SWITZERLAND SUPPORTS RENEWAL OF MANDATE FOR THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000241

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR IO/RHS (A.OSTERMEIER/G.PATEL),DRL/MLGA
(L.SICADE),AND EUR/CE (Y.SAINT-ANDRE)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2019
TAGS: AORC PHUM PREL SZ
SUBJECT: SWITZERLAND SUPPORTS RENEWAL OF MANDATE FOR THE
SUDAN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR

REF: SECSTATE 55852

Classified By: POLE Counselor Richard Rorvig;
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA)
Ambassador Andrea Semadeni, Special Envoy for the Sudan and
the Horn of Africa, and Esther Keimer, FDFA program officer
for Sub-Saharan Africa, told poloff on June 4 in response to
reftel demarche that Switzerland was in favor of renewing the
mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights
situation in Sudan. Semadeni stressed that countries like
the U.S. and Switzerland will never have a majority on the
Human Rights Council, and that Switzerland therefore supports
dialogue in order to try to reach a mutually agreed upon
outcome. He added, though, that this sometimes becomes a
"dialogue of the deaf," as neither side is willing to
compromise.


2. (C) Semadeni and Keimer praised the work of Special
Rapporteur Sima Samar, and said that when Samar is in Sudan,
Swiss Ambassador Andrej Motyl arranges meetings between Samar
and generally less constructive Sudanese actors at the
Ambassador's residence. These meetings are an attempt by
Motyl to show the Sudanese that Samar herself is from a
country with a troubled history of human rights, and
therefore is in a good position to work with the Sudanese
government on this issue.


3. (C) Keimer told poloff of a project Switzerland initiated
with Sudan after the Special Session on Darfur in 2006 in
order to assist in implementing the Group of Experts' list of
recommendations. Semadeni wryly remarked that the Government
of Sudan "appreciates" the support, or at least says that it
does. Keimer added that "The Project," as FDFA calls this
bilateral initiative, obliges Sudan to remain involved with
the HRC throughout the year, rather than only once a year.


4. (C) On a separate note, Semadeni emphasized that the
Government of Switzerland was very pleased to have the USG
back on the HRC, assessing that the institution was weakened
as a result of non-participation by the U.S. in recent years.
Keimer added that she hoped the balance of the HRC would be
tilted more favorably now that the U.S. is a member.
CARTER