Cablegate: Mauritius Unlikely to Change Votes On Unga Third Committee

VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPL #0310 2560936
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120936Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT LOUIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4165
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0152
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0297

UNCLAS PORT LOUIS 000310

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

AF/E FOR MARIA BEYZEROV
IO/RHS REBECCA JOVIN
DRL/MLGA LYNN SICADE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL UN MP
SUBJECT: MAURITIUS UNLIKELY TO CHANGE VOTES ON UNGA THIRD COMMITTEE
ISSUES

REF: STATE 93981

1. (SBU) PolOff delivered ref demarche to Mr. Rabindranath Sawmy,
First Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International
Trade and Cooperation on September 10. POLOFF noted Mauritius' low
voting coincidence with USG in the UN, and presented human rights as
the area of voting that has the potential to see a greater voting
coincidence between US and Mauritius --citing GOM's break from
traditionally abstaining from country specific votes by speaking out
and voting to highlight human rights abuses in Burma as well as the
recent change of vote from "yes" to "abstention" on the Pakistani
introduced resolution on Defamation of Religions in the Human Rights
Council after a previous USG demarche.

2. (SBU) Sawmy said that he expects that the recent changes of GOM
position to condemn human rights violations in Burma and abstain
from "Defamation of Religion" resolutions will likely not change.
Sawmy said that the points on "No-action motions" and other demarche
points will be considered; however, he doubts that the GOM will
change many of its historical positions because Mauritius will
continue to block vote with African and other political groups.

CABRERA

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