ACTION REQUEST: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ELECTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 049110

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2018
TAGS: FR PHUM SP UK
SUBJECT: ACTION REQUEST: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Classified By: IO DAS Grover Joseph Rees, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (C) This is an action request. Please see paragraphs 3
and 5. Three of the five regional groups will have contested
elections for the UN Human Rights Council: Eastern Europe,
WEOG, and the Asia Group. Mission is requested to assess the
likely outcome of a) the six candidacies for four Asia group
slots and b) the three candidates for the two WEOG slots in
the upcoming Human Rights Council election, to be held May 21
in New York. Mission is also requested to assess whether
U.S. assistance on behalf of our preferred candidates would
be likely to help their chances for election (particularly
with respect to East Timor),and if so what type of
assistance would be most effective.

Asia Group Candidacies
--------------


2. (C) The U.S. is particularly concerned with the outcome
of the Asia group election where there are six candidates
(Bahrain, Japan, South Korea, Timor-Leste, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka) for only four slots. Three of these candidates ---
Japan, Korea, and Timor --- have generally good domestic
human rights records as well as good voting records on
U.S.-supported human rights initiatives in multilateral fora.
The United States actively encouraged Timor-Leste to run for
the Council, and Department officials have since received
mixed messages about Timor-Leste's chances for success.


3. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Department requests Post to quietly
assess the chances of each of the six Asia Group candidates,
and to determine whether U.S. assistance, and if so what type
of assistance, would help Timor Leste's candidacy in
particular.

Western Europe and Other Group Candidacies (WEOG)
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4. (C) Three countries are running for the two open WEOG
seats: France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Apart from
Canada, the United Kingdom is the closest U.S. ally on the
Human Rights Council and can be a strong advocate for our
shared interests at the Human Rights Council. Department
officials have been told that France appears to have agreed
to support Spain's lobbying efforts in West Africa in return
for Spain's support of France's bid in Central and South
America. Should such an agreement exist, it would run
counter to the longstanding informal agreement between the
permanent members of the UN Security Council (P-5) to support
one another's candidacies for UN bodies.


5. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Post is requested to quietly assess
the chances of the British, French and Spanish candidacies,
to follow up discreetly with UK colleagues on the issues
discussed in paragraph 4, and to advise whether U.S.
assistance would be helpful to the UK's candidacy.

U.S. Position on UN HRC Elections
--------------


6. (C) Voting instructions for the HRC elections will be
forthcoming in septel. While the longstanding U.S. policy is
not to reveal our vote before or after a UN election, it is
in our interest to encourage an outcome favoring countries
with strong human rights records. The Department will be
assessing the pledges and records of all candidates and will
provide instructions accordingly.

Reporting Deadline
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7. (U) Department requests response by Monday, May 12 to the
attention of Amy Ostermeier, IO/RHS.


8. (U) Department appreciates Mission's assistance with this
request.
RICE