DANES SUPPORTIVE ON NEW YORK PRISONERS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L COPENHAGEN 000257 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA, EUR, IO, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2018 TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM EUN CU DA SUBJECT: DANES SUPPORTIVE ON NEW YORK PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE EVENT REF: STATE 40380 Classified By: Pol/Econ Counselor Bill Mozdzierz, reasons 1.4b,d ¶1. (C) Post reached Emil Hother Paulsen, Danish representative to the EU's COHOM human rights meeting, early May 6 in Brussels to urge Denmark's support for our latest compromise on the Prisoners of Conscience events this summer. We emphasized the importance of these events to political prisoners worldwide, the strong arguments for a New York event, and the flexibility we have demonstrated in accommodating EU members' concerns. ¶2. (C) Paulsen immediately indicated agreement with the U.S. position, noting that the broadening of the event's scope to include prisoners beyond Cuba and the addition of a meeting in Geneva should have addressed any "reasonable" concerns among member states. He also agreed that New York is the right place for such an event, given media coverage there and what he described as "a more receptive environment" than in Geneva. Paulsen allowed that he was not certain that the issue would be discussed during the COHOM meeting that day, but pledged that he would do what he could to build support for the compromise and that he would also coordinate his approach with the Swedes, Dutch and possibly the British. CAIN