Cablegate: Tanzania: Country Specific Human Rights

VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDR #1822 3181107
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141107Z NOV 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5087
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 001822

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT AF/E FOR B YODER
ALSO FOR IO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM UNGA TZ
SUBJECT: TANZANIA: COUNTRY SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS
RESOLUTIONS AT UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE

REF: STATE 182267

1. (U) Ambassador Liberata Mulamula, Director of the
Multilateral Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
told PolCouns November 8 that Tanzania would consider each of
the Third Committee country specific resolutions on Iran,
Belarus, Uzbekistan, Burma and North Korea on its own merits.
Mulamula indicated that on the Iran, Uzbekistan, and North
Korean resolutions, Tanzania might follow its 2005 voting
pattern. (Note: In 2005, Tanzania abstained on these
resolutions.) However, she said the GOT would not make its
decision until completing a thorough study of each
resolution's draft language.

2. (SBU) Regarding the Belarus and Burma resolutions,
Mulamula did not indicate how Tanzania might vote. PolCouns
reiterated that President Kikwete had told Ambassador Retzer
in their September 11 meeting that the treatment of Aung San
Suu Kyi and other pro-democracy activists in Burma amounted
to "torture." In addition, since that date the human rights
situation had further deteriorated with the prison death of
Thet Wing Aung on October 16.

3. (SBU) Ambassador Mulamula remarked that the GOT believes
that the new Human Rights Council rather than the UNGA Third
Committee is the proper forum to address country specific
human rights violations. Mulamula stressed that any
resolution the new Council endorsed would "also have the
teeth to implement change" and encouraged the United States
to give the Human Rights Council "a chance to do its work."
PolCouns noted that to date the Council has been reluctant to
respond to ongoing human rights violations, making it all
more urgent that the UNGA maintain its long-standing practice
to issue such resolutions.
RETZER

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