UGANDA: UNGA IRAN, BURMA, NORTH KOREA DEMARCHES

C O N F I D E N T I A L KAMPALA 001268 SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO/HR COLLEEN NEVILLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/30/2019 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA UG SUBJECT: UGANDA: UNGA IRAN, BURMA, NORTH KOREA DEMARCHES DELIVERED REF: A. STATE 109397 ¶B. 08 KAMPALA 1640 ¶C. 08 KAMPALA 1476 ¶D. 08 KAMPALA 1237 Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Aaron Sampson for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) Poloff urged Uganda to vote against no action motions and in favor of Third Committee resolutions on Iran, Burma, and North Korea per reftel on October 28. Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Multilateral Affairs Officer, Issac Sebulime, and the Acting Chief of the Ministry's Social Unit, Martinez Mangusho, said Uganda generally supports no action motions and abstains on actual resolutions if the no action motions fail. Sebulime said this policy is based on Uganda's belief that the UN Human Rights Commission is the appropriate venue for discussing human rights situations in specific countries, and the practical reality that Uganda is unable to independently analyze human rights issues outside of East Africa. ¶2. (C) Poloff also raised Uganda's inconsistent UN voting pattern, noting that in 2006 Uganda voted with the United States on no action motions and resolutions but flipped in 2007, voting for no action motions and against Third Committee resolutions. Sebulime attributed this voting pattern to previous internal contradictions within the Minstry of Foreign Affairs (see reftels for background). Pressed on how Uganda will vote this year, Sebulime said that as a member of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Uganda is sensitive to the concerns of other OIC members and will therefore likely support the no-action motions and abstain on resolution texts. LANIER