CZECHS SUPPORTIVE OF US AND EU PRIORITIES FOR UNGA

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001165 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DRL/MLGA FOR LYNN SICADE AND SYLVIA HAMMOND, IO/RHS FOR AMY OSTERMEIER AND DEEPA GHOSH, EUR/NCE FOR ALEX TRATENSEK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EZ KTIA PHUM PREL UN UNHCR SUBJECT: CZECHS SUPPORTIVE OF US AND EU PRIORITIES FOR UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE REF: A. STATE 145641 ¶B. PRAGUE 1158 ¶C. PRAGUE 1116 ¶D. STATE 135255 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Czech Director of Human Rights and Transition Policy, Gabriela Dlouha, who will travel to New York November 12 to assume the lead of the Czech delegation negotiations on UNGA Third Committee issues, welcomed the US perspective on these resolutions and indicated that the GOCR will support the U.S. position on a range of topics. In some areas, such as the thematic resolutions on religious intolerance and the death penalty, however, they will follow the EU position. End Summary. -------------- Supportive on Country Specific Resolutions -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Dlouha noted our points on Belarus, Iran, Burma and North Korea. Since the resolutions on Burma and North Korea will be introduced by the EU, the GOCR, as an EU member state, particularly welcomed our support on these resolutions. The Czechs took note of the Iran resolution to be introduced by Canada. On Belarus, Dlouha indicated that the EU is interested in co-authorship of this resolution and has (or soon will) propose a few amendments. According to Dlouha, none of these amendments on Belarus are controversial. -------------- Thematic Resolutions - Will Follow EU Lead -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Czech Republic acknowledged that the EU generally takes the lead on building an EU consensus position on thematic resolutions and that once formed, the Czechs generally abide by this. Dlouha cited Religious Intolerance and the Death Penalty resolutions as two areas where they plan to stick with the EU consensus. On Religious Intolerance, the GOCR is aware of the debate between running this resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) alone versus at both the Third Committee and the UNHRC. She stated that within the EU there is a growing inclination to run the resolution at the Third Committee and the UNHRC. The Czechs were unfamiliar with our resolution to support the UN elections program, and thus simply took note of our comments in this area. ¶4. (SBU) With respect to a resolution Condemning Rape as an Instrument of State Policy, as noted in Reftel C, the Czech Republic is positively disposed to this resolution, particularly since it highlights the seriousness of the situation in Burma. The Czechs flagged for our attention, however, that some EU member states are likely to propose problematic amendments to the resolution. They indicated that both the Netherlands and Sweden are looking to include references to the International Criminal Court and the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Note: as outlined in Reftel D, this is a convention that the U.S. has not ratified and will cause problems for us as sponsors of this proposed resolution on rape. End Note.). Graber