RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

UNCLAS GUATEMALA 000371 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/MLGA GIANNI PAZ DEPT ALSO FOR IO/RHS AMY OSTERMEIER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM PJUS PREL SOCI GT SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL DPRK MANDATE RENEWAL REF: STATE 29458 ¶1. Poloff delivered reftel talking points to Luis Carranza, Director of Multilateral Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, seeking GOG support for DPRK mandate extension and support for the other country-specific mandates that are up for renewal. Carranza said that Guatemala would not oppose the DPRK mandate renewal, but that if there is no consensus it would abstain on the vote with an explanation of abstention. ¶2. Carranza said that Guatemala is concerned about the human rights situation in North Korea, but believes that the best way to address the problem is through the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review. From its own experiences during the internal conflict, Guatemala believes that countries' human rights situations can improve if countries support voluntary peer mechanisms, such as the Universal Periodic Review. Carranza said that Guatemala, like many other Latin American countries, prefers voluntary review, which gives countries the opportunity to report on their own human rights situation, to special rapporteurs. ¶3. Carranza noted that the current composition of the UN Human Rights Council is dominated by countries with questionable human rights records, and that the special rapporteur system is effective only to the extent that countries cooperate with the rapporteurs. Carranza stated, however, that Guatemala would support investigations, in accordance with international standards, by a special rapporteur, independent investigator, or special commission in situations of flagrant violations of human rights, such as in Darfur. However, even in those situations, he said, political motives would have to be carefully analyzed. Derham