UNHCR MEMBER VOTE: LAO POSITION

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENTIANE 000382

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR UNDER SECRETARY BURNS FROM THE AMBASSADOR
STATE FOR EAP/MLS (BESTIC)
STATE FOR IO/RHS (OSTERMEIER, GHOSH, ROHN)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHRC LA
SUBJECT: UNHCR MEMBER VOTE: LAO POSITION

REF: A. STATE 63346

B. 06 VIENTIANE 1095

Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICA M. HASLACH FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D
)


1. (C) Ambassador presented text of non-paper on upcoming
UNHRC membership voting, including USG support for Slovenia
and Bosnia as preferred members vice Belarus, to Lao Vice
Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha on May 10. The Vice
Foreign Minister said the Ministry would consider the U.S.
position.


2. (C) COMMENT: The Lao Government is unlikely to move away
from its traditional support for Belarus. In previous UN
votes, the Ambassador has raised USG opposition to Belarus
with MFA Director General for International Organizations
Madame Kanika Phommachanh without positive result. Since
Madame Kanika has been promoted to be the Lao Ambassador to
the UN, we expect she will continue the traditional strong
Lao reluctance to support criticism of other countries on
human rights grounds -- either abstaining or voting against
country-specific human rights violations (ref B) (because of
its own vulnerability to outside criticism). So arguing
against Belarus because of concerns about the repressive
Lukashenko regime has little resonance here.
HASLACH