CERD ELECTION: NICARAGUA WILL FAVOR PROSPER;

C O N F I D E N T I A L MANAGUA 002543 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/UNP AND IO/RHS DEPT FOR WHA/CEN AND INR/AA USUN FOR GODARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2017 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA NU SUBJECT: CERD ELECTION: NICARAGUA WILL FAVOR PROSPER; REPEATS REQUEST THAT U.S. SUPPORT D'ESCOTO FOR UNGA PRESIDENT REF: A. SECSTATE 157655 ¶B. MANAGUA 2008 (NOTAL) Classified By: CDA Richard Sanders for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (C) On December 4, we delivered a copy of the diplomatic note and of Pierre-Richard Prosper's CV to Orlando Gomez, Director General for American Affairs; David McField, Director General for Asia, Africa and Oceana; and Mario Barquero Baltodano, Acting Director General for International Organization Affairs, all at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gomez received the documents and indicated that Nicaragua did not already have a commitment to support a candidate for the CERD and said he would recommend that his government place Prosper "at the top of their list." ¶2. (C) Turning to another, more-distant UN election, Barquero noted that Nicaragua had already notified the U.S. of Managua's nomination of former foreign Minister Miguel D'Escoto as the GRULAC candidate for the 63rd UN General Assembly (Ref B). He asked if there might be a way for the U.S. "to support D'Escoto's candidacy, or, at least, not actively oppose it." We acknowledged that we had received and passed along the GON's diplomatic note on D'Escoto, and explained that the United States has a long-standing policy not to engage in vote-trading. ¶3. (C) Baltodano stated that D'Escoto had already secured support of the Non-Aligned Movement during its September meeting in Tehran. He said that one of the operative paragraphs of the final statement obligated NAM members to support the D'Escoto candidacy. NOTE: Our quick search of the few documents that were made public following the NAM event in Tehran did not have any reference to the D'Escoto candidacy. Our follow-up requests to Baltodano for clarification have not been answered. END NOTE. SANDERS