Cablegate: Malaysia Non-Committal On Pressuring Iran On Human

VZCZCXRO1041
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #0088 0420820
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 110820Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3769
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0001
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1163

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000088

SIPDIS

FOR EAP/MTS, NEA/IR, DRL, P, AND NSC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM IR MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA NON-COMMITTAL ON PRESSURING IRAN ON HUMAN
RIGHTS

REF: STATE 12108 -- PRESSURING IRAN ON HUMAN RIGHTS

1. (SBU) Poloff conveyed reftel demarche points to Mr. Jamal
Sharifuddin Johan, Principal Assistant Secretary who covers
human rights in the MFA's Multilateral Political Division, on
February 10. Jamal thanked Poloff for providing the U.S.
perspective on Iran's human rights abuses, but noted that the
GOM was finalizing its evaluation of Iran as part of the UN's
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process, and therefore it
would be inappropriate for him to comment about Iran or the
GOM's position on this issue at this time.

2. (SBU) Comment: The GOM has a de facto policy of not
criticizing the human rights record of other countries,
except for Israel (which it sees as a 'regional issue'). With
Iran in particular, the MFA has been consistently silent if
the issue does not pertain to proliferation. UPR
considerations aside, it is unlikely that the MFA will
provide us any additional information outside of possible
public comments made at the UN. End Comment.
KEITH

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