TRIPARTITE DEMARCHE ON THE UN DECLARATION ON THE

UNCLAS SEOUL 003458 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL KTIA UN SUBJECT: TRIPARTITE DEMARCHE ON THE UN DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES REF: STATE 169257 ¶1. (SBU) Per reftel request, New Zealand's Ambassador to the ROK, Jane Coombs, Australian POL Counselor Martin Quinn, and poloff delivered the tripartite demarche on the draft UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (DRIP) to MOFAT Director-General for International Organizations Kang Kyung-hwa on October 11. ¶2. (SBU) DG Kang responded that in June the ROKG voted in favor of the adoption of the text during the first session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). This issue was of limited interest to the ROKG, but Seoul wanted the inaugural session of the HRC to produce some kind of result. Consequently, Seoul went along with the flow on a vote that she said was largely in favor of adoption of the text. However, she would take our concerns on board and investigate whether there was room for the ROKG to rethink its position during the UNGA vote. VERSHBOW