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
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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
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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
.