US embassy cable - 05DUBLIN387

UNCLAS DUBLIN 000387 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, ELAB, KIPR, WIPO, ILO 
SUBJECT: IRISH SKEPTICAL OF ISRAELI MEMBERSHIP IN GROUPS AT 
WIPO, ILO, UNEP, UN-HABITAT, AND CND 
 
REF: STATE 35846 
 
1.  On March 31, Post delivered reftel talking points to 
Julian Clare, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) First 
Secretary for UN Affairs.  Clare said that Ireland was 
 
SIPDIS 
skeptical of proposals for Israeli membership in WEOG groups 
at UNEP, UN-HABITAT, and the CND, as well as Group B in WIPO 
and the ILO's IMEC group.  The GOI accepted Israel's 
conditional membership in WEOG for electoral purposes in New 
York, but did not view this arrangement as giving Israel 
rights in respect to regional consultative bodies.  The GOI, 
moreover, believed it was crucial to maintain the distinction 
between the technical/procedural aspects of WEOG arrangements 
with Israel and the substantive/policy dimensions of 
deliberations in such bodies.  Clare observed that granting 
Israel membership in groups at UNEP, UN-HABITAT, CND, WIPO, 
and the ILO would create a precedent for the erosion of that 
distinction.  He also cited the GOI's view that the Asia 
Group would be the better fit for Israel, notwithstanding the 
history of difficulties with that possibility. 
 
2.  Clare said that Member State discussions on this issue 
continued, though the prospects for a consolidated EU 
position in response to USG demarches were uncertain. 
Without being specific, he noted that a number of Member 
States were predisposed to be helpful to Israel whenever 
possible.  He observed that Member States aimed to approach 
the issue of membership in UN regional consultative groups in 
a manner that would not signal hostility toward Israel.  He 
also commented that this issue "would be around for awhile" 
and did not appear at the moment to be particularly divisive 
among Member States. 
BENTON