Cablegate: Vietnam: Probably Not Voting for Third Committee

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HANOI 002998

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

BRUSSELS PASS TO USMISSION TO EU
STATE FOR IO/UNP, DRL, and EAP/BCLTV

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM VM UNGA HUMANR
SUBJECT: VIETNAM: PROBABLY NOT VOTING FOR THIRD COMMITTEE
HUMAN RIGHTS RESOLUTIONS

REF: STATE 236869

1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel talking points and draft
resolutions November 5 to Tran Viet Hoang, Desk Officer in
the MFA's International Organizations Department. Hoang
pledged to pass the documents to senior MFA leaders for
review and said that the Vietnamese delegation in New York
would receive "relevant instructions taking into account all
dialogue and discussions" concerning the resolutions.

2. (SBU) Hoang officially could not comment on Vietnam's
voting intentions or response to our demarche pending a
review and discussion among policymakers, but he noted that
Vietnam "very rarely" supports country-specific human rights
resolutions. "Vietnam believes that discussion, dialogue
and exchanges of view are much more effective than
international criticism" in modifying a nation's behavior,
Hoang said. "And also, it is not always clear when a
resolution on human rights reflects a bilateral disagreement
between the sponsor and the subject." Vietnam has had "much
difficult experience" as the target of country-specific
human rights resolutions in international forums, Hoang
noted, and is therefore "especially reluctant" to support
such resolutions targeting other countries.

3. (SBU) Hoang emphasized that his observations were
general, and did not necessarily apply to the resolutions
currently under discussion. "These resolutions will receive
due consideration," Hoang said.

4. (SBU) Comment: Just because Vietnam has not voted for
resolutions like these in the past does not mean that
Vietnam will vote against them this time. However, at this
point, we see no reason why Vietnam would break with
tradition in this case. End Comment.

MARINE

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