BELGIUM: IN BROAD AGREEMENT WITH U.S. POSITIONS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001260

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, IO/RHS, AND DRL/MLGA
GENEVA FOR MARK CASSAYRE, ANNA CHAMBERS, MELANIE KHANNA AND
ANNA MANSFIELD
USUN FOR JENNIFER SIMON, CRAIG KUEHL, JOHN SAMMIS AND
LAURIE PHIPPS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM PINR UN BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: IN BROAD AGREEMENT WITH U.S. POSITIONS IN
UNHRC

REF: STATE 93373

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason for reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA) has similar positions on the upcoming 12th Session of
the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC),with the
only stated difference being that a Russian working group for
UNHRC review might be "positive". Belgium is currently
non-committal on all human rights topics, because all key
players in the Belgian MFA are changing. No director or
deputy director level replacements have yet been officially
named. END SUMMARY



2. (SBU) Attendees to the meeting held on September 3 were:

-- France Chainaye, Director for Human Rights at the
Belgian MFA
-- Sandrine Platteau, Attach for Human Rights at the
Belgian MFA
-- Philip De Muelenaere, Attach for Human Rights at the
Belgian MFA
-- Atul Keshap, Director of the Office of Human Rights,
Humanitarian and Social Affairs (IO/RHS)
-- Lynn Sicade, Senior Policy Advisor for DRL/MLGA
-- Kimberly Phelan, Poloff for the U.S. Mission to
European Union
-- Nick Harris, Poloff for U.S. Mission to Belgium


3. (C) The meeting was cordial but non-committal, because
the key players in the Belgian MFA are changing. Nathalie
Rondeux, former deputy director of human rights, has left and
France Chainaye, the director, is moving on in mid September.
No official replacements have yet been named at the director
or deputy director level. Chainaye said that the new
director for the human rights at the Belgian MFA will not
arrive until November at the earliest. At the lower level,
the team is still being assembled and is for the most part
new to human rights issues.


4. (C) The U.S. side laid out the U.S. priorities for the
upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
(UNHRC) for the Belgians, who agreed "in principle" with all
of the topics, but had minor differences on issues such as
the Durban Review Process text and the proposal for a Russian
working group in the HRC review.


5. (C) Chainaye believed that the Pillay and Goldstone
reports on the Gaza incursion will likely be read together.
She said that she has concerns about the Organization of
Islamic Conference's (OIC) reaction to both reports, as this
could hijack the 12th session. She agreed with the proposed
U.S. strategy of essentially ignoring the reports.


6. (C) The U.S. mentioned the resolution 1881 passed to
extend the UN presence in Sudan as a possible model for
"splitting the African group vote." Chainaye said that the
Belgian mission in Geneva has become a "close observer of the
African and Arab group dynamics."


7. (C) The Durban Review Process (DRP) text was not signed
by the U.S. because the language in it prohibiting incitement
and hate speech is in direct contradiction to the First
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This difference of
opinion on the Freedom of Expression caused divisions in the
Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG). The IO/RHS director
went on to explain how the U.S. has been working to finesse
the language with the Egyptians. The U.S. hopes to "hold the
line" on the text and not subject it to small additions by
Cuba and Russia. Chainaye said that she agreed with the
"general approach 100%".


8. (C) Chainaye said that Belgium was too small to reach
out bilaterally to support resolutions in the UNHRC very
often; this effort would most likely need to take place at
the EU level.


9. (C) Chainaye said that she would support Canada with its
upcoming resolution on Iran and "absolutely" opposes Iran
becoming a member of the UNHRC. However, she did not know of
any country that could successfully run against Iran.


10. (C) In up-coming country-specific resolutions for

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Burundi, Somalia and Cambodia Chainaye expressed general
support for the U.S. positions, but professed not to know all
the details of each resolution.


11. (C) Chainaye said that Belgium was not in favor of a
wholesale review of the HRC as there is "more to lose than to
win". She also said that she was not opposed to a Russian
working group on this subject and described it as "positive".
Regarding the upcoming Russian resolution on traditional
values, she said that Belgium would be opposed if it
undermines universal human rights.

GUTMAN