US embassy cable - 05DUBLIN255

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000255 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO, UNGA, KSCI 
SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE TO UNGA CLONING DECLARATION DEMARCHE 
 
REF: STATE 33916 
 
1.  On March 2, Post delivered reftel demarche to Eamon Mac 
Aodha, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 
Human Rights Office, which has departmental responsibility 
for cloning issues.  Mac Aodha noted that Ireland had voted 
in favor of the resolution adopted by the Sixth (Legal) 
Committee on February 18 regarding the draft Declaration on 
Human Cloning.  Mac Aodha said that the Sixth Committee's 
draft was consistent with Ireland's national position, and he 
remarked that the GOI would like to see the draft fully 
reflected in the Declaration to be adopted by the UNGA the 
week of March 7.  Mac Aodha added that the USG could consider 
Ireland to in the "right camp" on the Declaration. 
 
2.  On February 28, Post had delivered reftel talking points 
to Fr. Paul Tighe, Director of Public Affairs for the 
Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.  On March 1, Fr. Tighe 
responded that he had discussed the demarche with Ireland's 
ranking Catholic clergyman, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, who 
noted that the Archdiocese had been in fairly regular contact 
with the GOI regarding the cloning Declaration, including as 
recently as January.  Fr. Tighe also observed that Ireland's 
position on the Declaration had closely followed the USG line 
throughout the Sixth Committee's deliberations.  He added 
that Archbishop Martin would consider the most effective 
means to make further representations to the GOI about the 
Declaration if needed. 
 
3.  On March 2, Post contacted Papal Nucio Giuseppe 
Lazzarotto to ask him to weigh in with the GOI on the cloning 
Declaration.  Lazzarotto replied that that the Nunciature had 
coordinated closely with the Dublin Archdiocese on the issue 
and had likewise had made several representations to the GOI. 
 He related that the GOI had signaled during such exchanges 
that it would support the Declaration as recommended by the 
Sixth Committee. 
KENNY