US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA629

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000629 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO, LO, UNGA, KSCI 
SUBJECT: CLONING BAN: SLOVAKIA WILL NOT CO-SPONSOR COSTA 
RICAN RESOLUTION 
 
REF: SECSTATE 121618 
 
1. POLOFF DELIVERED REFTEL DEMARCHE TO DRAHOSLAV STEFANIK, 
DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW DEPARTMENT AT THE SLOVAK 
MFA. STEFANIK STATED THAT SLOVAKIA WILL SUPPORT THE COSTA 
    RICAN RESOLUTION AS IT DID LAST YEAR, BUT HAS DECIDED NOT TO 
CO-SPONSOR IN THE SIXTH COMMITTEE. DEBATE REGARDING 
SLOVAKIA'S POSITION ON HUMAN CLONING WILL REOPEN IN 
SEPTEMBER WHEN THE MFA SUBMITS ITS UN PRIORITIES TO THE 
CABINET FOR APPROVAL. HOWEVER, STEFANIK STRESSED THAT ANY 
CHANGE IN THIS POSITION IN UNLIKELY CONSIDERING THE 
DIVERGENT VIEWS PRESENT IN SLOVAKIA. HE STATED THAT SLOVAKIA 
SOUGHT A COMPROMISE TO BALANCE VARIOUS VIEWS BOTH 
DOMESTICALLY AND IN THE REGION. STEFANIK SUGGESTED HAVING A 
FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION IN SEPTEMBER. 
 
2. POLOFFS ALSO MET MONS. BERT VAN MEGEN, FIRST SECRETARY IN 
THE PAPAL NUNCIO'S OFFICE, TO SEEK CLOSER COOPERATION IN 
ENCOURAGING THE SLOVAK GOVERNMENT TO CO-SPONSOR THE 
RESOLUTION. HE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT SLOVAK GOVERNMENT SUPPORT 
WAS STEADFAST SINCE THE NEW DRAFT CRIMINAL CODE INCLUDES A 
COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON CLONING.  HE ADDED THAT A MEMBER OF THE 
BISHOPS' CONFERENCE SITS ON THE SLOVAK BIO-ETHICS COMMITTEE 
AND IS ONE OF SLOVAKIA'S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES AT THE UN. 
VAN MEGEN WAS ALSO ENCOURAGED BY SLOVAKIA'S INSISTENCE TO 
MENTION GOD IN THE EU CONSTITUTION PREAMBLE. HE CONCLUDED 
THAT SLOVAKIA IS MORE LIKELY THIS YEAR TO CO-SPONSOR THE 
RESOLUTION, NOW THAT EU ACCESSION IS COMPLETE. 
 
3. A JOINT DEMARCHE WITH COSTA RICA AND THE PAPAL NUNCIATE 
IN SEPTEMBER MIGHT BE A NEXT STEP.  ACCORDING TO THE SLOVAK 
MFA, THE LAST COSTA RICAN DEMARCHE ON THIS ISSUE WAS TWO 
MONTHS AGO.  (NOTE: COSTA RICA DOES NOT HAVE AN EMBASSY IN 
BRATISLAVA, SO TIMING WOULD HAVE TO BE COORDINATED WITH A 
NON-RESIDENT EMBASSY.)  POST WILL CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THE 
PROPOSED BAN ON CLONING WITH OFFICIALS IN THE MINISTRIES OF 
    HEALTH AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS. 
 
WEISER 
 
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