OMAN - UNGA COUNTRY SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L MUSCAT 001031 SIPDIS FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, DRL-MLGA AND IO-RHS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/11/18 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA MU SUBJECT: OMAN - UNGA COUNTRY SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTIONS REF: STATE 116270; STATE 109397; STATE 108921; MUSCAT 985 CLASSIFIED BY: Richard J Schmierer, Ambassador, State, Exec; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Pol Econ Chief used a November 17 meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the issue of United Nations country specific human rights reports (ref a) and revisit previously delivered demarches on United Nations 64th General Assembly Third Committee (refs b, c, and d). Counselor Ahmad bin Sa'id bin Umar al-Kathiri, Deputy Director of the American Affairs Department, took all on board with little comment. He said that he hoped that the KPRK and Burma resolutions passed. Notably, he made no comment on the Iran resolution. ¶2. (C) Al-Kathiri agreed that no action motions are bad procedure and said that all resolutions should come to a vote. However, he made no pledge as to Oman's votes. He promised to relay to the Embassy any substantive response, but noted also that "no response is also a response." Schmierer