T&T WILL REEVALUATE LONG STANDING ABSTENTION POLICY ON SOME

UNCLAS PORT OF SPAIN 001299

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL KTIA UNGA TD
SUBJECT: T&T WILL REEVALUATE LONG STANDING ABSTENTION POLICY ON SOME
"NO ACTION" MOTIONS; WILL CONTINUE TO ABSTAIN ON COUNTRY SPECIFIC
RESOLUTIONS

REF: A. STATE 184178, B. STATE 182267


1. Polchief delivered the talking points contained in Reftels, on
November 9, to MFA Multilateral Division Director Susan Gordon.


2. Gordon reiterated T&T's long standing policy of abstaining on
country specific resolutions. She argued that such resolutions are
too selective and lack objectivity, adding that politically powerful
countries tend to escape censure by the UN General Assembly while,
on the other hand, North Korea, for example, is at the moment
"everybody's whipping boy". Gordon's opinion was that more general,
thematic-type resolutions make more sense.


3. Polchief pointed out that T&T might not be uniformly opposed to
country specific resolutions since, in the Caricom context, specific
action was taken against Haiti. Gordon responded that the Haiti
action was taken within a regional context and that it might be more
helpful, for example, if Iran's regional neighbors and allies were
to dialog with Iran rather than have the entire UN membership
publicly humiliate it. Although Polchief said that, in certain
cases, repeated public humiliation can and does succeed, as in the
case of apartheid South Africa, it was obvious Gordon was not about
to change her position.


4. However, Gordon said that T&T's thinking on "no action" motions
might be a different matter. She thought T&T may, in the past, have
voted "no" on some "no action" motions, and undertook to review with
her mission in New York T&T's past votes on such motions with a view
to possibly changing them from abstentions to "nos" in certain
cases.

AUSTIN