US embassy cable - 03VATICAN3359

UNCLAS VATICAN 003359 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT. FOR IO/UNP AND EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA, PREL, TBIO, VT, UNGA 
SUBJECT: HUMAN CLONING RESOLUTION:  HOLY SEE PRESSING THE 
CASE FOR COSTA RICAN RESOLUTION 
 
REF: STATE 186073 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  PER REFTEL, DCM APPROACHED HOLY SEE DEPUTY 
    FOREIGN MINISTER PAROLIN AND PRESIDENT OF THE PONTIFICAL 
COUNCIL FOR HEALTH ARCHBISHOP JAVIER LOZANO BARRAGAN TO URGE 
CONTINUED VATICAN ACTION ON BEHALF OF A UN RESOLUTION BANNING 
ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING.  DCM REVIEWED U.S. OBJECTIONS TO 
THE REVISED FRENCH-GERMAN PROPOSAL, AND PROVIDED BOTH 
OFFICIALS WITH THE REFTEL LIST OF KEY COUNTRIES FOR HOLY SEE 
ENGAGEMENT.  BOTH PAROLIN AND LOZANO BARRAGAN EXPRESSED THE 
HOLY SEE'S FULL SUPPORT FOR THE COSTA RICAN RESOLUTION.  THE 
HOLY SEE IS PREPARING A DOCUMENT ON HUMAN CLONING TO BE 
SHARED WITH ALL NUNCIOS AND WITH BISHOPS IN KEY COUNTRIES TO 
FACILITATE LOCAL ENGAGEMENT ON THE ISSUE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  DCM APPROACHED HOLY SEE DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER PIETRO 
PAROLIN JULY 8 TO CONVEY REFTEL DEMARCHE SEEKING SUPPORT FOR 
THE COSTA RICAN DRAFT RESOLUTION WHICH CALLS FOR ADOPTION OF 
A CONVENTION THAT WOULD BAN ALL HUMAN CLONING.  PAROLIN 
CONFIRMED THAT THE VATICAN REMAINS FIRMLY OPPOSED TO ANY TYPE 
OF EMBRYONIC CLONING AND WILL FULLY SUPPORT THE COSTA RICA 
RESOLUTION.  SIGNIFICANTLY, PAROLIN AVOIDED PREVIOUS VATICAN 
CAVEATS ABOUT ACCEPTING A BAN ON REPRODUCTIVE CLONING IF A 
FULL BAN COULD NOT BE ACHIEVED AND EXPRESSED STRONG 
OPPOSITION TO ANY COMPROMISE THAT WOULD ACCEPT 
&EXPERIMENTAL8 OR &THERAPEUTIC8 CLONING.  THE VATICAN NOW 
APPEARS FULLY COMMITTED TO THE UNITED STATES' STRATEGY 
TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE BAN ON ALL TYPES OF EMBRYONIC 
CLONING. 
 
3.  REFLECTING THIS COMMITMENT, PAROLIN TOLD DCM THAT THE 
HOLY SEE WAS IN THE FINAL STAGES OF PREPARING A COMPREHENSIVE 
DOCUMENT OUTLINING THE VATICAN'S POSITION ON CLONING.  THE 
PAPER, WHICH HAD BEEN REQUESTED BY HOLY SEE UN PERMREP 
    MIGLIORE, WILL BE SHARED WIDELY WITHIN THE UN, INCLUDING ALL 
UN MISSIONS, AND WILL ALSO BE SENT TO NUNCIOS AND BISHOPS IN 
KEY TARGET COUNTRIES.  DCM PROVIDED PAROLIN WITH THE REFTEL 
LIST OF COUNTRIES WE HAVE IDENTIFIED FOR SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT, 
AND HE AGREED TO ENSURE THAT THE NEW DOCUMENT WAS SENT TO ALL 
OF THE KEY COUNTRIES AS WELL AS OTHERS.  PAROLIN STRESSED 
THAT EACH OF THE PAPER'S POINTS WILL BE PRUDENTIAL AND ROOTED 
IN SCIENCE.  FURTHERMORE, THE VATICAN WILL PRESENT ADULT STEM 
CELL RESEARCH AS THE BEST ALTERNATIVE TO EMBRYONIC CLONING. 
THE PAPER WAS TO BE COMPLETED AND DISTRIBUTED BY THE END OF 
JULY.  IN FACT, PAROLIN LEFT THE MEETING TO ATTEND A MEETING 
TO FINALIZE SOME DRAFTING ELEMENTS FOR THE PAPER. 
 
4.  DCM SUBSEQUENTLY MET WITH ARCHBISHOP LOZANO BARRAGAN JULY 
11.  BARRAGAN RECALLED HIS MEETING WITH HHS SECRETARY TOMMY 
THOMPSON AND OFFERED HIS FULL SUPPORT FOR THE COSTA RICAN 
RESOLUTION.  HE PLEDGED THAT THE HOLY SEE &WILL DO OUR 
BEST8 TO INFLUENCE TARGET COUNTRIES TO SUPPORT THE CAMPAIGN 
TO BAN ALL FORMS OF CLONING.  AT THE SAME TIME, HE CAUTIONED 
THAT IN SOME LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, THE GOVERNMENTS' 
COMPLEX RELATIONS WITH THE HOLY SEE SOMETIMES LIMITS HOW HARD 
THE NUNCIOS AND BISHOPS CAN PUSH HOST GOVERNMENTS. 
 
NICHOLSON 
 
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 2003VATICA03359 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED