YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO ENSURE PASSAGE OF THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 117889


FOR THE AMBASSADOR OR CHARGE FROM ASSISTANT SECRETARIES HILL
HOOK AND KRAMER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2018
TAGS: PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TO ENSURE PASSAGE OF THE
RESOLUTIONS ON IRAN, BURMA, DPRK

REF: STATE 93981


Classified By: David Kramer per E.O. 12948 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) This is an action request. See paras 3, 9-12.

SUMMARY
--------------


2. (SBU) Department requests that posts encourage host
governments to vote against no-action and
for the resolutions on Iran, Burma, and the DPRK (North
Korea). Ambassador or Charge is requested
to engage at the highest appropriate level drawing on host
country's past voting record and on the
background and key priorities outlined in below. End Summary.

Objectives
--------------


3. (U) Department requests that posts pursue the following
objectives. If post believes this demarche
would be counterproductive, Post is requested to so advise
Department and not demarche.

-- For Embassies Canberra and Wellington: Express gratitude
for host government,s stalwart support of
and lobbying for country-specific resolutions. Encourage
them to lobby actively and to continue
coordinating with the USG, Canada and France in New York.

-- For Embassy Tokyo: Express gratitude for Japan,s
consistent support for country resolutions.
Encourage Japan to actively lobby for passage of these
resolutions.

-- For Embassy Seoul: Express gratitude for principled
opposition to no-action motions and for
support on the Burma resolution. Encourage host government
to vote in favor of the Iran and
DPRK resolutions.

-- For Embassies Ulaanbaatar, Apia, Port Moresby (for
Vanuatu),Koror, Dili, Kolonia, Majuro, Suva
(for Fiji, Nauru, and Tonga): Express gratitude for their
opposition to no-action motions and (except for
Ulaanbaatar and Papua New Guinea) for the underlying
substantive resolutions.

-- For Embassies Ulaanbaatar and Port Moresby: Encourage
host governments to vote in favor of
the Iran, Burma, and DPRK resolutions or if host government
cannot to abstain as it did last year.

-- For all other EAP Embassies: Your host government has a
mixed record. Please see para 9 below.
Where possible encourage host governments to abstain or be
absent on both Iran votes. Where possible
encourage host governments to vote against or abstain on
no-action on Burma and to support or abstain
on the substantive resolution.

-- For all posts: Emphasize that the use of such motions is
a serious problem for the UNGA that all
countries must continue to fight. The U.S. and numerous
other countries strongly oppose the use of
such motions to prevent discussion of and action on the very
human rights issues that the Third
Committee is supposed to address. Host governments should be
encouraged to vote in favor of the
resolution on DPRK and to oppose no-action in the unlikely
event such a motion is offered.

REPORTING DEADLINE
--------------


4. (U) The Department requests a response via front channel
cable by Friday, November 7. Please
copy USUN on all responses. Ambassador or Charge is asked to
include any thoughts on necessary
next steps, such as a call from an Assistant Secretary or a
Seventh Floor principal. Posts, thoughts on
how to best frame the US argument are welcomed. Ideas on
other incentives Post may think useful
are also welcomed.

BACKGROUND
--------------


5. (U) The United States agenda for the UN General
Assembly,s (UNGA) Third Committee necessitates
concerted, high-level lobbying for every potential vote in
order to achieve success. Votes from countries
in your region were crucial last year and will be even more
important this year.


6. (U) The top USG priority is the adoption of a
Canadian-led resolution condemning the deteriorating
situation of human rights in Iran. Other important
initiatives include the EU-led resolutions on the human
rights situations in Burma and DPRK.


7. (U) Both the Iran and Burma resolutions face certain
no-action motions ) a procedural maneuver
used to stifle debate and voting. It is the firm U.S.
position that countries voting in favor of no-action on
country resolutions are voting to support the violation of
human rights in those countries. The U.S. opposes
no-action motions in the third committee as a matter of
principle.


8. (U) The 2007 no-action motion on Iran failed by only one
vote; we have every reason to believe this will
be a more difficult fight this year. Every vote counts.
Therefore, we must praise and thank countries that
have stood firm and voted &no8 against no action motions,
appeal to those who have abstained to vote no,
and encourage those who have voted &yes8 in support of the
no action motions to at least abstain or be
absent.


9. (C) In EAP those critical swing votes are the Pacific
Island nations and Mongolia. A non-inclusive
background summary of country voting histories from the 2007
Iran resolution and no action motion is as follows:

-- Australia and New Zealand oppose no action and lobby
against no-action motions. Japan and the ROK
take an active interest in the DPRK draft resolution. There
is a lobbying effort in New York in which these
countries participate.

-- Mongolia, Samoa, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Micronesia,
Nauru, Timor Leste, Palau, the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, Fiji, and Tonga - all opposed no-action
motions last year. On substance Mongolia and
Papua New Guinea abstained while the rest supported the
resolution.

-- Kiribati should be encouraged to give its proxy to New
Zealand for a no vote on the no-action motion and
a &yes8 vote on the Iran draft human rights resolution and
for the other two resolutions, if possible, in time
for the Third Committee vote. Last year they did not do so
for Third Committee, but did vote &no8 on the
Iran no-action motion and &yes8 on the Iran and DPRK
resolutions in the Plenary. We would like them
to vote on Burma too this year.

-- The Solomon Islands and Tuvalu abstained on the no-action
motion in the Third Committee and then
switched to voting yes for the no action motion in the
Plenary. The Solomon,s also abstained on substance
while Tuvalu voted for the Iran resolution in the Third
Committee. Both switched to no votes in the Plenary.
These are very significant voting shifts that we will want to
try to overturn.

-- The Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia,
Laos and Thailand ) all voted. in support of
the Iran no-action motion. On the Burma resolution, the
Philippines and Singapore abstained on no-action
and on substance and Indonesia voted &no8 on no-action and
abstained on the substance in the Third
Committee. At a minimum we need to ensure they continue to
abstain or vote no on the Burma no-action
motion. We should try to get Southeast Asian countries to be
not present for the Iran no action motion,
if it is too difficult for them to openly abstain, pointing
out that one vote could make the difference.

-- On DPRK: China, DPRK, Indonesia, Laos, Burma and Viet Nam
voted no. Mongolia was absent. Brunei
Darussalam, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand abstained. All other EAP
countries supported the DPRK resolution.


10. (U) Countries should also be encouraged to support the
substantive resolutions for which no-action
motions are called. Votes will likely be the week of
November 24, but could come as early as November 18.
(Note: The UNGA Third Committee, which meets for seven weeks
each October and November, is comprised
of all 192 UN member states.)


11. (C) When delivering the demarche, posts are urged to
consult UN and/or Bureau of International
Organization Affairs (IO) records on past voting practices of
host countries. UN voting sheets for all Third
Committee resolutions for 2006 and 2007 are available on the
IO/RHS unclass intranet website at Http://www.
io.state.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.disp lay&shortc
ut=4Y5P.


12. (C) Posts may also use the non-papers on Iran, Burma, and
the DPRK found at the Bureau of International
Organization,s SBU intranet site as background and if useful
as a handout. This is found at the same site
as the voting material. Posts may also find additional
information on the SIPRANet Intellpedia Wiki site at the
International Organizations page at http://www.
io.state.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=
public.display&shortcut=4Y5P.


13. (C) Posts may also use the non-papers on Iran, Burma
and the DPRK found at the Bureau of
International Organization,s SBU intranet site as background
and if useful as a handout. These are found
at the same site as the voting material. Posts may also
find additional information on the SIPRANet Intellpedia
Wiki site at the International Organizations page at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/
International Organizations Team.


14. (U) POINTS OF CONTACT: Please contact DRL/MLGA Lynn
Sicade (sicadelm@state.gov, 647-2362
or Alyson Grunder grunderal@state.gov, 647-4380) with any
questions or further information or justification
for additional argumentation.
RICE