DEMARCHE ON TRAVEL BAN DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 001004 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2018 TAGS: MNUC KNNP IR UNSC SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON TRAVEL BAN DELIVERED REF: STATE 33674 Classified By: Political Officer Robert Patterson for Reasons 1.4 (b) a nd (d). (C) On April 10 we delivered reftel demarche to MFA Department of International Organizations Counselor Albert Sitnikov, who said the GOR had prepared a Presidential decree that would bring the travel ban into force. The decree would most likely be signed by early May, he said. Sitnikov noted the GOR had determined that paragraph 17 of UNSCR 1803, if implemented, would contradict the Russian constitution. "The Russian judiciary is completely independent and cannot be told which cases it should hear and how to rule on them," he said. He inquired how the USG planned to handle implementing this provision of the UNSCR. RUSSELL