AUSTRIA TO SUPPORT GUATEMALA OVER VENEZUELA FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000725 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/UNP - HARRIS, WHA/PPC - YONEOKA, EUR/PGI AND EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2016 TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC GT VE EUN AU SUBJECT: AUSTRIA TO SUPPORT GUATEMALA OVER VENEZUELA FOR 2007-2008 UNSC SEAT REF: A. VIENNA 578 ¶B. STATE 20173 Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso n: 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) During a March 8 meeting, Austrian MFA Americas Director Rudolf Lennkh told EconPolCouns that Austria had decided to support Guatemala's candidacy instead of Venezuela's for the 2007-2008 Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC) seat on the UN Security Council. ¶2. (C) Lennkh noted that the EU member states do not coordinate their positions on UNSC voting, and said the Austrian decision is a national one. ¶3. (C) Per ref (a),Austria will not declare its position openly before the May 2006 EU-Latin American summit in Vienna. The Austrians want to avoid having a debate on the UNSC issue dominate the Summit. Austria is also advancing its own candidacy for a UNSC seat in 2009-2010, and seeks an indication of U.S. support. McCaw