GOL ON VENEZUELA/UNGA AND SUDAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MASERU 000493 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR IO AND AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/3/2016 TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM PGOV SU GT VE LT SUBJECT: GOL ON VENEZUELA/UNGA AND SUDAN REF: STATE 162359 CLASSIFIED BY: June Carter Perry, Ambassador, EXEC , STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) On October 2, Ambassador discussed points regarding Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's UNGA speech (reftel) with Lesotho's Foreign Minister, Monyane Moleleki. The FOMIN called the speech "outrageous" and uncivilized. He decried the use of the UN platform to deliver such an "unacceptable" speech as a violation of the organization's purpose. ¶2. (SBU) Ambassador reminded the FOMIN that Venezuela was an unsuitable candidate for the Security Council's non-permanent seat, a subject of previous demarches. Moleleki did not confirm the GOL's support for any candidate, but agreed that comity within the Council was essential to its proceedings. ¶3. (SBU) On the subject of Sudan, the FOMIN stated the GOL had been lobbying other African countries to put pressure on Bashir to allow UN peacekeepers into Sudan to stop the "genocide." He went on to say the GOL was in full agreement with the U.S. position concerning Darfur. PERRY