US embassy cable - 05PARIS7037

UNCLAS PARIS 007037 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS 
 
E.O. 12958:     N/A 
TAGS: SCUL, SENV, CJAN, UNESCO 
SUBJECT: USUNESCO: US, ISRAEL AND 10 OTHERS ELECTED TO 
THE   WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE 
 
1.  Summary.  The United States was elected on the 
first round October 10 to the 21-nation World Heritage 
Committee ("Committee"), which decides policy matters 
concerning the 189-Member World Heritage Convention of 
1973, such as selection of sites for UNESCO's World 
Heritage List.  Israel also was elected to one of the 
12 vacant seats on the first round. End summary. 
 
2.  The World Heritage List now comprises 812 sites, 
including the Statute of Liberty, the Grand Canyon, 
Mont St. Michel in France, the Mostar Old Bridge in 
Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bamiyan, Afghanistan 
site of the destroyed giant Buddas.   (The web site 
(http://whc.unesco.org/) allows easy access to country 
and site information.)   Inscription of a site on 
UNESCO's prestigious World Heritage List often brings 
out strong national feelings and is often seen as a 
sure way to enhance tourist revenues. 
 
3.  There are no plans to seek US additions to our 20 
World Heritage sites.  This was a strong point for the 
USG candidacy, as there is a feeling that some 
countries run for the Committee with an eye towards 
advocating on the Committee for the inscription of 
additional sites in their country on the World Heritage 
List. 
 
4.  Mauritius was elected in a preliminary round, which 
is reserved for candidates with no sites on the World 
Heritage List.  In addition to the US and Israel, 
Canada, Madagascar, Morocco, South Korea, Spain and 
Tunisia were elected.  Cuba, Peru and Kenya were 
elected in a second round, completing the list of 12 
new members on the Committee. 
 
5.  The 21 nations who now sit on the Committee are: 
 
Benin, Canada, Chile, Cuba, India, Israel, Japan, 
Kenya, Kuwait, Republic of Korea, Lithuania, 
Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Netherlands, New 
Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, Tunisia, and the United 
States of America. 
 
6.  The elections took place in Paris at the biennial 
meeting of the General Assembly of the Convention, to 
which the 189 members who are signatories to the 
convention are invited.  (Note.  By tradition, these 
elections are held during the biennial UNESCO General 
Conference.  End note.) 
 
Oliver