USUN MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000480

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL
SUBJECT: USUN MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMISSION OF JURISTS

SUBJECT: USUN MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMISSION OF JURISTS


1. This is an action request. See paragraph 7.


2. Ambassador Wolff met May 5 with two members of the
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Eminent Jurists
Panel (EJP),Mary Robinson and Robert Goldman. The
eight-member EJP recently completed a report titled
"Assessing Damage, Urging Action" on terrorism,
counter-terrorism and human rights. The EPJ's mandate was to
examine the compatibility of laws, policies and practices
adopted to counter terrorism with the rule of law,
international human rights law and, where applicable,
international humanitarian law (the laws of war). The panel
members urged the United States to support inclusion of human
rights issues in the counter-terrorism work of UN organs.


3. Robinson (Ireland),President of Realizing Rights: the
Ethical Globalization Initiative, former UN High Commissioner
for Human Rights and former President of Ireland, and Goldman
(USA),former UN Independent Expert on the protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism were joined by Wilder Tayler (Uruguay),the Acting
Secretary General for the ICJ, and two of the ICJ's staff
members, Lukas Machon and Gerald Staberock.


4. Goldman and Robinson asserted that the Bush
Administration's eight year "war on terror" significantly
eroded international human rights principles. They also
claimed that many countries follow the U.S. lead and that it
is up to the United States to return to those principles so
that others will do so as well. Acknowledging that the Obama
Administration has taken steps to restore human rights and
due process with respect to countering terrorism, they said
they are greatly concerned that many other states are not as
adept as the United States in changing the focus of their
counter-terrorism efforts to include human rights.


5. One way to address this problem, Robinson said, was to
engage the UN in making sure that fundamental aspects of
human rights are part of all UN counter-terrorism work. To
begin this process she suggested that the Security Council
hold an Arria-style meeting on the issue in the beginning of
September under the U.S. Presidency of the Security Council.
Although Robinson and Goldman said that other Council members
such as Austria, Mexico and the United Kingdom would be
prepared to hold such a meeting, she maintained that if the
United States held the meeting during its Presidency of the
Council, a greater effect would be realized.


6. Ambassador Wolff discussed some of the report's
assumptions and conclusions. He said we would look into the
idea of the request for the Arria-style meeting in September,
although he cautioned that September would be a difficult
month for us to schedule events.


7. Comment: Robinson and Goldman were tenacious in regard to
their request for the Arria-style meeting. It appears that
if the United States does not hold this meeting in September,
pressure will be put on another Council member to do so. End
Comment. USUN requests the Department's consideration on
whether an Arria-Style meeting on countering terrorism and
human rights should be held during the United States
Presidency of the Security Council in September.




Rice