UK ANTICIPATES UK AND EU OPPOSITION TO UNGA

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 007531 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/23/2016 TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER UNGA LE IS UK SUBJECT: UK ANTICIPATES UK AND EU OPPOSITION TO UNGA RESOLUTIONS ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CHILDREN IN LEBANON REF: STATE 176793 Classified By: PolCouns Richard Mills, reasons 1.4 (b & d). ¶1. (C) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued instructions to UKUN to vote against the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) resolutions, as currently drafted, on "The Situation of the Lebanese Children" and "Consequences of the Israeli Invasion on the Human Rights Situation in Lebanon" in the UN General Assembly's Third Committee. Alexandra Davison, Head of the FCO's UN Team for Human Rights, and Tom Croft, FCO's Lebanon Desk Officer, told us October 22 that in HMG's estimation, the NAM resolutions were very similar to other resolutions earlier this year in the UN Human Rights Council, which the EU found to be too one-sided and voted against. Given the similarities in the text, HMG's opposition has not changed. The UK was also opposed to the resolutions because, as Croft explained, the UK does not believe, from a legal standpoint, that it is possible for one country to abuse the human rights of another country. Both Croft and Davison said that the UK was waiting to see other EU positions, but anticipate the rest of the EU will also oppose the resolutions on the same grounds as the UK. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm Tuttle