AUSCHWITZ NAME CHANGE ISSUE UNRESOVLED

UNCLAS PARIS 004538

SIPDIS

FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS

SENSITIVE

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/OHI
STATE PASS TO NPS - STEPHEN MORRIS AND PAUL HOFFMAN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SCUL PO IS UNESCO
SUBJECT: AUSCHWITZ NAME CHANGE ISSUE UNRESOVLED

REF: A)PARIS 04363, B)PARIS 003344


1. (SBU) The Polish Ambassador to UNESCO, Maria Wodzynska-Walicka,
met with Ambassador Oliver yesterday afternoon, June 29th, to update
her on the issue of the proposed name change of the
Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp, which was expected to be
raised during the upcoming World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in
Vilnius July 8-16.


2. (SBU) As of today, the situation is as follows: The proposed
draft decision, which has already been made public, and links
together plans associated with management problems at Auschwitz and
the proposed name change is obsolete.


3. (SBU) According to Ambassador Wodzynska-Walicka, there will now
be a new draft decision that simply calls for an international
experts group to develop a new management plan, which should be
ready for the 2007 WHC meeting.


4. (SBU) Meanwhile, the issue involving the name change is still not
resolved. The Polish Ambassador said that the Polish Minister of
Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Culture are planning to meet
possibly today or tomorrow to discuss the proposed name change and
make a decision about how to proceed.


5. (SBU) There are currently two options: One is that the name
change issue will be formally raised in Vilnius and a decision will
be requested in a year, pushing any decision back to the 2007 WHC
meeting, at the earliest. The second possibility is that it will not
be raised at all in Vilnius. (Comment: According to the Israeli
Ambassador, this the position preferred by the Israelis. End
comment.)


6. (SBU) The Polish Ambassador will contact us and let us know when
a decision is made.
OLIVER