HAGUE CONVENTION COMMITTEE MEETING MISFIRES

UNCLAS PARIS 007054 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS DEPARTMENT FOR L - RICHARD LAHNE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNESCO SCUL SUBJECT: HAGUE CONVENTION COMMITTEE MEETING MISFIRES ¶1. The first meeting of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict at UNESCO ended practically before it got started today, after member states complained that the key document to be considered had not been distributed in sufficient time for consultations with their capitals. The meeting was suspended and will be rescheduled for spring 2007. ¶2. Dr. Guido Carducci, Chief of UNESCO's International Standards Section in the Division of Cultural Heritage, attempted to plow forward with the agenda despite the fact that his office had only distributed the 33-page legal document to member states at the start of the meeting. Carducci apologized, explaining that his office is extremely short-staffed, and overworked. ¶3. After talking with various representatives of the 12 member states on the committee, Ambassador Oliver sparked the reaction which prompted Finland, followed by other states, to call for the meeting to be suspended until the document could be reviewed by experts in their capitals. (The draft guidelines document, which was to be considered for approval today, and the document suspending the meeting will be forwarded to Washington by e-mail.) ¶4. As the US is not a signatory of the Convention, Ambassador Oliver spoke only briefly. She noted that UNESCO must be held to its own rules, which require a six-week period for review of such documents. The Ambassador also told those present that using UNESCO's limited resources to pay for organizing such an meeting at this level without giving member states ample time to prepare is a terrible example at a time when we are urging the organization to use its funding more effectively. (COMMENT: The US was pleased to see that instead of just complaining, as is often done by member states, today, Committee members actually made a decision that they would not participate in another one of the Secretariat's poorly organized meetings. This should send an important message to everyone at UNESCO that member states run the show and must have the needed documents and consultation time before important meetings take place in the future. End comment.) OLIVER