TANZANIA: DEMARCHE ON BELARUS ANTI-U.S. RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 001829 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/15/2011 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA BO TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA: DEMARCHE ON BELARUS ANTI-U.S. RESOLUTION REF: STATE 187018 Classified By: D. Purnell Delly, Deputy Chief of Mission, for reason 1. 4 b and d. ¶1. (U) Ambassador Mulamula, Director of the Multilateral Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Poloff on November 15 that Tanzania would abstain from voting on the U.S. sponsored country-specific resolution on Belarus in the Third Committee. She stressed that Tanzania's decision to abstain reflects a desire for human rights to be dealt with through the Human Rights Council and not in the Third Committee. "Please," Mulamula said, "our abstention does not mean we don't recognize that there is a human rights situation. It is our position that the Third Committee is becoming a mockery and we need to give the Human Rights Council a chance to function." ¶2. (C) Regarding the three retaliatory resolutions sponsored by Belarus, Ambassador Mulamula promised to inform the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, about the U.S. request for a "No" vote on all three resolutions. On November 16, Ambassador Mulamula confirmed to Poloff that she had forwarded the USG position to Minister Migiro who agreed to make a decision and pass instructions to the Permanent Representative in New York. The Deputy Chief of Mission also called on Ambassador Pastor Ngaiza, Head of the Americas and Europe Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on November 16 to underline the importance to the U.S. of Tanzania's vote against Belarus' resolutions. The DCM stressed that an abstention would be inconsistent with the positive momentum in U.S.-Tanzanian bilateral relations; Ambassador Ngaiza promised to quickly convey the message to Minister Migiro. RETZER