ROMANIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON THE GOLDSTONE

UNCLAS BUCHAREST 000740 UNCLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT FOR IO/HR, PAUL KRUCHOWSKI, IO/UNP, ANDREW MORRISON, NEA/IPA, JEFFREY GIAUQUE, EUR/CE ASCHEIBE, AND USUN NEW YORK, ELLEN GERMAIN SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAL PREL PHUM PTER RO SUBJECT: ROMANIAN RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT REF: SECSTATE 112828 ¶1. (SBU) POLOFF delivered REF demarche on 3 November 2009 to Razvan Rotundu, MFA Head of OSCE, Council of Europe and Human Rights Directorate, and Cosmin Boiangiu, MFA Head of United Nations Affairs Directorate. Rotundu stated that the Government of Romania (GOR) shared the U.S. point of view. Rotundu further indicated that Romania advocating within the EU for other member states to similarly oppose the resolution on the Goldstone Report. Boiangiu indicated that it was the GOR's preference for the Goldstone Report to remain within the Human Rights Council. The GOR advocated for a balanced approach to investigating the Gaza conflict, but Boiangiu said that they would follow the EU's lead when it came to votes at the general assembly. Both Boiangiu and Rotundu concurred with the U.S. assessment that the recommendations in the Goldstone report could be detrimental to the Middle-East peace negotiations. GITENSTEIN