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.

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Supportive on Country Specific Resolutions
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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.

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Thematic Resolutions - Will Follow EU Lead
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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