US embassy cable - 04ZAGREB436

UNCLAS  ZAGREB 000436 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR DRL AND IO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, HR, UNHCR 
SUBJECT: CROATIA'S UNCHR PRIORITIES 
 
REF: STATE 41252 
 
1. On February 25, we delivered reftel non-paper to Dubravka 
Simonovic, MFA Head of Department for Human Rights.  In 
return, Simonovic provided us on March 12 with Croatia's 
priorities for the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human 
Rights (full text follows in para 3).  She offered no 
specific comments on reftel non-paper. 
 
2. Croatia's listed "priorities" are largely non-specific and 
general expressions of principled support for human rights. 
Croatia is seeking support for a consensus resolution on its 
biennial "conscientious objection to military service" 
resolution.  On country-specific resolutions, Croatia 
supports an "objective evaluation" without politicization and 
voting through regional blocks. 
 
3. Begin text of non-paper: 
 
CROATIA'S PRIORITIES AT THE 60th SESSION OF 
THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
The Republic of Croatia attaches great importance to the 
pivotal role of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and as a 
first time member in the period 2002-2004, this year will 
continue to play an active role in its work.  The Permanent 
Representative of Croatia to the UN Ambassador Gordan 
Markotic, has been elected as one of the Vice-Chairmen of the 
Commission. 
 
-In the field of human rights promotion and protection, 
Croatia is firmly committed to the principle that all human 
rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and 
inter-related. 
 
-Croatia supports the universal ratification of core 
universal human rights treaties, as well as their effective 
implementation at the national level.  This particularly 
refers to the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
Rights in the context of which it should be stressed that 
Croatia remains committed to the universal abolition of death 
penalty and the prevention of torture and all forms of cruel, 
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Croatia has 
signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against 
Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or 
Punishment. 
 
-Croatia pays particular attention to the further 
strengthening of the implementation of economic, social and 
cultural rights.  In this context, it supports the early 
commencement of work related to the elaboration of a draft 
optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, 
Social and Cultural Rights related to an optional 
communications procedure for individuals or groups claiming 
to be victims of the violation of the rights contained in the 
Covenant. 
 
-Croatia remains committed to the further strengthening of 
the mechanisms for the protection of human rights within the 
UN system.  It firmly believes that the strengthening of 
effectiveness of these mechanisms and their streamlining is 
crucial for the protection and promotion of human rights 
worldwide. In this respect, Croatia extended a standing 
invitation to the thematic special procedures in 2003 and 
invites the countries that have not done so to do the same. 
 
-Croatia renders its full support to the ongoing activities 
related to the reform of the human rights treaty system, the 
achieving of increased co-ordination and closer co-operation 
among the treaty bodies leading to the strengthening of the 
human rights protection at the national and international 
levels. 
 
-At this session, the Republic of Croatia will present its 
biennial resolution entitled "Conscientious Objection to 
Military Service" which is important in the context of the 
freedom of opinion, freedom of conscience, freedom of belief 
as well as the right not to be discriminated. 
 
-Croatia will continue to support the efforts within the 
Commission on Human Rights aimed at the integration of gender 
perspective in all of its activities.  Paying particular 
attention to gender equality as an important objective, 
Croatia considers the work of the Special Rapporteur of the 
Commission on Human Rights on violence against women 
particularly important for achieving this goal. 
 
-The Republic of Croatia attaches significant importance to 
the process of adopting resolutions considering the fact that 
the role of the members of the Commission is crucial for the 
future protection and promotion of human rights worldwide. 
Consequently, Croatia: 
 
 
--supports the adoption of thematic resolutions by consensus 
over the increasing trend of adopting them by voting. 
Members should commit themselves to adequate preparation of 
the texts of resolutions and appropriate negotiations; 
 
--supports the ongoing initiatives regarding the improvement 
of the organization of work of the Commission and the call 
for biennialization or triennalization of resolutions that 
provide added value aimed at the promotion and protection of 
human rights; 
 
--supports the objective evaluation of country resolutions 
without politicization and voting through regional blocks, 
since such voting undermines the resolutions' key aim of 
unbiased assessment of specific human rights situations in 
the observed countries. 
 
End text. 
FRANK 
 
 
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