NORWAY VOTING NO ON BELARUS ANTI-U.S. RESOLUTION

UNCLAS OSLO 001424 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL BO NO SUBJECT: NORWAY VOTING NO ON BELARUS ANTI-U.S. RESOLUTION REF: STATE 187018 ¶1. Norway will vote against the Belarus sponsored anti-U.S. resolution in reftel. For the other Belarus-sponsored resolutions, Norway is voting 'no' on the resolution titled the Promotion of Equitable and Respectful Dialogue on Human Rights (as requested),and will be voting with the EU on the resolution titles the Inadmissibility of Human Rights Violations through the Practice of Secret Detention and Unlawful Transfers While Countering Terrorism. However, according to Tormod Endresen, Head of the MFA's Human Right's Section, the EU position is still uncertain (either 'no' or abstention). In accordance with reftel, we reminded Endresen that an abstention would have the same result as a 'yes' vote and he ensured us that this was being taken into consideration by the EU and Norway. Whitney