FRENCH RESPONSES TO SUPPORT REQUESTS FOR COUNTRY

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 007419 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC CA FR IR BM KN BO UZ SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSES TO SUPPORT REQUESTS FOR COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS AT UN REF: A. STATE 182267 ¶B. STATE 183547 (NOTAL) ¶C. SECSTATE 184178 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for reaso ns 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) On November 9 Poloff delivered demarches seeking French support for defeating any procedural moves that could prevent voting on the substance of any resolution before the Third Committee, and defeating retaliatory resolutions brought by Iran and Belarus against Canada and the United States (Reftel SECSTATE 184178). ¶2. (C) IO DAS equivalent for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affires, Jacques Pellet, and desk officer, Emanuel Pineda, told us that France would support the five country-specific condemnatory resolutions tabled at the UN General Assembly Third Committee on November 2. Furthermore, France, in keeping with its policy, would oppose all No Action motions. ¶3. (C) Concerning the retaliatory resolutions: -- As of November 9, French diplomats had not yet received the text of the Iran-sponsored resolution against Canada, but Pellet said it was nearly certain that France would be against the resolution. -- France will vote against the Belarusian resolution condemning U.S. human rights violations. -- Concerning the second Belarusian resolution condemning the use of secret detention sites, Pellet related that France was discussing the resolution with EU member states and would either vote against or abstain. -- Concerning the Belarusian resolution condemning the use of country resolutions, France was discussing whether to propose amendments to the Belarusian draft, largely for the sake of being able to claim later that France had been open to discussion. That said, France was highly skeptical of being able to achieve revisions to allow them to support such a resolution. ¶3. (C) Pellet took advantage of the meeting to reiterate France's hope that the United States would join, and take a leadership role in, the United Nations Human Rights Council, contending that the United States' absence weakens the authority of the body. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON