US embassy cable - 05QUITO797

C O N F I D E N T I A L QUITO 000797 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR DRL/MLA, AND IO/SHA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/12/2015 
TAGS: PHUM, BO, CU, EC 
SUBJECT: ECUADOR WILL ABSTAIN ON BELARUS AND CUBA, BUT NOT 
KOREA 
 
REF: SECSTATE 56093 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney for Reason 1.4 (B&D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  The GOE will vote against any no-action 
motion in Geneva, but will firmly abstain from voting on 
Belarus and Cuba resolutions, according to MFA officials. 
The only country-specific resolution the GOE will vote for 
relates to North Korea.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (C) PolChief accompanied Dutch Ambassador (acting as EU 
president here in the absence of representation by 
Luxembourg) on April 12 to jointly deliver Belarus demarche 
outlined RefTel. MFA U/S for Human Rights Julio Prado told us 
that he had instructed Ecuador's mission in Geneva to vote 
against any no-action motion, on principle.  That instruction 
applies to the Belarus resolution. 
 
3.  (C) Prado said that Ecuador would abstain on all 
country-specific resolutions except the EU's resolution on 
North Korea.  By doing so, he said, Ecuador was applying the 
principle that country-specific resolutions were 
inappropriate except in cases where a pattern of flagrant and 
egregious abuses was apparent.  PolChief and Dutch Ambassador 
used demarche talking points to argue that Belarus met that 
standard.  Prado said the GOE position on abstention on both 
Belarus and Cuba were firm. 
 
4.  (C) PolChief noted that the Cuba vote is the USG's 
highest priority in Geneva, and inquired about the results of 
FM Zuquilanda's discussions with U.S. officials in Washington 
on the margins of the OAS meetings April 11.   Prado said the 
FM was expected back in Quito later on the 12th, but that he 
had not heard of any change in the GOE position on the Cuba 
resolution. 
KENNEY