GOES RESPONDS FAVORABLY TO USG UNGA POSITIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 001069 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2018 TAGS: PHUM PREL UN ES SUBJECT: GOES RESPONDS FAVORABLY TO USG UNGA POSITIONS REF: A. STATE 95334 ¶B. STATE 93981 Classified By: The Ambassador, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: MFA officials responsible for multilateral affairs told us September 5 that El Salvador supports USG positions on all reftel UNGA issues. They undertook to share our concerns with the Salvadoran Mission to the UN in order to coordinate effectively in New York during the UNGA Third Committee session. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Poloffs met with Ambassador Carlos Adrian Velasco Novoa, MFA Multilateral Affairs Director, and Gustavo Argueta, MFA Multilateral Affairs Officer, on September 5. PolCouns raised specific resolutions and broader themes addressed in reftel, and received positive responses from Salvadoran counterparts across the board. In principle, El Salvador supports USG positions on the specific resolutions discussed, and is in favor of any resolutions that guarantee basic human rights. -------------- NO-ACTION MOTIONS -------------- ¶3. (C) Velasco and Argueta said El Salvador recognizes that no-action motions are counterproductive. They plan to recommend to Foreign Minister Argueta that El Salvador vote against no-action motions in the Third Committee, and expect that recommendation to be accepted. -------------- COUNTRY-SPECIFIC RESOLUTIONS -------------- ¶4. (C) On the country-specific resolutions, they said that in principle, El Salvador agrees with the USG position on Iran, and intends to support the Canadian resolution barring major changes. Likewise, El Salvador recognizes the human rights problems in Burma, and in principle, would support a resolution. Velasco said El Salvador acknowledges the dismal state of human rights in the DPRK. He will recommend that, as it did in 2007, El Salvador support all three resolutions and believes the Minister will accept that recommendation. ¶5. (C) Velasco agreed that there are significant human rights problems in Zimbabwe and Sudan, but noted that these are but two of many problems in Africa. When pressed, Velasco said that in principle, El Salvador might support a resolution regarding Zimbabwe, but it would depend on the content of the resolution. He said that El Salvador might be willing to co-sponsor or join a drafting group on a Zimbabwe resolution, but was not enthusiastic a resolution could be successful. Velasco agreed with the U.S. assessment that a Sudan resolution will be very difficult to achieve, could be counterproductive, and is probably impossible. ¶6. (C) Regarding Belarus, Velasco said that he does not anticipate a resolution during the Third Committee session. -------------- -------------- FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) Velasco did not offer any suggestions on how to oppose resolutions that restrict freedom of expression, but said El Salvador is in favor of any solutions that guarantee basic human rights. Velasco said that El Salvador would watch out for resolutions that had these restrictive tendencies, and pledged to alert the Salvadoran delegation in New York to our concerns. ¶8. (C) Velasco said El Salvador supports the freedom of prisoners of conscience. He welcomed the suggestion of reopening the Prisoners of Conscience Declaration for signatures and using the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights to build support on this issue. ¶9. (U) We will follow up with MFA officials in coming days and deliver Ref (A) corrected non-paper. ¶10. (C) Comment: While Salvadoran positions on Third Committee resolutions have yet to be finalized, we expect the Salvadoran delegation to support U.S. positions on the country-specific resolutions and thematic issues raised in reftel. Both Velasco and Argueta urged USUN to reach out early to the Salvadoran mission. Gustavo Argueta will travel to New York from September 15 ) 27. End Comment. GLAZER