URUGUAY DEMARCHED ON COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS AT UN

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DE RUEHMN #1078 3131854
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O 091854Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY MONTEVIDEO
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INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0063
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC KTIA UN UY
SUBJECT: URUGUAY DEMARCHED ON COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS AT UN
THIRD COMMITTEE

REF: A. STATE 184178

B. STATE 182267

Classified By: Charge D'Affaires James D. Nealon
for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)


1. (C) On November 8, Political Counselor met with the MFA's
Director for Political Affairs Alvaro Gallardo, his Deputy
Gerardo Pratto and acting Director for Multilateral Affairs
Beatriz Nunez to deliver ref A senior level demarche and to
discuss country specific human rights resolutions. (Note:
Ref B demarche was delivered on November 6 to Beatriz Nunez
but without any substantive feedback. End Note.)


2. (C) After carefully listening to ref A demarche and
reviewing information contained in ref B, Ambassador Gallardo
made the following points:

#¿NOMBRE?
of the resolutions.

#¿NOMBRE?
resolutions.

#¿NOMBRE?
Mercosur partners.

-- Uruguay is not enthusiastic about ""no action"" motions, but
will vote them if Mercosur advises.

-- Without a doubt, all of the five countries in question
have serious human rights problems.

#¿NOMBRE?
how best to treat these five countries and how to evaluate
the resolutions brought against the United States and Canada.


3. (C) Gallardo elaborated somewhat by saying, ""Uruguay does
not put developed countries like the U.S. and Canada in the
same 'bad boat' as Iran, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Burma or North
Korea -- but we don't like the war in Iraq or secret
detention centers either. We will probably support Canada,
though there might be some merit to carefully examining its
treatment of indigenous peoples. We have been receiving a lot
of pressure to go light on Iran -- and I don't mean just
from our rice growers. Sudan, the DPRK and Uzbekistan have
serious human rights problems. The point is, however, that
Mercosur countries believe that developed countries also need
to be held accountable."" Gallardo concluded by saying that
Uruguay would closely examine all of the resolutions before
the UN's Third Committee, including the Belarusian one
co-sponsored by Uzbekistan.

Comment:
--------------


4. (C) Though Gallardo did not explicitly state it, we
strongly suspect that he was referring to Venezuela when he
said that Uruguay was being pressured to go light on Iran.
Last week, in advance of the Ibero-American Summit here
Uruguay's Congress rushed to ratify the BRV's full membership
in Mercosur. In recent months, we've detected a distinct
tendency for our MFA colleagues to emphasize that the GOU's
foreign policy is being coordinated with Mercosur. During our
conversation Gallardo put a brave face on Panama being picked
as the compromise candidate for the semi-permanent UNSC seat.
He said Uruguay kept ""faithful"" to its commitment to
Venezuela and serenely accepted the fact that Mercosur ""did
not reach a consensus"" to support Uruguay for the spot. End
Comment.
Nealon