HRC: CANADA ASKS WESTERN GROUP TO CONSIDER A

UNCLAS GENEVA 002928 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS IO FOR RHS, DRL FOR MLGA, AF FOR AF/S E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM UNHRC SU SUBJECT: HRC: CANADA ASKS WESTERN GROUP TO CONSIDER A SPECIAL SESSION ON DARFUR/SUDAN ¶1. (SBU) The Western Human Rights Group (WHRG) met November 17 at Canada's request to discuss the possibility of requesting a special session of the Human Rights Council to address the situation in Darfur/Sudan or of asking that a segment of the November 27 - December 8 Council session be devoted to Darfur. Canadian Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Paul Meyer, highlighted the Council's responsibility to pronounce itself on all serious human rights situations wherever they occur. This included situations that were under active consideration by other UN bodies and mechanisms. Meyer stressed that the situation in Darfur demanded some kind of action from the Council. In addition, to the desperate situation in Darfur, the Council needed to demonstrate that it can deal with issues other than the Middle East for the sake of its credibility. ¶2. (SBU) Finland on behalf of the EU, Australia, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland left the door open for a special session on Darfur/Sudan, but questioned the timing of pressing for one right now. They all noted the developments overnight in Addis Ababa and ongoing, if contentious, discussions with the African Group in Geneva on a resolution text addressing the Darfur issue. There was general agreement that if the decision is made to request a special session on Darfur, the Western Group would need to obtain broad support for the request, especially from the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) and Sub-Saharan states members of the African Group. ¶3. (SBU) Comment: It is uncertain that negotiations toward a consensus text with the African Group, which is split on the Darfur resolutions, will bear fruit. At present there are two Darfur texts tabled: the EU text supported by the WHRG and some sub-Saharan countries and the "African Group" text tabled by Algeria with Sudan's agreement. Algeria, Sudan and Egypt are applying significant pressure on Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and other African states who want a tough text on Sudan, e.g. the EU text, to maintain African Group unity -- even at the cost of what these countries view as their national interest. TICHENOR