayake responded that Sri Lanka has no
strongly-held positions on this matter and would likely go
along with an emerging consensus. However, Ekanayake said
some members of the Asian group, particularly Bangladesh,
have significant objections to the text. Barring the
emergence of an Asian group common position, he undertook to
instruct the Sri Lankan permanent representative in New York
to push for postponement of the UNGA vote.
MOORE
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNP AND SCA/INS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KTIA UNGA CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA SUPPORTS POSTPONING UNGA VOTE ON RIGHTS
OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
REF: A) STATE 169257 B) COLOMBO 01020
This message is sensitive but unclassified.
1. (SBU) The Australian High Commission approached us
regarding joint delivery of reftel demarche, to which we
agreed. Poloff accompanied Australian Deputy High
Commissioner and political officer to a meeting on October 13
with Sumedha Ekanayake, Deputy Director for UN and
Multilateral Affairs at Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. The Australians took the lead, and providing copies
of ref (a) non-papers. We, in turn, emphasized that the
absence of a definition of indigenous peoples was a
fundamental flaw that could easily encourage self-selected
population subsets to disregard national laws.
2. (SBU) Ekanayake responded that Sri Lanka has no
strongly-held positions on this matter and would likely go
along with an emerging consensus. However, Ekanayake said
some members of the Asian group, particularly Bangladesh,
have significant objections to the text. Barring the
emergence of an Asian group common position, he undertook to
instruct the Sri Lankan permanent representative in New York
to push for postponement of the UNGA vote.
MOORE