MAURITIUS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE VOTES ON UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000310 SENSITIVE SIPDIS AF/E FOR MARIA BEYZEROV IO/RHS REBECCA JOVIN DRL/MLGA LYNN SICADE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL UN MP SUBJECT: MAURITIUS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE VOTES ON UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE ISSUES REF: STATE 93981 ¶1. (SBU) PolOff delivered ref demarche to Mr. Rabindranath Sawmy, First Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation on September 10. POLOFF noted Mauritius' low voting coincidence with USG in the UN, and presented human rights as the area of voting that has the potential to see a greater voting coincidence between US and Mauritius --citing GOM's break from traditionally abstaining from country specific votes by speaking out and voting to highlight human rights abuses in Burma as well as the recent change of vote from "yes" to "abstention" on the Pakistani introduced resolution on Defamation of Religions in the Human Rights Council after a previous USG demarche. ¶2. (SBU) Sawmy said that he expects that the recent changes of GOM position to condemn human rights violations in Burma and abstain from "Defamation of Religion" resolutions will likely not change. Sawmy said that the points on "No-action motions" and other demarche points will be considered; however, he doubts that the GOM will change many of its historical positions because Mauritius will continue to block vote with African and other political groups. CABRERA