Cablegate: Czechs Not Competing for Un Human Rights Council

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RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0274 1261343
ZNR UUUCC ZZH
R 051343Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0294
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0001
RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA 2939
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0012
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0249
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0218

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000274

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ATRATENSEK, IO/RHS AND DRL/MLGA FOR KMCGEENEY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNHCR EZ EUN
SUBJECT: CZECHS NOT COMPETING FOR UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
THIS YEAR

REF: STATE 46477

(SBU) Czech Director of Human Rights and Transition Policy,
Gabriela Dlouha, indicated that the Czech Republic does not
plan to compete for one of the two East European group seats
at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) this year. Following
the defeat last fall of the Czech bid for the UN Security
Council seat, the Czechs made a tactical decision not to go
through a second competition this year for another
significant UN seat. Thus, late last year the Czechs spoke
with the Slovaks and rather than compete against each other
this year, they plan to cooperate closely (assuming that
Slovakia wins one of the seats). The Czechs will compete for
the HRC in 2011. Dlouha stated that of the three contenders
- Slovakia, Ukraine, Serbia - the Czechs have made
commitments to support Slovakia and Serbia.
Graber

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