CYPRUS SUPPORTS "BALANCED" UNHRC GAZA RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000053 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL CY SUBJECT: CYPRUS SUPPORTS "BALANCED" UNHRC GAZA RESOLUTION REF: A. SECSTATE 7232 ¶B. 06 NICOSIA 929 ¶C. 06 NICOSIA 945 Classified By: CDA Jane B. Zimmerman, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (SBU) Polchief January 24 delivered urgent Ref A demarche to MFA Acting Political Director (P-equivalent) George Kasoulides. He emphasized the strongly biased nature of the proposed UN Human Rights Council resolution on Gaza, and urged the MFA official to work towards EU consensus in opposing it. Kasoulides was aware the OIC and/or Arab states were considering action at the UNHRC, and repeated Ref A points that EU PermReps in Geneva had lobbied for a more constructive resolution. He was surprised by the timing of the special session, however, and had not yet seen the OIC/Arab Group's final text. ¶2. (SBU) Israel's latest blockade of Gaza was "over the top" and merited criticism, he opined. That said, Cyprus normally favored balanced resolutions on the Israeli/Palestinian dispute, since it enjoyed close relations with both sides and hoped they would engage soonest in serious settlement negotiations. Kasoulides welcomed our offer to forward the resolution text for MFA study. While he could not speak for Foreign Minister Erato Marcoullis, who would determine the government's position, he was confident Cyprus would "push for balance." ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Cyprus has staked balanced, sometimes pro-Israel positions in the past. Enjoying strong ties to both Israelis and Palestinians, it believes it can play a role in bringing peace to the region, and sought to participate in the Annapolis Conference (Ref B). At the same time, however, Cyprus has not shied from bashing the Jewish state in UN fora, evidenced recently by its support for extending the mandate of the plainly anti-Israel Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Ref C). We therefore don't expect the Cypriots to push their EU mates too hard toward a consensus position opposing this latest resolution. ZIMMERMAN