JUNE 15 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 001468 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y //CORRECTED SUBJECT LINE TO READ JUNE 15// SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2010 TAGS: PHUM UNHRC SUBJECT: JUNE 15 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS REF: A. GENEVA 1456 B. GENEVA 1428 GENEVA 00001468 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Political Counselor Velia De Pirro. For Reason: E.O. 12 958, 1.4 (b). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) President-designate de Alba circulated a revised agenda for first session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) during June 15 informal consultations. Delegates complained of a lack of transparency regarding the agenda item "pressing human rights issues" and demanded to see a precise list of issues. OIC countries again pressed for the occupied Palestinian territories included in this list, as well as religious tolerance. Mexico proposed discussion of migrant issues. De Alba appealed for restraint in the number of issues to be raised. The EU is considering a thematic issue, such as human rights defenders, rather than a country situation to avoid giving the appearance of retaliating against the OIC. Austrian PermRep Petristch asked for U.S. views on such an approach. Japan is considering raising North Korea. The inter-active dialogue with the High Commissioner will now be based on her statement during the June 19 opening session rather than her annual report, which makes it more likely that U.S. detainee policy will be raised. China, Cuba, and Russia said that each mandate should be reviewed individually at this time instead of automatically extended. There was agreement that the agenda for the first session not set a precedent for future sessions. Procedural issues such as speaking times and the deadline for tabling resolutions were also discussed. Action request in para 3. End Summary. Revised Agenda: "Pressing Issues" Continues to Raise Questions -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) HRC President-designate de Alba circulated a revised agenda for the first session of the Council. Key changes from the June 13 agenda (ref A) include advancing the "pressing issues" session to the morning of June 26. While Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) delegations focused on the Occupied Palestinian Territories as the issue for discussion, they demanded that other Member States inform the Council about the issues they intend to raise. OIC members also intend to raise the issue of religious intolerance. China, Cuba and Russia strongly supported the OIC's call for transparency and specificity on the list of issues. De Alba agreed with the need for transparency and asked for restraint in the number of issues proposed, but noted that it was up to Member States to decide what to raise. Mexico proposed including migrants issues in preparation for the September meeting in New York. ¶3. (C) On the margins of the meeting Austrian PermRep Wolfgang Petristch told Polcouns that the EU is considering raising a thematic issue that would encompass more than one country. The EU is specifically considering the issue of human rights defenders. Petristch noted that including country-specific situations in the list of issues for discussion would appear as a retaliatory act against the OIC GENEVA 00001468 002.2 OF 002 for raising Israel-Palestinian issues. He asked for USG views on raising human defenders as a pressing issue. The Japanese mission told poloffs that it has requested guidance from Tokyo on whether to raise the human rights situation in North Korea. Latin American and Western colleagues told PolCouns that Cuba has not indicated an intention to raise Guantanamo during this session. Action request: Mission requests guidance on the EU's proposal to raise the rights of human rights defenders as a pressing issue. The Department's views on the possibility of Japan adding North Korea to the list are also requested. Inter-Active Dialogue with High Commissioner: Guantanamo? -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The basis of discussion has changed for interactive dialogue with High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour scheduled for June 23. While she will present her annual report, consideration of the report will be deferred to the September session. The current proposal is for the inter-active dialogue to take as point of departure her statement during the June 19 opening session. Delegates requested advance copies of the statement to prepare for the interactive dialogue. We expect that this session will provide the opening for Arbour, and others, to raise concerns and opposition to U.S. detainee policy, particularly Guantanamo. Attempt Against Country Resolutions -------------- ¶5. (U) In an obvious attempt to begin to eliminate country-specific mandates, China, Cuba, and Russia said that each mandate should be reviewed individually at this time instead automatically extended. Other delegations noted that the resolution creating the Council charged it with reviewing all mandates, functions and mechanisms within its first year. This required that the Council extend all of them, without exception, for one year. Procedural Issues -------------- ¶6. (U) In response to questions, de Alba said resolutions would have to be tabled by June 27 with voting taking place June 29-30. Speaking times will be five minutes for Council members, three minutes for observers, and 15 minutes at the end of each segment for NGO's. De Alba asked the secretariat to open the speakers' lists for all sessions on Monday, June ¶19. He proposed that the lists would close 15 minutes after debate on a given item has started. Mission will inscribe the U.S. for all sessions. CASSEL