SLOVENIA SUPPORTS U.S. PRIORITIES AT HUMAN RIGHTS

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000289 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL UN SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA SUPPORTS U.S. PRIORITIES AT HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REF: STATE 93373 ¶1. Emboff delivered reftel demarche on September 11 to Smiljana Knez, Minister Plenipotentiary in the Slovenian MFA's International Organization and Human Security Division, to encourage Slovenian support for U.S. priorities during the upcoming Human Rights Council (HRC) Session and to gather insights on other resolutions that may be offered. Knez was supportive on the four issues of U.S. priority, and said that Slovenia was in favor of a balanced resolution on freedom of expression. Slovenia also would support continuation of the special procedures mandates for Somalia, Cambodia, and Burundi. Regarding Russian priorities, she stated that Russia could introduce a procedural resolution on the 2011 HRC review that might be more important to the Russians than the resolution on traditional values. She also noted that Russia would likely only pursue the latter if there was a consensus. Slovenia,s position on the procedural resolution is that it is premature. Slovenia will support a resolution on human rights education put forth by a cross-regional platform of six countries, of which Slovenia is a part. FREDEN