US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE2870

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002870 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2014 
TAGS: PREL, AORC, KIPR, IS, NL, UNEP, WIPO, ILO, EUN 
SUBJECT: EU/NETHERLANDS/ISRAEL: SUPPORTING ISRAEL'S 
MEMBERSHIP IN CONSULTATIVE GROUPS AT SELECTED UN AGENCIES 
 
REF: SECSTATE 235219 
 
Classified By: Andrew Schofer, Political Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b) 
 and (d). 
 
 1.  (C)  The EU has been discussing how Israel might 
participate in WEOG meetings outside New York, according to 
Pieter Ramaer (Head of Legal and Political Affairs, MFA UN 
Department).  Speaking with Poloff about reftel on November 
5, Ramaer said the recent CONUN meeting in Brussels 
considered Israel's lock-out from WEOG counsels beyond New 
York in the broader context of discussing how the new EU 10 
member states should participate in UN regional groups. 
(Ramaer said that Estonia, for example, had at one time 
lobbied hard for a change from its Eastern European Group 
membership to WEOG; now, Estonia is happy to remain in 
"Eastern Europe" since her chances of election to UN bodies 
are greater there.) 
 
2.  (C)  Ramaer revealed that the CONUN meetings discussed 
the possibility of setting up new, informal groupings in UN 
cities where WEOG members, and perhaps other "like minded" 
countries, could convene, in what would be an unofficial, 
non-WEOG format. Here, Israel could participate in 
substantive discussions that might take place while the EU 
could sidestep political problems. 
 
3.  (C)  Poloff agreed to pass this idea on as one possible 
practical solution, while pointing out that the EU would 
seemingly sacrifice little political capital in the larger UN 
context by agreeing to extend straightforward WEOG 
participation rights to Israel beyond New York.  Ramaer 
replied that it remained an internal EU problem, with some 
seeing broader Israeli WEOG participation as a slippery slope 
of general Israel membership in WEOG.  Poloff countered that 
it was no secret that the USG supported Israel's meaningful 
participation in UN affairs, and if the Asia group (where 
Israel should belong) refused to admit Israel, then it was 
incumbent on another group to uphold UN principals.  Israel 
had already been elected to positions in UN bodies, and it 
made no sense to exclude her from meaningful exercise of her 
privileges and duties. 
 
4.  (C)  Finally, Poloff suggested that it might be timely 
for the EU, as an MEPP Quartet member, to support Israeli 
WEOG participation as a conciliatory gesture.  It could 
reinforce Israel's appreciation of European bona fides in the 
MEPP.  Ramaer agreed that this might be a timely and 
interesting avenue to pursue and that he would share the idea 
with EU partners. 
SOBEL