HOLOCAUST DENIAL RESOLUTION STRATEGY

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000012 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO, DRL, NEA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM UNGA IR IS GM EUN SUBJECT: HOLOCAUST DENIAL RESOLUTION STRATEGY REF: A. STATE 200481 ¶B. USUN 2253 Classified By: AMB. ALEJANDRO D. WOLFF, REASONS 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Now that the Security Council has adopted resolution 1737 regarding Iran's nuclear program, USUN has taken stock of the possibilities for introducing a resolution condemning Iran's denial of the holocaust (reftels). In discussions with Israel, Germany and the UK of options for General Assembly action, we have developed the following strategy. ¶2. (C) The SYG, President of the General Assembly and French minister and holocaust survivor Simone Veil will speak January 29 at a UN event commemorating the victims of the holocaust. We propose to link our campaign for a resolution with this event. The Israeli Mission believes that such timing would maximize the global impact of a resolution. ¶3. (C) USUN proposes to share a first draft of a holocaust denial draft resolution with Germany, Israel, UK, Australia and Canada this week, and work together to refine a draft that will have their co-sponsorship as well as the support of the EU. Israel has already shared with USUN several suggestions for additional paragraphs which they would like to see included in the draft. A second step could be to share the text with the Russians to enlist their support as well. ¶4. (C) We would aim for the co-sponsors to table the resolution in conjunction with the commemorative event and seek its adoption as soon thereafter as possible. USUN does not intend to call open informal consultations, but instead to have the co-sponsors deal with any proposed amendments or objections bilaterally. USUN will urge Germany to take a lead role in running the resolution to help ensure EU support and dampen possible opposition. ¶5. (C) The commemorative event on January 29 will be broadcast on UN TV and will be available in English and French. We will urge the Secretariat to make it available in Arabic and other UN languages as well for rebroadcast by TV stations elsewhere. WOLFF