US embassy cable - 04HANOI2998

UNCLAS HANOI 002998 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
BRUSSELS PASS TO USMISSION TO EU 
STATE FOR IO/UNP, DRL, and EAP/BCLTV 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, VM, UNGA, HUMANR 
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: PROBABLY NOT VOTING FOR THIRD COMMITTEE 
HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTIONS 
 
REF:  STATE 236869 
 
1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel talking points and draft 
resolutions November 5 to Tran Viet Hoang, Desk Officer in 
the MFA's International Organizations Department.  Hoang 
pledged to pass the documents to senior MFA leaders for 
review and said that the Vietnamese delegation in New York 
would receive "relevant instructions taking into account all 
dialogue and discussions" concerning the resolutions. 
 
2. (SBU) Hoang officially could not comment on Vietnam's 
voting intentions or response to our demarche pending a 
review and discussion among policymakers, but he noted that 
Vietnam "very rarely" supports country-specific human rights 
resolutions.  "Vietnam believes that discussion, dialogue 
and exchanges of view are much more effective than 
international criticism" in modifying a nation's behavior, 
Hoang said.  "And also, it is not always clear when a 
resolution on human rights reflects a bilateral disagreement 
between the sponsor and the subject."  Vietnam has had "much 
difficult experience" as the target of country-specific 
human rights resolutions in international forums, Hoang 
noted, and is therefore "especially reluctant" to support 
such resolutions targeting other countries. 
 
3. (SBU) Hoang emphasized that his observations were 
general, and did not necessarily apply to the resolutions 
currently under discussion.  "These resolutions will receive 
due consideration," Hoang said. 
 
4. (SBU) Comment: Just because Vietnam has not voted for 
resolutions like these in the past does not mean that 
Vietnam will vote against them this time.  However, at this 
point, we see no reason why Vietnam would break with 
tradition in this case.  End Comment. 
 
MARINE