CANADA COULD SUPPORT MALDIVES' RESOLUTION WITH KEY

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 000317 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR IO/RHS REBECCA JOVIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2013 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KGHG MV CA SUBJECT: CANADA COULD SUPPORT MALDIVES' RESOLUTION WITH KEY CHANGES REF: STATE 19889 CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS SCOTT BELLARD, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) ACCORDING TO DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ROBERT SINCLAIR AND BILATERAL/INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT AND CARBON MARKETS POLICY ANALYST BRIANNA PETERSON, CANADA MAY SUPPORT THE MALDIVES' HRC RESOLUTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS, BUT ONLY WITH KEY CHANGES. THEY ADDED THAT CANADA SHARED MANY U.S. CONCERNS ABOUT THE RESOLUTION. ¶2. (C) SINCLAIR AND PETERSON NOTED THAT, DURING A FEBRUARY 29 INFORMAL CONSULTATION IN GENEVA WITH APPROXIMATELY 19 COUNTRIES, THE CANADIAN REPRESENTATIVE HAD STATED THAT WHILE CANADA WAS HAPPY TO SEE THE INCLUSION OF OP2, IT HAD SOME REMAINING CONCERNS, NOTABLY ABOUT PP9 AND OP3. THEY REMARKED THAT THE CANADIAN REPRESENTATIVE HAD BEEN SURPRISED BY THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES THAT APPEARED TO DISAGREE WITH CANADA'S CONCERNS ABOUT PP9. SINCLAIR AND PETERSON CONFIRMED THAT CANADA STRONGLY BELIEVED THE HRC SHOULD ENSURE THAT THE RESOLUTION DOES NOT BECOME POLITICIZED. VISIT CANADA,S ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT FORUM AT HTTP://WWW.INTELINK.GOV/COMMUNITIES/STATE/CAN ADA WILKINS