DELIVERED: OPPOSING UNGA RESOLUTIONS WITH

UNCLAS MANAGUA 002540 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP ERIN MCLINN DEPT FOR WHA/CEN DEPT FOR NEA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNGA NU SUBJECT: DELIVERED: OPPOSING UNGA RESOLUTIONS WITH ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS REF: SECSTATE 159386 On December 4 we delivered the refel talking points to Orlando Gomez, Director General for American Affairs; Mario Barquero Baltodano, Acting Director General for International Organization Affairs; and David McField, Director General for Asia Africa and Oceania; all of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gomez and Barquero inquired as to any developments or changes in the Middle East Peace process that had come out of the recent Annapolis Conference and noted that the USG's "unwillingness to communicate with Hamas, which is the democratically-elected government of Palestine," would seem to create a formidable obstacle to progress. We explained that there were very well-known and public reasons for our decision to work directly with President Abbas. We noted our good relationship with Abbas and that he had met several times with President Bush, including during the Annapolis Conference. SANDERS