KUWAIT DEMARCHE DELIVERED -- UN HUMAN RIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 002418

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

FOR NEA/ARP AND IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM KU DEMARCHE
SUBJECT: KUWAIT DEMARCHE DELIVERED -- UN HUMAN RIGHTS
COUNCIL

REF: STATE 99490

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Matthew H. Tueller
for reasons 1.4(b) and (d)

(C/NF) PolChief delivered reftel demarche June 20 to Salah
Al-Saif, First Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs'
International Organizations Department. (The Foreign
Minister and MFA Undersecretary are traveling with the Amir
in South Asia; the International Organizations Department
Director and his deputy are both in Baku for the OIC
meeting.) Al-Saif, who served in Geneva from 1993-94, said
Kuwait shared U.S. views and did not want the new Human
Rights Council to be a "carbon copy" of the former
ineffective Commission on Human Rights. He agreed attacks on
Israel would be inappropriate, but commented Kuwait had
little influence on some of the more belligerent OIC members
and would side first with the GCC and then the Arab League on
controversial issues. Nonetheless, he welcomed U.S. views on
the agenda for the Council and was pleased the U.S. planned
to remain engaged on the issues by working with the UN and
international community.

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For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s

Visit Kuwait's Classified Website:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/
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TUELLER