DEMARCHE ON NEXT STEPS ON OAS INDIGENOUS RIGHTS

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 002123 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR WHA/USOAS SARAH HANKINS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KDEM PHUM SOCI KJUS GT SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON NEXT STEPS ON OAS INDIGENOUS RIGHTS DECLARATION REF: STATE 145292 ¶1. Poloff delivered reftel demarche on October 22 to Luis Carranza, Director of Multilateral Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Carranza commented that Guatemala will not be able to support suspension of negotiations on the text of the OAS Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but looks forward to supporting the U.S. on an action plan to promote indigenous rights and issues in the Americas. ¶2. Guatemala, which participated in the negotiation of the OAS Declaration in New York and Geneva, supports continuation of negotiations. Carranza explained that Guatemala views the OAS Declaration as distinct and non- duplicative of the recently adopted UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He further explained that it would be very difficult for Guatemala to stop negotiating on the OAS Declaration because Guatemala agreed under the 1996 Peace Accords to advocate for indigenous issues as a matter of state policy, in national and international fora, to address the issue of discrimination. Derham