US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE2316

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002316 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2014 
TAGS: PHUM, AORC, PREL, NL 
SUBJECT: UNGA 59/HUMAN RIGHTS/NL: PUSH NEEDED ON PROPOSED 
THIRD COMMITTEE PACKAGE 
 
REF: O'HARA/TRAUB/DRL/IO/USUN EMAIL OF 9/10 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer for reasons 1.4 (b) a 
nd (d). 
 
 1.  (C)  Poloff spoke September 14 with Wouter Plomp, in the 
HR department of the Dutch MFA, regarding the proposed 
package of agreed Third Committee language (ref e-mail) 
provided to the Dutch several weeks ago.  Plomp said that the 
Dutch are "still working on it internally," but could not 
indicate when an EU analysis of the package would be 
complete, or whether the US and EU could finalize 
negotiations on the package in time to make it useful in New 
York. 
 
2.  (C)  Plomp was surprisingly prickly at first when Poloff 
suggested that the US and EU meet well before October 25 to 
agree on the package, which is intended to facilitate more 
efficient negotiations on Third Committee resolutions at the 
UNGA.  He reacted more positively, however, when reminded 
that negotiators at the working level would start analysis 
and lay out negotiation strategies based on what is actually 
printed in the published drafts of resolutions placed before 
them.  For example, according to the draft agenda, 
resolutions on Item 113 (Children) are due to be tabled no 
later than October 21.  Poloff noted that any deals on Item 
113 resolutions, therefore, must be concluded before October 
21; once the resolutions are tabled, reaching US-EU 
agreements would be complicated by consultations with the 
G-77, which has its own slow internal consultation process. 
Plomp seemed to take on board US concerns about timing, and 
agreed to "take the idea further internally." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
3.  (C)  The Dutch understand our interest in reaching quick 
agreement on the package, but as EU president have a very 
full agenda.  Keeping the Dutch focused on organizing timely 
discussions of the HR language package will most likely 
require a coordinated, multi-level effort here and in New 
York stressing that this is a USG priority. 
SOBEL