UNESCO - ISRAEL AMBASSADOR'S VISIT 5 MAY

UNCLAS PARIS 000877 FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS SIPDIS STATE PASS TO NPS - STEPHEN MORRIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNESCO SCUL KPAL XF FR SUBJECT: UNESCO - ISRAEL AMBASSADOR'S VISIT 5 MAY ¶1. (SBU) Summary: UNESCO DG Matsuura is planning a trip to Israel and Ramallah in mid-June. It will be the DG's first visit to Palestine. The Israelis have asked the DG to send Deputy DG Barbosa to Quebec in July to assist with the World Heritage Committee negotiations on World Heritage sites in Jerusalem. Israel's ambassador is not satisfied with UNESCO's work so far regarding the Holocaust Education resolution, and wants an Israeli associate expert to assist with the project, if possible. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Israeli Ambassador to UNESCO, David Kornbluth, accompanied by Embassy staffer, Yael Levy, met with Ambassador Oliver on 5 May to discuss a number of issues of mutual interest. World Heritage Committee - Quebec ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Kornbluth told Ambassador Oliver that he had spoken with Director-General Matsuura privately, and asked that he send the Deputy Director-General, Marcio Barbosa, to Quebec for the upcoming World Heritage Committee meeting in July. Kornbluth said that Barbosa has been indispensable in recent months in facilitating negotiations with Arab states in connection with the Mughrabi Ascent and Jerusalem issues. Ambassador Oliver agreed that Barbosa's presence would be a major plus, given the change of the WH Committee's make-up, which now has five Arab members. (Note: On May 6, Jordan's Ambassador to UNESCO, Dina Kawar, announced an information meeting on the Mughrabi Ascent to the Temple Mount scheduled for 22 May, the first time such a meeting has been called. It would appear that Kawar is setting the stage for some political theatrics regarding Mughrabi in Quebec. End note.) Comment: Deputy DG Barbosa will likely try to derail this meeting, as he considers his handling of the Jerusalem issues to be his and UNESCO's most important success in recent months. End comment. ¶4. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver told Kornbluth that the museum-related equipment held up in Israeli customs, an issue that surfaced briefly as an element in a draft resolution during the 179th Executive Board, is a problem that must be fixed before the Quebec meetings. Ambassador Oliver said that otherwise, it will serve as a flashpoint for the Arab members of the World Heritage Committee. She added that if the problem were resolved and announced at the last minute, it could throw the Arabs off balance, defusing any head-on attacks. DG Election ¶5. (SBU) During a brief exchange on the 2009 DG election, both Ambassadors compared notes on current rumors regarding announced and unannounced candidates. Ambassador Kornbluth said that in his discussions with the French, they now seem to be wavering on their surprisingly early support for the Egyptian candidate, who had reportedly lobbied President Sarkozy during the French president's honeymoon in Luxor. Ambassador Oliver told Kornbluth that she had heard that Executive Board President Yai is planning to send a letter to all delegations in June outlining the procedure regarding the election process. The next step will be a formal agenda item during October's Executive Board, after which the campaigns will begin in earnest. ¶6. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver mentioned that Deputy DG Barbosa (Brazil) is a possible candidate for DG, and speculated that newly appointed ADG Hans D'Orville could possibly become acting Deputy DG at some point so that Barbosa could take a leave of absence and campaign full time for the DG job. Kornbluth praised Barbosa, saying that he would be an interesting candidate, given his help on Middle Eastern issues. International Conference on Palestinian Refugees ¶7. (SBU) When asked about the UN-New York organized International Conference on Palestinian Refugees held at UNESCO last week (29-30 April),Kornbluth said that he had heard nothing at all following the meeting. He did note that the Director-General had made a point of being out of town during the meeting, and felt obliged to send Deputy DG Barbosa, despite Kornbluth's request that no high-level UNESCO representatives participate. Kornbluth said that the DG stressed to him that it was not a UNESCO event. Ambassador Oliver said that no Group I ambassadors attended, as far as she knew, except for a five-minute fly-by by the Portuguese ambassador. The US Mission is not aware of any communiqus or other reports coming from the meeting to date. Director-General to Israel and Palestine in June ¶8. (SBU) Ambassador Kornbluth said that the Director-General is planning to visit Israel, and for the first time, will make a trip to Palestine in mid-June. According to the Israeli Embassy, the Director-General will arrive in Israel on June 14, spend June 15 in Jerusalem, and will travel to Ramallah on June 16. (Note: Kornbluth mentioned that the Director-General had purposefully avoided visiting the Mughrabi Ascent during his previous visits to Jerusalem. End note.) Kornbluth said that the Director-General's office had asked him to comment on the planned schedule, but Kornbluth said that he prefers not to sign-off on what the Director-General is doing. New French Ambassador to UNESCO ¶9. (SBU) Kornbluth said that he has already met the new French ambassador to UNESCO, Ms. Colonna. He said that she is one of the "very efficient" French "fonctionnaires"-types out of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration mold. Ambassador Oliver suggested that the French may be beefing up their presence at UNESCO in advance of the EU presidency. Kornbluth, on the other hand, said that maybe UNESCO is just a parking place for her until another job opens up. Kornbluth doubted that the choice of Colonna is a sign of personal interest in UNESCO by Sarkozy, but agreed that it is more likely a decision taken by the Quai D'Orsay to increase French visibility at UNESCO in the lead-up to the EU presidency. Holocaust Education ¶10. (SBU) Kornbluth said that there have been two working group meetings led by the Education Sector regarding Holocaust Education, following the General Conference's decision on the subject last October. Kornbluth added that Nick Burnett, the ADG for Education, has taken over the chairmanship of the working group, at least in name, to demonstrate his interest. At the same time, Ambassador Kornbluth said that, so far, UNESCO's lack of passion about the subject, and lack of money to do anything should a program be devised, is troubling. He added that he would like to get an Israeli in place as a associate expert to help guide Holocaust Education in-house. It was suggested that any plan put forward by an Israeli would be an inviting target for various Arab member states, and that a plan designed by a group of international graduate-level students and experts from various universities or institutions might be better received. ¶11. (SBU) Ambassador Oliver mentioned that when the United Nations Foundation (UNF) wished to put forward proposals on climate change to UNESCO, it worked on its own to develop a complete list of resources and ideas that ultimately were adopted and presented as UNESCO recommendations. Ambassador Oliver suggested that perhaps a similar approach could work in developing resources and strategies on Holocaust Education to be presented to UNESCO. Both Ambassadors agreed that whatever recommendations or reports were to be presented to the 180th Executive Board, should be discretely tucked into the "DG's Report on items agreed at previous Executive Board meetings - Item 5", rather than be presented as a stand-alone agenda item. OLIVER