LATVIA NO RESPONSE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 5TH

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000500 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR DRL/MLGA (LAURA JORDAN) AND IO/RHS (RACHEL LEATHAM) E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/06/2017 TAGS: PHUM EUN UNHRC LG SUBJECT: LATVIA NO RESPONSE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL 5TH SESSION, BUT DISAPPOINTED IN HRC PERFORMANCE OVERALL REF: STATE 91929 Classified By: Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey for reason 1.4(d) ¶1. (C) PolEconOff delivered reftel points July 6 to Aiga Liepina, Director of International Organizations and Human Rights at the MFA. Liepina was unfamiliar with the exact details of the UN Human Rights Council 5th Session and reserved comment on the specific events that occurred in June. However, she stated that on all the general reftel points regarding the poor performance of the Human Rights Council (HRC),the GOL "couldn't agree more" and that "we are in a worse situation than we used to be (before the creation of the HRC)." She stated that the GOL did not like the elimination of the special rapporteurs on Belarus and Cuba and argued against this in EU coordination meetings that took place in Geneva. She added that on Palestine the GOL also took a strong position in favor of a less biased approach in the EU coordination meetings in Geneva. She closed by noting, however, that as an EU member state Latvia does eventually support EU consensus opinions. BAILEY