BOLIVIA: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL DEMARCHE DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L LA PAZ 000594 SIPDIS PASS TO AMY OSTERMEIER AND GAYATRI PATEL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PHUM PINR ENVR ASEC BL SUBJECT: BOLIVIA: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: A. STATE 36629 ¶B. STATE 31175 ¶C. 08 LA PAZ 2307 Classified By: A/EcoPol Chief Brian Quigley for reasons 1.4 (b, d) ¶1. (U) As per reftel B, PolOff on April 9 demarched Bolivian MFA Americas Section Chief Maria Estella Mendoza regarding USG candidacy for the UN Human Rights Council. On April 15, Post delivered via diplomatic note the points listed in Reftel A. ¶2. (C) During the April 9 meeting, Mendoza lamented that she would not be able to engage in any conversation on the topic until she received a diplomatic note. When PolOff attempted to give her a non-paper with relevant information for her consideration and further discussion, she refused to take it, remarking that it was "not official." She stressed the formality of her office, and said the MFA would accept nothing less than a diplomatic note from any country's mission, not just the United States, when it came to any action request. Post has been informed by other MFA sources that USG demarches and diplomatic notes often have the opposite of their intended effect, with MFA and Presidential Palace hard-liners opposing any proposal almost sight unseen (reftel C). ¶3. (U) On April 15, post delivered a diplomatic note with the information included in reftel A. PolOff attempted to contact Mendoza for follow-up comment, but was unsuccessful. Post will forward any substantive response from the MFA. URS