Cablegate: Brunei Will Support Anti-Rape Resolution If

VZCZCXRO5576
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHBD #0335 3180730
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 140730Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4013
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS COLL PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY

UNCLAS BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000335

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO: LINDA LUM & AMY OSTERMEIER AND EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KWMN SOCI UNGA BX
SUBJECT: BRUNEI WILL SUPPORT ANTI-RAPE RESOLUTION IF
AFRICANS ON BOARD, MOVING TO ABSTAIN ON SINGLE COUNTRY
RESOLUTIONS

REF: A. STATE 155063

B. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 299
C. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 319

1. (SBU) Charge delivered Ref A points on November 14 to
Adnan Jaafar, Acting Director for International Organizations
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Adnan is
recently returned to Brunei, having served as Brunei's Deputy
PermRep in New York. Updating Brunei's position from ref B,
Adnan responded that Brunei will abstain on the resolution
condemning rape as a political instrument. He added that the
Brunei mission in New York will be instructed to move to a
yes vote if the African group moves to support the resolution.

2. (SBU) In an update to ref C on Brunei's position on single
country resolutions, Adnan Jaafar said that Brunei would now
abstain on all such resolutions. Brunei will continue to
support no-action motions to reflect the GoB view that the
Third Committee remained the wrong place to take up single
country resolutions. He commented that the GoB was willing
to take the pressure for moving from no to abstain votes on
certain country resolutions, as an abstention would make it
more clear that Brunei did not/not support countries with
poor human rights records.
FRIEDMAN

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