Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07MADRID835
2007-05-04 17:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Madrid
Cable title:
SPAIN ON BELARUS UNHRC CANDIDACY
how-toVZCZCXRO6063 PP RUEHAG RUEHROV DE RUEHMD #0835 1241722 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 041722Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY MADRID TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2435 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 2666 RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0846 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0344
C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000835
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DRL/MLGA FOR LYNN SICADE AND SYLVIA HAMMOND
IO/RHS
EUR/PGI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN ON BELARUS UNHRC CANDIDACY
REF: STATE 58054
Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
(C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Fernando
Fernandez-Arias, MFA Deputy DG for Human Rights, on May 3.
Fernandez-Arias told Poloff that Spain cannot support Belarus
and has made this known publicly in Geneva and New York. He
said nobody in the EU would vote for Belarus. However, he
said that Spain will not openly campaign for a third
candidate, as the French and British are doing, for two
reasons: it is not Spain's style; and it would not be
appropriate given Spain's current OSCE chairmanship. He
intimated that he had floated the idea to superiors who had
rejected it as bad timing given Spain's chairmanship. In the
absence of a third candidate, Fernandez-Arias was not sure
whether Spain would vote a blank ballot or would write in
another candidate. He expressed concern that Belarus would
win even with a third candidate, due to its support in the
Non-Aligned Movement. Fernandez-Arias said he did not
believe Slovenia would withdraw its candidacy if a third
country such as Bosnia were to enter the race.
--------------
Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/
--------------
Aguirre
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DRL/MLGA FOR LYNN SICADE AND SYLVIA HAMMOND
IO/RHS
EUR/PGI
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN ON BELARUS UNHRC CANDIDACY
REF: STATE 58054
Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
(C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Fernando
Fernandez-Arias, MFA Deputy DG for Human Rights, on May 3.
Fernandez-Arias told Poloff that Spain cannot support Belarus
and has made this known publicly in Geneva and New York. He
said nobody in the EU would vote for Belarus. However, he
said that Spain will not openly campaign for a third
candidate, as the French and British are doing, for two
reasons: it is not Spain's style; and it would not be
appropriate given Spain's current OSCE chairmanship. He
intimated that he had floated the idea to superiors who had
rejected it as bad timing given Spain's chairmanship. In the
absence of a third candidate, Fernandez-Arias was not sure
whether Spain would vote a blank ballot or would write in
another candidate. He expressed concern that Belarus would
win even with a third candidate, due to its support in the
Non-Aligned Movement. Fernandez-Arias said he did not
believe Slovenia would withdraw its candidacy if a third
country such as Bosnia were to enter the race.
--------------
Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/
--------------
Aguirre