US embassy cable - 05VIENNA1062

UNCLAS VIENNA 001062 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR IO/UNP, DRL, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, AU, UNHRC-1, EUN 
SUBJECT: AUSTRIA IN LINE WITH EU CONSENSUS ON CHR CUBA 
RESOLUTION CO-SPONSORSHIP 
 
REF: A) STATE 49957 B) VIENNA 840 C) STATE 44494 D) 
 
     DETAR-SHEARER E-MAILS (NOTAL) 
 
This message is sensitive but unclassified. 
 
1.  (SBU) On March 22, following receipt of ref a, Embassy 
Vienna provided a copy of the draft Cuba resolution to the 
Austrian MFA Human Rights Bureau and requested Austria's 
support for EU co-sponsorship.  On April 1, Acting head of 
the Human Rights Bureau Ingrid Pech told EconPolOff that the 
delegation in Geneva had recently requested formal 
instructions on joining an EU consensus to co-sponsor. 
 
2.  (SBU) Later on April 1, the Ambassador contacted 
Ambassador Hans Winkler, U/S-equivalent for Legal Affairs and 
Human rights at the MFA, to discuss the GoA's position on EU 
co-sponsorship of the Cuba resolution before the CHR. 
Winkler said that he had instructed the Austrian delegation 
to the CHR "some time ago" to fall in with an EU consensus to 
co-sponsor the resolution. 
 
3.  (SBU) Winkler and Pech both mentioned a "rumor" about a 
possible visit to Cuba by either Special Rapporteur Louise 
Arbor or Personal Representative of the High Commissioner 
Christine Chanet as a consideration for EU member states in 
determining whether to co-sponsor.  Winkler thought such a 
visit was highly unlikely, however. 
Brown