US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA3229

C O N F I D E N T I A L OTTAWA 003229 
 
SIPDIS 
 
IO/UNP -- HOTZ; WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2005 
TAGS: PREL, CA, IS, UNGA 
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE SHIFT IN CANADA'S UNGA ANTI-ISRAEL 
RESOLUTION VOTE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 188933 
 
Classified By: POL M/C Brian Flora.  Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (C) As requested in reftel, poloff met with Wendy Drukier, 
Deputy Director of United Nations and Commonwealth Affairs 
Division, and Anne Flanagan Whalen, Deputy Director of the 
Middle East Division, at Foreign Affairs Canada (FAC) on 28 
October to discuss Canada's upcoming vote on extending the 
mandates of the three UN bodies. 
 
2.  (C) Flanagan Whalen said that the GoC will repeat its 
"no" vote on resolutions 59/28 and 59/121 but that no firm 
decision had been made to change last year's abstention on 
resolution 59/29.  She did not rule out the possibility that 
Canada may vote against 59/29, flagging last year's 
explanation of the vote as a "strong indicator" of the 
position her office had recommended Canada take this year. 
 
3. (U)  The text indicates that the GoC "holds the same 
concerns about the Division for Palestinian Rights, which 
supports the Committee (on the Exercise of the Inalienable 
Rights of the Palestinian People (for which they voted 
against))" and that it will "continue to review this 
resolution from the perspective of consistency with our 
policy and will seriously consider voting against the 
resolution next year, unless it can be demonstrated that the 
work of the Division makes a constructive contribution to the 
peace process." 
 
Visit Canada's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/ottawa 
 
WILKINS