Cablegate: Demarche Response On the Goldstone Report

VZCZCXRO8652
OO RUEHAT RUEHSK RUEHSL
DE RUEHSA #2257 3081309
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 041309Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0102
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 7293
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 1372
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9653
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0623
RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PRETORIA 002257

SIPDIS

IO/HR, PAUL KRUCHOWSKI; IO/UNP, ANDREW MORRISON; NEA/IPA,
JEFFREY GIAUQUE; USUN NY, ELLEN GERMAIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM SF
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON THE GOLDSTONE REPORT

REF: STATE 112828

1. On November 3, poloff made phone contact with Pitso
Montwedi, Chief Director for Human Rights and Humanitarian
Affairs at the South African Department of International
Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), to advise of the U.S.
message (reftel). Mr. Montwedi was engaged in meetings in
New York, but he agreed to receive talking points by fax at
the South African Consulate there. Paragraph 10 points were
duly formatted as a non-paper and faxed. On November 4,
poloff received an email from a Consulate employee saying the
points had been shared with the SAG mission to the U.N.

2. In the absence of a reply, post advises that based on
past impressions and conversations we anticipate South Africa
will likely support the resolution to be presented in the
November 4 debate, in any form endorsing the Goldstone
Report. Post feels there is little likelihood of our
changing the South African position.

GIPS

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