DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REVIEWS ANTI-ISRAEL UNGA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SANTO DOMINGO 003545 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR SEARBY, IO/UNP EDMONDSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2016 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA UNHCR UN KTIA BO IS DR SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REVIEWS ANTI-ISRAEL UNGA RESOLUTION, WILL VOTE WITH U.S. IN UNGA 3RD COMMITTEE REF: A. STATE 188244 ¶B. STATE 187018 Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL OFFICER MICHAEL GARUCKIS FOR REA SONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) On November 16, Economic-Political Counselor and poloff presented Ref A points concerning the November 17 special session to Deputy Secretary of State Alejandra Liriano and Undersecretary of State (and functional Chief of Staff) Jose Manuel Trullols. Trullols remarked immediately on the one-sided title of the resolution proposed by the Arab League. Both committed to discussing the matter on an urgent basis with Secretary of State Carlos Morales Troncoso. Trullols appeared sympathetic to the Ref A argument, but neither gave an explicit declaration of the likely Dominican position. ¶2. (C) In response to Ref B points regarding country specific resolutions before the UNGA 3rd Committee, Liriano stated that Secretary Morales Troncoso had personally issued instructions to the Dominican UN Ambassador to vote with the United States on all resolutions in question (that is, for the Iran, Burma, DPRK, Belarus and Uzbekistan resolutions sponsored, respectively, by delegations from Canada, the European Union, and the United States, and against the retaliatory resolutions sponsored by Iran, Belarus and Uzbekistan). Liriano and Trullols seemed amenable to the need to oppose procedural "No Action" motions in the 3rd Committee, but did not express an official opinion. HERTELL