US embassy cable - 04WELLINGTON880

UNCLAS WELLINGTON 000880 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/ANP, IO/SHA MEHRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OPDC, PHUM, PREL, PGOV, NZ 
SUBJECT: WEOG ROTATION: NEW ZEALAND FM RESPONSE 
 
REF: A. STATE 209853 
 
     B. STATE 172297 
 
1. (SBU) Post delivered the letter (reftels) on WEOG rotation 
in the UN Commission of Human Rights (CHR) from Secretary 
Powell to New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff on August 
16.  On October 12 the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and Trade (MFAT) provided the Ambassador a copy of 
Goff's response, which reiterated the GoNZ's support for a 
CHR WEOG rotation scheme similar to that proposed by the 
Dutch and Canadians.  Goff noted that New Zealand's will seek 
to ensure that any rotational scheme enable New Zealand's own 
candidature for the CHR in 2009 ) 2011. 
 
2. (SBU) Goff also expressed reservations about transparency 
in any adopted scheme, and any suggestion of altering 
universal membership in the CHR.  Goff noted that the GoNZ 
supports engaging with countries that violate human rights, 
versus exclusion.  Goff reaffirmed the GoNZ's commitment to 
improving the overall effectiveness of the CHR, both by 
advocating a reduction in redundant resolutions, and by 
remaining actively engaged in negotiating resolution texts. 
 
3. (SBU) MFAT informed Post that they have delivered the 
original of the letter through their Embassy in Washington. 
Text of letter follows: 
 
The Honourable Colin Powell 
Secretary of State 
 
SIPDIS 
Department of State 
WASHINGTON DC 
 
Dear Mr Secretary 
 
Thank you for your letter of 10 August about the rotation 
scheme for membership of the Commission of Human Rights. 
 
New Zealand fully supports the development of a fair and 
workable proposal for a rotational scheme for WEOG membership 
of the CHR along the lines of the one the Dutch and Canadians 
have been trying to take forward.  We are involved in the 
negotiations taking place about reviving the scheme.  In 
terms of New Zealand's interests we shall be seeking to 
ensure than any rotational scheme agreed takes into account 
our candidature for the Commission for the 2009-2011 period. 
It is also important to us that any negotiations on a 
rotational scheme be transparent.  We hope that those few 
WEOG countries in Europe continuing to seek longer terms for 
themselves will withdraw their objections to the proposals 
under consideration. 
 
As to the question you raise about criteria for membership of 
the CHR, while we appreciate US concerns that those that 
violate human rights in their own countries should not be 
setting international norms, we see difficulties in a system 
which would classify some countries as being "appropriate" 
and others as "inappropriate".  Our approach is to engage 
with countries which violate human rights rather than seek to 
exclude them.  Indeed in this regard we support universal 
membership of the Commission. 
 
I can assure you that New Zealand, which currently has 
Observer status on the Commission, will continue to 
demonstrate our concerns about human rights abuses by active 
involvement in negotiations on the texts of resolutions and, 
where appropriate, co-sponsorship of them.  We shall also 
continue to press for reforms in the way the CHR operates, 
for example, by advocating the rationalisation of resolutions 
to avoid unnecessary annual repetition. 
 
Yours sincerely 
 
(signature) 
Hon Phil Goff 
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
 
End text. 
Burnett