64TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY/THIRD COMMITTEE:

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000472

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR IO/HR (C.NEVILLE),DRL/MLGA (C.SIBILLA),AND
EUR/CE (Y.SAINT-ANDRE)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREL UN SZ LS
SUBJECT: 64TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY/THIRD COMMITTEE:
SWITZERLAND/LIECHTENSTEIN ON USG PRIORITIES

REF: STATE 109397

Classified By: A/POLE counselor Chris Buck; reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Summary: Switzerland and Liechtenstein reject "no
action" motions as a matter of principle, and they expect to
support the UNGA Third Committee resolutions on the human
rights situations in Iran, Burma, and the DPRK. They also
plan to support the USG's biennial resolution on free
elections, and generally share USG concerns about the concept
of "defamation of religion." End Summary.

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SWITZERLAND
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2. (SBU) Responding to reftel message in an October 29
meeting with A/POLE counselor, Simon Amman, acting Head of
the Human Rights Policy Section at the Federal Department of
Foreign Affairs (FDFA),emphasized that Switzerland rejects
"no action" motions as a matter of principle. He said that
he expects Switzerland will again support the
country-specific resolutions on Iran, Burma, and the DPRK.


3. (C) In the context of discussing the country-specific
resolutions, Amman added that, while he anticipated that
Switzerland would again co-sponsor the Burma and DPRK texts,
he thought it likely that Switzerland this year would not
co-sponsor the Iran resolution -- but still would vote in
favor of it. The reason for this, he explained, is rooted in
the Swiss government's ongoing efforts to assist the
P5-plus-1 in its talks with Iran on the nuclear issue, as
Switzerland had done most recently on October 1 in Geneva.
There is concern at the FDFA that co-sponsorship of the Iran
resolution could undercut Switzerland's ability to deal with
Tehran and to support ongoing multilateral diplomatic efforts
in this area. The issue of co-sponsorship notwithstanding,
Amman underlined that the events following Iran's June
elections had only further isolated the Iranian government,
and reinforced the basis for the Iran resolution.


4. (C) Amman said that he expects that Switzerland will
support the USG's biennial resolution on free elections, and
reiterated that Switzerland fully shares USG concerns
regarding the concept of "defamation of religion." He
commended the USG for its success in the UN Human Rights
Council with the joint U.S./Egypt freedom of expression
resolution. However, Amman asked informally why the USG had
selected Egypt as a partner in this endeavor, given the
Egyptian government's own relatively poor track-record, he
argued, in defending freedom of expression within Egypt.
A/POLE counselor observed that Egypt is an important regional
actor, and that achieving Egypt's support for the resolution
resonates in the Muslim world and provides an opening for the
USG and other like-minded states to continue to press Egypt
to improve its own human rights record (i.e., to set an
example). Amman mentioned that Switzerland has an ongoing
diplomatic initiative in Saudi Arabia to urge the Saudi
Arabian government to cease the use of corporal punishment.
He said that Switzerland is working with Canada, Australia,
and New Zealand on this effort, and would welcome working
with the USG as well. Amman -- who normally covers Middle
East issues in the FDFA's human rights policy section --
concluded by saying that Switzerland, in general, would
welcome combining efforts with the USG on country-specific
diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East.

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LIECHTENSTEIN
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5. (SBU) Responding to reftel message on November 3, Andrea
Hoch, who covers UN human rights issues at the Foreign Office
in Vaduz, informed A/POLE counselor that Liechtenstein
opposes "no action" motions and supports the resolutions on
Iran, Burma, and the DPRK. She said that Liechtenstein also
supports the USG thematic resolution on free elections, and
has always been "very skeptical" about the concept of
"defamation of religion." Hoch said that she was not aware
of the latest details concerning the defamation resolution,
and noted that the Liechtenstein Mission to the UN in New
York has the lead in dealing with UNGA resolutions, and
generally only consults Vaduz regarding topics of immediate
relevance to Liechtenstein.
CARTER