DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT

UNCLAS PRETORIA 002257 SIPDIS IO/HR, PAUL KRUCHOWSKI; IO/UNP, ANDREW MORRISON; NEA/IPA, JEFFREY GIAUQUE; USUN NY, ELLEN GERMAIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SF SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT REF: STATE 112828 ¶1. On November 3, poloff made phone contact with Pitso Montwedi, Chief Director for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO),to advise of the U.S. message (reftel). Mr. Montwedi was engaged in meetings in New York, but he agreed to receive talking points by fax at the South African Consulate there. Paragraph 10 points were duly formatted as a non-paper and faxed. On November 4, poloff received an email from a Consulate employee saying the points had been shared with the SAG mission to the U.N. ¶2. In the absence of a reply, post advises that based on past impressions and conversations we anticipate South Africa will likely support the resolution to be presented in the November 4 debate, in any form endorsing the Goldstone Report. Post feels there is little likelihood of our changing the South African position. GIPS