DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON DERAILING UN HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 015766 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: IS LE MOPS PHUM PK PREL PTER SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON DERAILING UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION ON LEBANON REF: STATE 130145 ¶1. Polcouns delivered reftel demarche on August 9 to Tariq Osman Hyder, Additional Secretary for UN Affairs at the MFA. ¶2. Hyder responded that the decision to appeal to the Human Rights Council (HRC) was made at the August 3 meeting in Malaysia of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). He noted that to address perceived Israeli violations of humanitarian law, the Putrajaya Declaration of August 3 calls for "the immediate convening of a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council as well as a meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the 4th Geneva Convention." The request to the HRC had been submitted by Tunisia, on behalf of both the OIC and the Arab League, but Pakistan had also played a role in its position as coordinator of the OIC human rights subgroup. ¶3. Hyder defended the appeal to the HRC on a number of grounds: -- He argued that it did not in any way preclude action by the Security Council. "We deal with human rights, they deal with peace and security," he observed, adding that there should not be any contradiction between the two. -- He maintained that the intrinsic nature of Israel's actions, namely killing of civilians and targeting of civilian infrastructure, put them under the purview of the HRC. -- The appeal was, he said, in keeping with the "declared position of the United States, which is for the quickest possible cessation of hostilities." Hostilities had now continued for more than three weeks and it was appropriate for the HRC to become engaged. The objective of the resolution was to encourage an end to the fighting and attendant human suffering. -- The U.S. had engaged in a "long process" to establish the HRC, he said, in order to ensure that it would play a "more useful, practical role." With over 500 people killed on both sides it was time for the HRC to play this role. -- He added that political sentiment in the Moslem world was at an extremely high pitch over the death and destruction in Lebanon. It was preferable, and in the interest of western countries, that this sentiment be channeled via appropriate international mechanisms, rather than allow it to move in a "volatile, destabilizing and anti-western direction." ¶4. Polcouns reiterated that the United States views the engagement of the HRC at this sensitive juncture as highly unhelpful, and urged that Pakistan reconsider its position and withdraw its support from the effort. CROCKER