SPAIN SUPPORTING COUNTRY-SPECIFIC RESOLUTIONS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002237 SIPDIS SIPDIS DRL/MLGA FOR GIANNI PAZ E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/13/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV UNGA SP SUBJECT: SPAIN SUPPORTING COUNTRY-SPECIFIC RESOLUTIONS IN PLENARY REF: A. STATE 163935 ¶B. STATE 161770 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (U) POLOFF spoke with Fernando Fernandez-Arias, Spanish Deputy Director General for Human Rights, on December 12 regarding upcoming UNGA plenary votes on Third Committee country specific resolutions. POLOFF thanked Fernandez-Arias for Spain's support and leadership in gaining approval for the resolutions on DPRK, Iran, Burma, and Belarus and defeating the three no-action motions in the Third Committee. Fernandez-Arias said he did not think there would be any problem gaining passage of the resolutions in the UNGA plenary, since no-action motions were not possible. ¶2. (U) Nevertheless, Fernandez-Arias said Spain and the EU were engaged in New York to attempt to increase the majorities on Iran and Belarus in particular. Fernandez-Arias also said that the EU had secured 99 votes for its Death Penalty moratorium resolution but was still seeking the hundredth vote, which he called "the magic number." ¶3. (C) Fernandez-Arias characterized the Third Committee debates on Belarus and Iran as very difficult. He repeated a previous statement that Iran flagrantly buys votes in the Third Committee. He also noted that there were more Latin American abstentions on Iran than in the past, which he said bodes poorly for the success of a resolution next year. AGUIRRE