US embassy cable - 03SANTODOMINGO7194

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTO DOMINGO 007194 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, OVIP, DR 
SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR UN HUMAN 
RIGHTS COMMISSION 
 
REF: A. SANTO DOMINGO 6707 
 
     B. SANTO DOMINGO 4990 
 
Classified By: ECOPOL COUNSELOR MICHAEL MEIGS FOR REASONS 1.5 (B/D) 
 
SUMMARY 
 
1. (U) DRL PDAS Ambassador Michael Kozak and DRL Office of 
Multilateral Affairs Deputy Director Lynn Sicade visited the 
Dominican Republic November 20-22 to build support for the UN 
Commission on Human Rights, in which the GODR will 
participate starting next year.  Meetings with local 
governmental and nongovernmental interlocutors provided 
Ambassador Kozak with a broad sense of the Dominican 
Republic's commitment to respect for human rights 
internationally and domestically.  The Dominican Government 
pledged its support for UN human rights initiatives with a 
particular emphasis on children's rights.  Some Dominican 
officials acknowledged the country's human rights concerns 
with neighbor Haiti and asked Ambassador Kozak to communicate 
those concerns to the USG.  End Summary. 
 
KOZAK VISIT: A POSITIVE FIRST STEP 
 
2. (U) Ambassador Michael Kozak and Lynn Sicade met with 
Ambassador Hertell and emboffs to reiterate close bilateral 
collaboration regarding the Dominican Republic's upcoming 
seat at the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), scheduled 
for March 2004.  Ambassador Kozak explained how important it 
will be to change UNCHR's current composition -- removing 
undemocratic member governments -- and to request the GODR's 
cooperation in that effort.  He said region-wide support from 
UNCHR members will be critical to push through resolutions 
considered priority to the USG, for example on rights of the 
child.  Given the Dominican Republic's current emphasis on 
protecting children (reftel B), the GODR could also 
collaborate next year with the UN as it celebrates "The Year 
of the Family." 
 
TAKING HUMAN RIGHTS TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL 
 
3. (SBU) Ambassador Kozak and Sicade met with President 
Mejia's sister and brother-in-law, Chavela and Sergio 
Grullon, to deliver the message about the Dominican 
Republic's UNCHR participation at the highest levels.  As 
President of the National Council on Children and Adolescents 
(CONANI), Chavela Grullon has been prominently promoting 
children's rights.  Secretary of the Presidency Sergio 
Grullon serves as one of President Mejia's closest advisers. 
Both said they would share USG concerns about the UNCHR with 
President Mejia.  Both were also proud of the GODR's recent 
efforts against trafficking in persons and strengthening of 
the Code on Minors.  Chavela passionately recounted her 
personal endeavors  to protect children from trafficking and 
poverty, including helping to raise street kids she had 
rescued.  She also seemed eager to encourage GODR sponsorship 
of any UNCHR resolution on children's and family issues. 
Chavela encouraged Ambassador Kozak and the Embassy to use 
the good offices of her daughter, assigned recently to the 
Dominican mission at the EU, to promote UNCHR objectives. 
 
FOREIGN RELATIONS SECRETARIAT SUPPORTS UNCHR 
 
4. (U) Senior officials at the Foreign Relations Secretariat 
assured Ambassador Kozak of GODR support of USG objectives at 
the UNCHR.  Meeting participants included: 
Ambassador Rhadys Abreu de Polanco, Deputy Director of 
International Organizations Division and Human Rights Official 
Ambassador Jorge Santiago, Legal Advisor and Director of 
National Commission on Refugees 
Ambassador Francia Sencion, Director of Americas Division 
Ambassador Roger Espaillait, Director of North American 
Affairs Office 
Ambassador Maritza Guerrero, Trade Agreements Office 
 
5. (U) The officials told us that the Foreign Relations 
Secretariat had worked diligently to establish an 
 
SIPDIS 
inter-institutional commission on human rights, which would 
be announced soon by presidential decree.  Ambassador 
Santiago said this initiative embodied their belief that 
promoting human rights was everyone's responsibility, not 
just the Secretariat's.  Ambassador Kozak congratulated the 
officials said he hoped other countries could follow the 
Dominican Republic's example.  He also thanked the GODR for 
its support on the Canadian-sponsored UNGA resolution on Iran 
and the US candidate for the UN Committee on the Elimination 
of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) (reftel A). 
 
6. (U) Sicade went into more detail about disputes over 
technical language in certain conventions.  She said, for 
example, that the USG did not favor ratifying the convention 
on the rights of the child because it contains the phrase 
"the standard" versus "a standard."  Meeting participants 
appeared to understand that the USG, when it questions 
linguistic technicalities in international conventions, does 
not mean to jeopardize their spirit or objectives, but rather 
aims to avoid conflict with pre-existing U.S. laws. 
Ambassador Kozak emphasized that all signatory countries to 
international conventions or resolutions should verify that 
domestic compliance mechanisms are already in place. 
Participants agreed that states must create the necessary 
conditions in which citizens can exercise their human rights. 
 
OFF THE RECORD WITH JOURNALISTS 
 
7. (U) In an off-the-record briefing for prominent print and 
television journalists, Ambasssdor Kozak reiterated the USG's 
desire to coordinate closely with the GODR during its UNCHR 
membership and reviewed our desire to streamline UNCHR 
procedures to make it a more effective proponent of human 
rights in undemocratic countries.  The journalists asked 
about USG concerns over human rights issues in the Dominican 
Republic, such as murders by police.  Emboffs referred to the 
country report on human rights and commented on a recent 
reduction of those killings.  A prominent newspaper editor 
asked whether President Mejia's announced intent to seek 
re-election next year was undermining foreign confidence in 
the GODR.  Emboff replied that the USG expected the election 
to be free, fair, transparent, and clean -- in line with the 
past two presidential elections here -- and that 
international and domestic observers would provide the 
necessary confidence in the election process. 
 
COMMENT AND RECOMMENDATION 
 
8. (C) The GODR is open to cooperation with us in the UN 
context, but also is inclined to join consensus in regional 
groupings such as GRULAC or the Rio Group.  To achieve the 
USG goal of prior coordination on UNCHR resolutions, we will 
need to go in early to discuss specific draft texts and 
solicit the support of the GODR before it commits to regional 
positions that might differ from ours. 
KUBISKE