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