TFGG01: COSTA RICA SUPPORTS DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN JOSE 000662 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN AND IO/UNP JMARIZ. E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018 TAGS: UNSC GE PREL PBTS PGOV CS SUBJECT: TFGG01: COSTA RICA SUPPORTS DRAFT UNSC RESOLUTION ON GEORGIA, BUT BELIEVES IT COULD BE STRONGER REF: STATE 86130 Classified By: Political/Economic Counselor David E. Henifin for reason 1.4(d). ¶1. (C) On August 12, we delivered reftel demarche to Adriana Murillo and Juan Salas of the MFA's UNSC team, and to Antonio Alarcon, COS to FonMin Bruno Stagno. Alarcon assured us that the GOCR supported the resolution, and he understood the importance of unified Council action in the face of a likely Russian veto. He was not aware of the latest vote count, however. Alarcon (as is his custom) said he would confer with Minister Stagno and get back to us ASAP with any fresh information. ¶2. (C) The MFA working-level response was (typically) more caveated. Murillo told us that "in principle" Costa Rica agreed with the second draft version of the French resolution, but that the GOCR was waiting to see if and/or how the text changed. She and Salas stopped short of making a firm commitment to supporting the resolution "as is." Murillo cautioned about both sides bandying around words like "genocide" -- words that cannot be taken lightly, in her view. She confirmed, however, that Costa Rica had pronounced publicly that it supported an immediate cease-fire, a return to a pre-August 7 status, refugee protection, and protection of the civilian population (the latter on the part of the Georgians as well as the Russians). Murillo added that if a Russian veto of the resolution were certain, then the text could be made much stronger, and, in that case, Costa Rica would want to offer amendments that would deal primarily with protection of civilians above all. Murillo said that the GOCR was therefore waiting to see Russia's point of view, and asked us to inform the MFA as soon as we knew Russia's position. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: We have seen this bifurcated GOCR reaction before -- clear support from the MFA front office, but a more nuanced approach at lower levels. Costa Rica seems determined to take every opportunity to make its mark on Council action, especially when human rights-related issues are involved. Although we are ready to push (again) on the GOCR here, USUN may want to lean heavily and soon on the Costa Rican Mission in New York to prevent Costa Rican perfectionism from becoming an enemy of the good enough in this case. CIANCHETTE