Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PRAGUE1407
2006-11-13 05:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Prague
Cable title:  

CZECHS ON UNGA COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS

Tags:  PHUM PREL UN EZ 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5860
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPG #1407 3170559
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 130559Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8244
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0200
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0177
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 001407 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL UN EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS ON UNGA COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS

REF: A. STATE 182267

B. STATE 183547

C. STATE 184178

D. STATE 184156

E. PRAGUE 1252

Classified By: Acting DCM Michael Dodman for reasons 1.4 b+d

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 001407

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/10/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL UN EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS ON UNGA COUNTRY RESOLUTIONS

REF: A. STATE 182267

B. STATE 183547

C. STATE 184178

D. STATE 184156

E. PRAGUE 1252

Classified By: Acting DCM Michael Dodman for reasons 1.4 b+d


1. (C) Summary: The Czechs support the U.S. position on the
five UNGA Third Committee country resolutions, but are
considering negotiating on some of the Belarus-sponsored
retaliatory resolutions. End summary.


2. (C) Acting DCM discussed UNGA Third Committee country
resolutions and retaliatory resolutions (refs A-C) on
November 9 with Czech MFA UN Department Director Jan Kara,
and November 10 with MFA Human Rights Department Director
Veronika Stromsikova. On the five country resolutions in the
Third Committee, Stromsikova said the Czech Republic supports
the U.S. position in all cases. On the Belarus-proposed
retaliatory resolutions, Stromsikova said the Czech Republic
strongly supports the EU consensus that the United States
resolution must be rejected (as must Iran's Canada
resolution). But the other two Belarus resolutions are more
complicated. The Czech Republic believes there is basis to
negotiate on the resolution condemning the use of country
resolutions, given the Czech view that such resolutions
should only be applied in the case of "grave" abuses.
Stromsikova admitted that it would likely be difficult to
come up with an acceptable text, but said the Czechs (with EU
partners) were not yet ready to abandon the effort.


3. (C) Stromsikova said the Czechs had not yet determined
their stance on the resolution on secret places of detention.
Terming the Belarus text "cleverly drafted," Stromsikova
said that many EU members, including the UK, were prepared to
begin negotiating on the resolution. She said the GOCR, like
most other EU members, thought it important that the UNGA
take up the question of secret detentions. She rejected the
USG assessment that the issue was adequately covered in other
UNGA resolutions. Specifically, she suggested that the USG
had hurt itself on this by successfully scaling back the
language in Mexico's resolution on human rights while
fighting terrorism -- a more robust Mexican resolution could
have permitted the EU to reject the Belarus proposal.


4. (C) On the question of No Action motions, Kara noted that
the Czechs would support the EU practice of opposing No
Action motions, although he admitted that there are instances
where such procedural tactics can be helpful. Reviewing the
defeat of U.S. efforts to win support for an amendment to the
UNGA Cuban embargo resolution dealing with human rights (ref
D),Kara said the result was unfortunately close to his
prediction weeks earlier that an attempt to add human rights
language to the embargo resolution would fail on procedural
grounds (ref E).
GRABER