Wikileaks - CDXI
74379 8/10/2006 14:06 06BUCHAREST1257 Embassy Bucharest CONFIDENTIAL 06SECSTATE130145 VZCZCXRO6843 PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHBM #1257 2221406 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 101406Z AUG 06 FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4943 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 001257
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE DEPT FOR EUR/NCE - SILKWORTH
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2016 TAGS: MOPS, PHUM, PREL, PTER, UN, IS, LE, RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA - EU MAY OPPOSE BUT CAN'T STOP UNBALANCED HRC RESOLUTION
REF: SECSTATE 130145
Classified By: CDA Mark Taplin for Reasons 1.4 B and D
1. (C) In response to reftel demarche, Andreea Berechet, Deputy Director for the MFA's Human Rights Directorate, told PolOff August 9 that Romania agrees that a special session of the HRC would undercut UNSC efforts to resolve the crisis. Berechet noted, however that while it looked like many EU member states might also agree, there was no way to stop the special session from taking place since there was only a mechanism to initiate a session -- based on 1/3 of the members' votes -- but none to prevent a special session from occuring. Berechet said the MFA received the same day a demarche from Lebanon that included the draft resolution, which she criticized as "unbalanced", lacking any mention of Israeli civilian casualties and no criticism of Hezbollah.
2. (C) Berechet said there would be an August 10 meeting of Human Rights Officers from each of the EU missions in Geneva to discuss the special session and coordinate their response. Berechet said some EU states did not have instructions regarding the special session as of the August 8 EU meeting in Geneva. Berechet added that she did not believe the EU would vote for the resolution, as there were several states with strong reservations, but there were some arguing for agreement with the Islamic Conference. In any case, even with the EU voting against the resolution, she believed the balance of votes in the HRC would enable it to pass.
3. (C) At a separate meeting August 9, Israeli Embassy DCM Netta Balazs told PolOff that the Israeli Ambassador had also delivered a demarche on the HRC to Stelian Stoian, Director General for Global Affairs on August 8. Balazs' assessment was that Israel enjoyed strong relations with Romania and expected the Romanians to continue their balanced approach to the conflict in Lebanon. Taplin
