US embassy cable - 05BRUSSELS850

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000850 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, IO/UNP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2015 
TAGS: PREL, AORC, ELAB, KIPR, IS, WIPO, EUN, USEU BRUSSELS 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL IN IO'S: DRAFT EU ACTION PLAN SUGGESTS 
PARTIAL PROGRESS 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 35846 
 
     B. B) 04 STATE 235219 
 
Classified By: USEU POLOFF TODD HUIZINGA, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
 1. (C) SUMMARY AND COMMENT: Our EU interlocutors told us the 
EU plans to discuss Israeli membership in UN groups on March 
8, after which the Luxembourg EU presidency will draft a 
formal reply to ref A demarche.  In their estimation, the EU 
might support Israeli membership in the more &technical 
groups8 (WIPO and CND), but not in the &political groups8 
(UNEP, UN-HABITAT and IMEC).  Recent positive developments in 
the Middle East peace process may influence the 
deliberations, however, and more importantly, the recently 
negotiated EU/Israel Action Plan will, pending expected 
approval, officially commit the EU to &work towards 
normalization of Israel,s status in international 
organizations.8  END SUMMARY AND COMMENT. 
 
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EU TO PREPARE REPLY ON ISRAEL IN UN GROUPS 
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2. (C) On March 2 USEU Poloff delivered ref A demarche to 
Paulo Oliveira, UN Desk Officer in the EU Council 
Secretariat, and Giancarlo Chevallard, Head of the UN Unit in 
 
SIPDIS 
the External Relations Directorate-General of the European 
Commission.  Oliveira remarked that the EU, having taken on 
board last November,s demarche on the same topic (ref B), 
planned to discuss the issue at the March 8 meeting of the EU 
Working Group on the UN (CONUN).  If the member states reach 
agreement at the CONUN, the Luxembourg EU presidency will 
draft a formal EU reply to reftel demarches. 
 
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TECHNICAL GROUPS MIGHT BE OK 
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3. (C) Oliveira said the EU might &accept8 Israeli 
membership in the Western European and Others Group (WEOG) at 
the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), and in Group B of 
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  The 
reason for the EU,s possibly favorable attitude on Israeli 
membership in those groups, said Oliveira, is that they are 
mostly technical groups. 
 
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WARY OF ISRAEL IN POLITICAL GROUPS 
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4. (C) Oliveira predicted that the EU would not favor Israeli 
membership in the Industrial Market Economy Committee (IMEC) 
group at the International Labor Organization (ILO), nor in 
the WEOG groups at the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and 
UN-HABITAT.  His reasoning: those groups are political in 
nature, and &Israel,s presence would not be helpful to 
discussions within these groups.8  Oliveira emphasized 
especially the importance of &questions relating to 
Palestinian rights8 in UNEP and UN-HABITAT. 
 
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MEPP DEVELOPMENTS MIGHT INFLUENCE EU 
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5. (C) When pressed on the unfairness of this discrimination 
against Israel, Oliveira replied that recent positive 
developments in the Middle East peace process might sway some 
EU member states to push for Israeli membership in all of the 
groups discussed above. 
 
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ACTION PLAN COMMITS EU TO HELP ISRAEL IN UN 
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6. (C) Giancarlo Chevallard of the EU Commission pointed out 
that the negotiated text of the EU-Israel Action Plan, the 
EU,s blueprint for its relations with Israel under its 
European Neighborhood Policy, commits the EU to work toward 
normalizing Israel,s position in the UN.  Both Israel and 
the EU have blessed the text informally, and EU Foreign 
Ministers are expected to approve the plan officially within 
the next few months.  The relevant passage is: &(The EU and 
Israel will work) towards normalization of Israel,s status 
in international organizations and the reduction in the 
number of Middle East resolutions; (and) work to allow Israel 
to increase its contribution to effective multilateralism by 
means of the application of its expertise in appropriate 
activities of international organizations.8  The full text 
is available on the Commission website at 
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/world/enp/docum ent en.htm. 
MCKINLEY 
.