COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS IN THE UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE:

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 012470 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2016 TAGS: PREL PHUM UNHRC RS SUBJECT: COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS IN THE UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE: RUSSIAN REACTION REF: A. STATE 182267 ¶B. STATE 184178 ¶C. STATE 187018 Classified By: Political M/C Alice G. Wells. Reasons: 1.4(B/D). ¶1. (C) In a November 16 conversation, Grigoriy Lukyantsev, Head of the UN Division of the MFA's Department of Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights, told us that Russia would oppose resolutions on the human rights situations in Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan. He said Russia would support a No Action motion on each of these texts. The MFA has not yet decided on how Russia will vote on the Burma and DPRK drafts, but Lukyantsev pointed out that Russia in principle was opposed to country-specific resolutions. ¶2. (C) We urged that Russia join us in opposing the three anti-U.S. resolutions tabled by Belarus. While Lukyantsev said he understood the reasons for U.S. opposition to the Belarusian drafts, he noted that the Foreign Minister had not yet set Russia's position on the texts. BURNS