TANZANIA SUPPORT FOR GUATEMALA'S GRULAC BID ALL

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 001246 SIPDIS SIPDIS AF/RSA FOR RHOUSTON; IO/UNP FOR BHARRIS; AF/E FOR BYODER E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2016 TAGS: PREL UNSC UNGA GT VE EC TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA SUPPORT FOR GUATEMALA'S GRULAC BID ALL BUT OFFICIAL REF: STATE 107357 Classified By: Political Officer Maureen B. Latour for reasons 1.4(b) a nd (d). ¶1. (C) If the contest for the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) seat on the UN Security Council is between just Guatemala and Venezuela, the Government of Tanzania would support Guatemala, but this decision has not been sanctioned at the highest level within the GOT. Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Multilateral Division, told Poloff on July 18 that the GOT hopes that Latin America will agree on one country for the GRULAC seat but heard that Ecuador is contesting the seat, in addition to Guatemala and Venezuela. Mulamula said the GOT "is still open-minded" regarding the GRULAC seat but that the GOT would like it to be filled by a member that would uphold the achievements made thus far and not one that votes against issues in the Great Lakes region, as Venezuela has. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Washington should be aware that Mulamula seemed to be bending over backward to convey GOT support of Guatemala without being on the record as having done so. RETZER