US embassy cable - 05CANBERRA729

UNCLAS CANBERRA 000729 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS PASS TO UNESCO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, AS 
SUBJECT: COMMUNITY OF DEMOCRACIES ELECTION STANDARDS 
INITIATIVE: QUESTIONS FROM AUSTRALIA 
 
REF: STATE 71941 
 
1. (U) On April 20 Poloff delivered reftel points to Nick 
Turner, Director of the United Nations and Commonwealth 
Section at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 
(DFAT).  Turner told us on April 22 that he had conferred 
with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and the 
Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and 
that the GOA was in full agreement with the general 
objectives of our proposal.  Turner wondered, however, 
whether the Community of Democracies initiative wouldn't 
overlap with already existing regional initiatives.  He 
pointed to the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU) 1994 
"Declaration for Criteria for Free and Fair Elections," 
commenting that it would be a "pretty heroic task to obtain a 
better consensus than was reached by the 112 delegates 
present at the IPU Conference." 
 
2. (U) Turner indicated that Australia was open to exploring 
the idea further, but had the following questions: 
 
-- How would members be chosen for the working group? 
 
-- What would be the time frame for setting up the body? 
 
-- How would the body be funded? 
 
3. (U) Turner added that Australian Ambassador to Chile, 
Elizabeth Schick, would be available to discuss the proposal 
at the April 28-30 Community of Democracies Ministerial in 
Santiago. 
 
STANTON