US embassy cable - 05VIENNA3420

UNCLAS VIENNA 003420 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/UNP - HOTZ AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, IS, AU, UNGA 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA ON ISRAEL AT UNGA -- OPPOSING 
ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS 
 
REF: STATE 188933 
 
1.  EconPolCouns delivered reftel demarche to Austrian the 
Foreign Ministry's acting International Organizations head, 
Helmut Boeck, on October 20. 
 
2.  Boeck expressed appreciation for our timely approach on 
this issue.  He said the EU was coordinating member state 
positions on these issues in the General Assembly.  This was 
an intense consultation process, and the Presidency country 
(currently the United Kingdom, and soon to be Austria) was in 
the lead.  The result was that almost all votes would reflect 
a coherent EU position.  Boeck said informally that he 
thought the EU member states were leaning toward again 
abstaining on the votes to extend the mandates of the three 
bodies discussed reftel. 
 
3.  Boeck said UN reform was indeed important to Austria, and 
the review of mandates was an important part of this 
initiative.  He noted that the UN Secretariat was working on 
a list of mandates for consideration, and this was due in the 
beginning of 2006. 
 
4. 
3. 
van Voorst