Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07VIENNA1197
2007-05-09 08:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:
UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL -- AUSTRIA OPPOSES BELARUS
how-toVZCZCXRO9690 OO RUEHAG RUEHROV DE RUEHVI #1197 1290841 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 090841Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7235 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1366 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0192
C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001197
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, EUR/PGI AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC AU
SUBJECT: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL -- AUSTRIA OPPOSES BELARUS
CANDIDACY, SEEKS WAYS TO BLOCK ELECTION
REF: STATE 58036
Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001197
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, EUR/PGI AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC AU
SUBJECT: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL -- AUSTRIA OPPOSES BELARUS
CANDIDACY, SEEKS WAYS TO BLOCK ELECTION
REF: STATE 58036
Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered reftel demarche on May 8 to
Engelbert Theuermann, the head of the Austrian MFA's Human
Rights Bureau.
2. (C) Theuermann said that while EU lobbying efforts on the
UN Human Rights Council (HRC) did not name Belarus, the
criteria that the EU Political and Security Committee (PSC)
had adopted clearly precluded EU member state support for the
Belarus candidacy. The PSC adopted an internal paper
specifying that EU member states would not support the HRC
candidacies of countries guilty of gross and systemic human
rights violations, especially those against whom the EU has
adopted restrictive measures. Theuermann said this meant
that "no EU state will vote for Belarus."
3. (C) Theuermann said EU lobbying efforts in the UN
reflected the PSC decision. A letter to all UN member states
in late February noted that the General Assembly had decided
that HRC members should uphold "the highest standards in the
promotion and protection of human rights." It added, "the EU
will therefore only cast its vote in favor of those
candidates who meet these standards and wdho contribute to
the promotion and protection of human rights. We would like
to call upon each Member State of the United Nations to also
adhere to these agreed standards." Germany (as the EU
Presidency country),Britain and France were active in
organizing demarches in capitals around the world, Theuermann
added.
4 (C) Naming Belarus would be counterproductive, Theuermann
said, because the Belarus UN ambassador is well-established
and well-liked. An explicit campaign against Belarus could
well cause the "south" to "gang up" to support him.
5. (C) Realistically, Theuermann said, we could not count on
a third candidate emerging from the Eastern European region
before May 17. Austria was working towarda scenario in
which Belarus would fail to win an absolute majority on the
first round, while Slovenia would get in. Hopefully, the
Belarus vote count would be embarassingly low in comparison
to that of Slovenia. In subsequent rounds, Austria hoped
informal agreement could arise on a replacement candidate for
Belarus. Theuermann stressed that the Austrian delegation
wanted to work closely with the U.S. delegation in New York.
McCaw
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, EUR/PGI AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC AU
SUBJECT: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL -- AUSTRIA OPPOSES BELARUS
CANDIDACY, SEEKS WAYS TO BLOCK ELECTION
REF: STATE 58036
Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered reftel demarche on May 8 to
Engelbert Theuermann, the head of the Austrian MFA's Human
Rights Bureau.
2. (C) Theuermann said that while EU lobbying efforts on the
UN Human Rights Council (HRC) did not name Belarus, the
criteria that the EU Political and Security Committee (PSC)
had adopted clearly precluded EU member state support for the
Belarus candidacy. The PSC adopted an internal paper
specifying that EU member states would not support the HRC
candidacies of countries guilty of gross and systemic human
rights violations, especially those against whom the EU has
adopted restrictive measures. Theuermann said this meant
that "no EU state will vote for Belarus."
3. (C) Theuermann said EU lobbying efforts in the UN
reflected the PSC decision. A letter to all UN member states
in late February noted that the General Assembly had decided
that HRC members should uphold "the highest standards in the
promotion and protection of human rights." It added, "the EU
will therefore only cast its vote in favor of those
candidates who meet these standards and wdho contribute to
the promotion and protection of human rights. We would like
to call upon each Member State of the United Nations to also
adhere to these agreed standards." Germany (as the EU
Presidency country),Britain and France were active in
organizing demarches in capitals around the world, Theuermann
added.
4 (C) Naming Belarus would be counterproductive, Theuermann
said, because the Belarus UN ambassador is well-established
and well-liked. An explicit campaign against Belarus could
well cause the "south" to "gang up" to support him.
5. (C) Realistically, Theuermann said, we could not count on
a third candidate emerging from the Eastern European region
before May 17. Austria was working towarda scenario in
which Belarus would fail to win an absolute majority on the
first round, while Slovenia would get in. Hopefully, the
Belarus vote count would be embarassingly low in comparison
to that of Slovenia. In subsequent rounds, Austria hoped
informal agreement could arise on a replacement candidate for
Belarus. Theuermann stressed that the Austrian delegation
wanted to work closely with the U.S. delegation in New York.
McCaw