(C) CYPRUS LIKELY TO STAY "NEUTRAL" ON THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000694 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, IO/HR PAUL KRUCHOWSKI, IO/UNP ANDREW MORRISSON, NEA/IPA JEFFREY GIAUQUE; USUN FOR ELLEN GERMAIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER IS KPAL SUBJECT: (C) CYPRUS LIKELY TO STAY "NEUTRAL" ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT REF: STATE 112828 Classified By: DCM Jonathan R. Cohen for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) (C) Poloff delivered reftel points November 4 to Cyprus MFA Head of the Department of Multilateral Affairs and International Organizations Michalis Stavrinos. Stavrinos agreed the goal in this case is peace, along with the issues of accountability and human rights. He noted that EU countries had been holding discussions to pursue a consensus position, and the GOC had been active in trying to find language that could be acceptable. If the EU reached a consensus, he said, Cyprus would follow; if not, the GOC "would not take a position that would harm the principles of peace and accountability." When pressed, he indicated he could not imagine a situation in which Cyprus would be the only EU country voting in favor of a resolution; he imagined it would abstain instead. He hastily added, to rephrase, that he thought that the GOC position would either be "in line with the U.S. or neutral." Stavrinos told us he would ask his mission in New York to be in contact with the U.S. mission. URBANCIC