DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA ON AMENDING THE CUBA EMBARGO

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 003272

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO AND EUR/AGS - SAINT-ANDRE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/08/2016
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA UN CU AU
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA ON AMENDING THE CUBA EMBARGO
RESOLUTION -- CUBANS TO SEEK NO-ACTION ON AMENDMENT

REF: A. STATE 184156


B. VIENNA 3246

C. STATE 182099

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Gregory E. Phillips. Reasons: 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Charge delivered ref (A) immediate action demarche
to Andreas Melan, the Austrian MFA's Latin AMERICA head, on
November 8 at 1130 local.


2. (C) Melan was in the process of coordinating the Austrian
position with the MFA's human rights and international
organizations bureaus. He noted that the Cuban Embassy was
making a demarche on the same subject at the same time.
Melan outlined the following Austrian position:

-- The EU will vote as a bloc, as it normally does on these
issues. EU Missions to the UN would meet at OOB November 8
in New York to coordinate their position on the Australian
amendment to the Cuban embargo resolution.

-- Austria understood that the Cubans would present a
no-action motion on the Australian amendment. The EU had a
standing policy of voting against no-action motions on human
rights issues, and the EU would naturally vote against the
Cuban no-action motion.

-- However, the Austrians believed that the no-action motion
would pass, killing the Australian amendment. Melan noted
that there are over 100 co-sponsors of the Cuban embargo
resolution, and he thought it highly likely that most would
support the Cuban no-action motion.

-- That said, Austria would support an EU position to vote
in favor of the Australian amendment, if it came to a vote.

-- EU member states would vote in favor of the Cuban embargo
resolution. EU member states would also deliver a strong
Explanation of Vote (EOV),over half of which would be on
human rights issues.


3. (C) Melan provided the text of the Australian amendment,
as the Austrian MFA had received it from the Cubans. Begin
Text:

3.bis Noting that the (sic) such laws and measures were
motivated by valid concerns about the the (sic) continued
lack of democracy and political freedom in Cuba, calls upon
the Cuban Government to release unconditionally all political
prisoners, cooperate fully with international human rights
bodies and mechanisms, respect the Universal Declaration on
Human Rights and comply fully with its obligations under all
human rights treaties to which it is a State Party.
Phillips