IRELAND: UNESCO CONVENTION NOT ON LEGISLATIVE

1. Ref A requested an assessment of the level of activity in
Ireland regarding the ratification of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity
of Cultural Expressions. According to Department of Foreign
Affairs UN/Terrorism and Illicit Drugs Section First
Secretary Brian Cahalane, ratification of the Convention is

SIPDIS
not on the Irish legislative agenda at this time. During
previous demarches on this issue, Cahalane told emboff that
Ireland sympathized with the USG position, but would not
break the EU consensus on adopting the Convention.
Therefore, Post predicts that Ireland is likely to ratify the
Convention eventually, but that Irish ratification will not
likely precede that of the majority of EU Member States.



2. Per para eight, Post categorizes the legislative
prospects and level of dissent according to the following
categories:


I. Legislative
b) Not currently on the agenda, but likely to be introduced
in 2006 and likely to pass at a later date

II. Media Attention
a) No published/broadcast opinion for or against ratification
since October

III.
a) No NGO, university, or other civil society discussions
since October



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