PORTUGAL ON UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL ELECTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 000444

SIPDIS

STATE DEPARTMENT FOR IO/UNESCO:KSIEKMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2019
TAGS: UNESCO PREL PO
SUBJECT: PORTUGAL ON UNESCO DIRECTOR-GENERAL ELECTION

REF: A. STATE 82701

B. 08 LISBON 2689

Classified By: Gary B. Applegarth, Pol-Econ Officer, Reasons 1.4 (b) an
d (d).


1. (U) Poleconoff delivered reftel points on August 12 to
Frederico Nascimento of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign
Affairs' Office of International Political Organizations.
Nascimento thanked us for our input and said Portugal's
preferred candidate will be decided in early September.


2. (C) Nascimento said the candidates from Austria,
Bulgaria, and Ecuador are all capable, but Ms. Baki of
Ecuador, who Nascimento said claimed to be the U.S. favorite,
was somewhat handicapped by Ecuador's diminutive
international stature and her late start in lobbying for the
position. Nascimento said election of Egyptian candidate
Farouk Hosni would give the Arab world increased
international prominence that is overdue, but his previous
statements regarding book burning make it almost impossible
to support him.


3. (C) Nascimento concluded by extolling the virtues of
Russian candidate Alexander Yakovenko, who he said had
pledged more Russian funding to UNESCO if elected.
Nascimento maintained that Russia feels it has an
undeservedly negative reputation in the international
community and that electing a Russian to lead such a
"harmless" organization would somewhat assuage Russia's
sensitivity and encourage more cooperative behavior in the
future.


4. (C) Comment: Nascimento's "nurturing" approach toward
Russia is consistent with Portugal's Russia policy of recent
years (ref B),and a Portugal vote for the Russian candidate
as a means to further its economic diplomacy agenda is not
implausible. End comment.


For more reporting from Embassy Lisbon and information about Portugal,
please see our Intelink site:

http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/portal:port ugal
BALLARD