Cablegate: Hrc: Canada Asks Western Group to Consider A

VZCZCXRO2252
PP RUEHAT
DE RUEHGV #2928 3211402
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171402Z NOV 06
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1833
INFO RUCNFUR/DARFUR COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS GENEVA 002928

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

IO FOR RHS, DRL FOR MLGA, AF FOR AF/S

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM UNHRC SU
SUBJECT: HRC: CANADA ASKS WESTERN GROUP TO CONSIDER A
SPECIAL SESSION ON DARFUR/SUDAN

1. (SBU) The Western Human Rights Group (WHRG) met November
17 at Canada's request to discuss the possibility of
requesting a special session of the Human Rights Council to
address the situation in Darfur/Sudan or of asking that a
segment of the November 27 - December 8 Council session be
devoted to Darfur. Canadian Deputy Permanent Representative,
Ambassador Paul Meyer, highlighted the Council's
responsibility to pronounce itself on all serious human
rights situations wherever they occur. This included
situations that were under active consideration by other UN
bodies and mechanisms. Meyer stressed that the situation in
Darfur demanded some kind of action from the Council. In
addition, to the desperate situation in Darfur, the Council
needed to demonstrate that it can deal with issues other than
the Middle East for the sake of its credibility.

2. (SBU) Finland on behalf of the EU, Australia,
Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Netherlands, Sweden
and Ireland left the door open for a special session on
Darfur/Sudan, but questioned the timing of pressing for one
right now. They all noted the developments overnight in Addis
Ababa and ongoing, if contentious, discussions with the
African Group in Geneva on a resolution text addressing the
Darfur issue. There was general agreement that if the
decision is made to request a special session on Darfur, the
Western Group would need to obtain broad support for the
request, especially from the Latin American and Caribbean
Group (GRULAC) and Sub-Saharan states members of the African
Group.

3. (SBU) Comment: It is uncertain that negotiations toward
a consensus text with the African Group, which is split on
the Darfur resolutions, will bear fruit. At present there
are two Darfur texts tabled: the EU text supported by the
WHRG and some sub-Saharan countries and the "African Group"
text tabled by Algeria with Sudan's agreement. Algeria,
Sudan and Egypt are applying significant pressure on Nigeria,
Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Uganda and other African states who
want a tough text on Sudan, e.g. the EU text, to maintain
African Group unity -- even at the cost of what these
countries view as their national interest.
TICHENOR

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