PARAMARIBO NONCOMMITTAL ON UN DECLARATION ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARAMARIBO 000705 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR LAURA LUFTIG E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016 TAGS: PHUM PREL KTIA UN NS SUBJECT: PARAMARIBO NONCOMMITTAL ON UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES REF: STATE 169257 Classified By: Ambassador Schreiber Hughes for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY Per reftel, post delivered message and non-papers regarding the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Government of Suriname showed interest and concern and said it would share a position paper, which we have not yet received. Post will inform the Department of any further response from the GOS. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) PofOff spoke with MFA in person in mid October and again on November 1. On both occasions GOS MFA Head of the Americas Division Terence Craig made clear that indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations cause trouble for the GOS by making demands. On the first visit Craig promised to look into the issue, and on the second he promised a short position paper. On the second visit Craig added that the GOS wants to come to a joint position together with other members of "ATCO," the Organization of the Treaty for Amazon Cooperation (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela),and through the UN. NOTE: ATCO met in Suriname on October 31 and November 1; Craig said GOS candidate Jan Tawgoeram, who is indigenous, was elected as Coordinator for Indigenous Affairs within ATCO. END NOTE ¶3. (C) COMMENT Craig and his colleagues nodded in sympathy with many points against the DRIP, especially those which refer to the possibility of indigenous groups extrapolating inferred rights from the terms of the DRIP. The MFA is controlled by the largest coalition partner, the Creole-based "National Party of Suriname," and has struggled repeatedly with Maroon-based coalition partner "A-Combination" over land rights and other issues (Maroons are descendents of escaped slaves living in the interior, and consider themselves indigenous). However, any policy which Suriname arrives at will likely have to be approved by coalition partners, leaving final GOS position on the DRIP uncertain. Meanwhile, using ATCO and the UN as policy shields is consistent with GOS preference to frame--or avoid responsibility for--its international policy by defining it in multilateral terms. END COMMENT SCHREIBER HUGHES