US embassy cable - 03GUATEMALA678

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 000678 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/12/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, GT, UNHRC-1 
SUBJECT: GUATEMALAN RESPONSE TO 59TH UNHRC DEMARCHE: 
POSITIONS MAY CHANGE FROM PREVIOUS YEARS 
 
REF: STATE 64728 
 
Classified By: Robert E. Copley for reason 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) Summary:  In response to reftel points, MFA 
Multilateral Affairs Director Castillo told us Guatemalan 
positions at the UNHRC this year might differ from previous 
years.  On Cuba, Castillo repeated that President Portillo 
would ultimately decide how the GOG will vote, but said the 
decision would take into account improved GOG relations with 
Cuba and recent U.S. decertification of Guatemala.  On Iraq, 
Castillo said Guatemala is highly vulnerable to oil shocks 
and although the GOG understands that a peaceful solution may 
not be possible, it fears the negative repercussions of 
military action.  On Middle East resolutions, Castillo said 
the GOG was concerned about perceptions from past UNHRC 
sessions that it is anti-Arab, and said votes at this session 
would be more "balanced."  Foreign Minister Gutierrez will 
travel to Geneva after visiting Washington on Monday March 
17.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) Polcouns and Poloff discussed U.S. priorities for the 
upcoming UN Human Rights Commission with Ministry of Foreign 
Relations Director General for Multilateral Affairs, 
Ambassador Giovanni Castillo on February 13.  Castillo said 
that the GOG shares the priority the USG places on human 
rights and agrees with many of our priorities at the UNHRC. 
He added that when we must disagree, we do so as friends.  He 
used this opening to point out that we may find less 
agreement this year on Cuba, Iraq, and the Middle East 
resolutions.  Castillo expressed appreciation for information 
on our positions but stated frankly that Guatemala did not 
have the personnel resources to focus on all the issues, 
citing the Zimbabwe resolution as an example. 
 
3.  (C) On Cuba, Castillo said the GOG has not yet decided on 
its position, which will be determined by President Portillo 
himself.  Castillo pointed out that GOG cooperation with Cuba 
has improved markedly in recent months.  He mentioned the 
Vice President's recent trip to the Island, the 
just-concluded Ministerial with Cuban Foreign Minster Perez 
Roque, and said that Portillo had received an invitation to 
visit Cuba.  Castillo stated that these closer ties with Cuba 
were bound to have an impact on the President's decision, and 
added that the USG decision to decertify Guatemala on 
narcotics cooperation may also be a factor in the decision. 
 
4.  (C) On Iraq, Castillo said Guatemala hoped for a peaceful 
resolution, though he said this did not mean the GOG would 
oppose a military solution.  He stressed that Guatemala 
understood that military action might be inevitable, and 
commented that the GOG is concerned about the possible 
economic impact of hostilities on Guatemala.  Castillo said 
Guatemala is vulnerable to oil shocks and was already feeling 
the strain of higher prices. 
 
5.  (C) On the Middle East resolutions, Castillo said the 
GOG's position is evolving.  He stated that the GOG was 
increasingly worried about the perception that Guatemala is 
anti-Arab and blindly supports Israel.  Castillo said that 
Arab delegations at the NAM summit in Malaysia had exerted 
enormous pressure on the GOG representative to that meeting, 
and that the Guatemalan delegation had returned concerned 
that Guatemala is overly exposed on these issues.  Castillo 
hastened to add that the Ministry had been analyzing its 
votes at the 58th UNHRC for some time.  Castillo said that 
Guatemala had paid a high price for some of its earlier 
votes, and that its votes in the upcoming UNHRC would be more 
"balanced."  Polcouns commented that Guatemala's record at 
the last UNHRC had been very positive, and had been noticed 
by many in Washington as forward leaning on promoting human 
rights in Cuba and the Middle East.  This had earned the GOG 
significant recognition in Washington, and we hoped that the 
GOG could preserve that balance. 
 
6.  (C) Castillo identified North Korea as the issue where 
our interest most fully overlap.  Pressed for other issues of 
interest to Guatemala at the UNHRC, Castillo said that three 
reports related to Guatemala are scheduled to be presented 
and added that the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants 
are of perennial interest to Guatemala.  Castillo informed us 
that Foreign Minister Gutierrez would be traveling to Geneva 
for the opening week of the UNHRC.  He also noted that the 
new GOG Ambassador Ricardo Alvarado would represent Guatemala 
at this session.  Castillo indicated that President Portillo 
trusted Ambassador Alvarado fully, and Alvarado would have 
significant discretion on many of the votes.  He indicated 
that on the more important votes (e.g. Cuba, Middle East, 
Iraq), President Portillo was likely to make the decisions 
himself, in consultation with Foreign Minister Gutierrez, UN 
Permrep Rosenthal and Ambassador Alvarado. 
7.  (C) Comment:  The decision on the Cuba vote will probably 
be made at the very last minute by President Portillo 
himself, and it is too soon to predict what factors will 
ultimately influence that vote (the Ambassador has engaged 
the Foreign Minister repeatedly on Cuba, most recently at the 
CICIACS human rights announcement on March 13).  Guatemala's 
shift away from solid support for Israel may well be 
influenced by new Foreign Minister Gutierrez's 
pro-Palestinian sympathies.  In the past Guatemala's votes 
for Israel have not been driven by requests from us, but 
rather were related to Israel's influence with the GOG.  We 
will engage the Israeli Embassy in Guatemala to seek a common 
strategy for retaining GOG support for responsible votes on 
the Middle East, and would welcome the engagement of others 
to shore up Guatemala's traditional support for our positions 
on resolutions involving the Middle East. 
HAMILTON