Cablegate: Iom: Spain Will Consider Swing As U.S. Candidate

VZCZCXRO9385
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV
DE RUEHMD #1356 1921624
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111624Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2972
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 2895
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0852

UNCLAS MADRID 001356

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

PRM
GENEVA FOR DAVID REIMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AORC EUN PREF PREL SMIG SP
SUBJECT: IOM: SPAIN WILL CONSIDER SWING AS U.S. CANDIDATE

REF: STATE 93916

(SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Spanish MFA Deputy
Director General for International Technical Organizations
Enrique Yturriaga on July 11. Yturriaga told Poloff that
Spain supports the two-term limit, and that any candidate who
did not have the support of his own country would have
difficulty gaining the support of other nations. Regarding
the candidacy of Ambassador Swing, Yturriaga said that he
would consult with Spain's mission in Geneva and a decision
would be made closer to the election. He said, however, that
certain IOM members that are developing countries had
objections to continuing U.S. preeminence in IOM, viewing the
organization as mainly a vehicle for U.S. interests. He
added that Spain generally supports the rotation of important
offices among geographic groups, though he could not say
definitively if that would be the case with IOM, which Spain
has only recently rejoined. In any case, he appreciated the
clarification that Ambassador Swing is the U.S. candidate and
he expressed his conviction in Swing's qualifications for the
office.

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Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/
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AGUIRRE

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