US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE2868

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002868 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, NL, EUN, UNGA/C-3 
SUBJECT: UNGA 59 HUMAN RIGHTS: DEMARCHE ON HUMAN RIGHTS 
RESOLUTIONS 
 
REF: SECSTATE 236869 
 
1.  Please see guidance request in paragraph 3. 
 
2.  Poloff shared reftel points with Guillaume Teerling 
(Senior Advisor, Human Rights office, MFA) on November 5.  As 
the EU and the USG are cooperating closely in the Third 
Committee, Teerling required no convincing. Teerling said 
that the Netherlands, as EU President, would shortly send 
similar demarche instructions to EU member states' embassies 
worldwide.  He asked that the USG pay special attention to 
lobbying for the Zimbabwe resolution as it has the weakest 
support in the Third Committee and faces stiff opposition 
from the Africans. 
 
3.  Regarding the resolution tabled by Belarus against the 
United States, Teerling said that the EU mission in New York 
had circulated the text on November 3 and proposed to member 
states that the EU vote against it with an EOV.  Poloff asked 
that the EU consider pressing Belarus to withdraw the 
resolution altogether.  Specifically, Teerling asked for 
clarification of the points raised in PP6, regarding a 
December 23, 2003 decision by the Inter-American Commission 
on Human Rights that criticized the voting rights of citizens 
of Washington, D.C.  GUIDANCE REQUEST: Post would appreciate 
any background information we can share with the Dutch 
government regarding the representation rights of citizens of 
the District of Colombia and the USG position on the 
OAS/IACHR decision. 
SOBEL