BELGIUM ON US PARTICIPATION IN THE UNHRC AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000292 SIPDIS STATE PASS EUR/WE FOR KATHERINE SHARP, EUR/PGI FOR NERISSA COOK AND JEN ELBRIDGE, AND IO/RHS FOR GAYATRI PATEL AND AMY OSTERMEIER E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM ON US PARTICIPATION IN THE UNHRC AND POSTURE ON THE DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE REF: A. STATE 18282 ¶B. BRUSSELS 238 Classified By: Acting DCM Richard Eason for reason 1.4 (B) and (D). UN Human Rights Council -------------- ¶1. (C) Poloff shared reftel A points February 27 with MFA Human Rights Attache Nathalie Rondeux. Rondeux immediately focused on the final talking point on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC),that the U.S. has not decided whether to seek a seat or not. She said Belgium was one of three candidates (Belgium, Norway, and New Zealand) running unopposed for the three open seats in the WEOG (Western) group. Rondeux said an U.S. candidacy could affect Belgium's chances of gaining a seat. However, she noted that it is customary for an EU member to be selected for a seat each year, and Belgium was the only member in the running. She underscored the importance to Belgium of sitting on the UNHRC. Belgium has been the harshest critic of the UNHRC within the EU, and plans to raise its concerns and work to make the council function better if it obtains a seat. ¶2. (U) Rondeux said Belgium welcomes the U.S. decision to participate again in the UNHRC. She hoped the U.S. would be an active observer and join in negotiations. Belgium is ready to work with the U.S. delegation, though there may be differences on certain subjects. One resolution on which she predicted differing U.S. - EU positions was the resolution to be introduced by Mexico on human rights and terrorism. Belgium will coordinate the EU common position and defend it at the UNHRC. She added that in the past, the mood was always constructive, even when the U.S. and the EU disagreed. U.S. Posture on the Durban Review Conference -------------- ¶3. (C) Rondeux was less generous in her reaction to the U.S. decision to stop negotiations on the draft text for the Durban Review Conference. Rondeux reminded Poloff Belgium was committed to working and negotiating to obtain a good document as reported in reftel B. She characterized the U.S. decision to pull out, wait for others to do the heavy negotiating, and then consider returning at the end, if the U.S. likes the document, as unfair. Belgium felt that the U.S. presence at the last meeting improved the atmosphere during the negotiations. Belgium will participate in the working group, and Rondeux predicted that a significantly improved and shorter text will be drafted by the end of March. She said Belgium and Europe share most of the U.S. concerns and that most controversial language would likely be removed, especially the language referring to defamation of religion. The one U.S. redline she said would be difficult to achieve, and which the Europeans would not support, was the second point from reftel A, regarding the reaffirmation of the previous Durban document. Belgium and the Europeans stayed and negotiated this document in 2001, and supported it as a good compromise. Rondeux said Belgium suggested the paragraph that affirms the Durban document in the review draft and views this paragraph as the best way to shorten the text, another U.S. goal. ¶4. (U) As a final point, Rondeux offered an observation on what she described as different U.S. and European "theological" views of the concept of race. She said Europe does not accept the division of humankind into races, and referred to a UN finding that there is only one human race. She said the EU would discuss ethnic identity, origin, color, and other differences that were "real". Rondeux commented that U.S. categorization of people into different races was curious from the European point of view. BUSH .