This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA, WHA/CCA, WHA/CEN, AND WHA/PPC 
STATE FOR DRL, DRL/MLA, IO, AND INR/AN/IAA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PREL PINR KDEM CU HO CHR
SUBJECT:  TEXT OF HONDURAN PRESS RELEASE ON UNCHR CUBA 
RESOLUTION 
 
REF: (A) Tegucigalpa 759 
 
     (B) State 65652 
 
¶1. Below is Embassy's unofficial translation of the Honduran 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs press release on the UNCHR Cuba 
resolution, issued at 12:00 p.m. E.S.T. on April 1. 
 
¶2. Begin text: 
 
Ministry of Foreign Relations 
Republic of Honduras 
 
Press Communique No. 5 
 
The Ministry of Foreign Relations, hereby informs the 
following to national and international opinion, on its 
position as a member in the context of the United Nations 
Commission on Human Rights: 
 
  ¶1. The actions of Honduras in the Human Rights Commission 
are based, and will always be based, rigorously in 
International Law, divested of ideological prejudice or 
political interests; 
 
  ¶2. Cuba is a friendly country and Honduras maintains normal 
diplomatic relations with it as well as a high level of 
cooperation; 
 
  ¶3. In this sense, Honduras, in exercising its sovereignty, 
has submitted to the mandatory control and jurisdiction of 
jurisdictional instances that monitor compliance with Human 
Rights, just as all Nations without exception should commit 
to; Honduras responds in total sovereignty as it pronounces 
itself with respect to these matters, within the framework of 
the United Nations Charter, being a fundamental aspect of the 
Charter in addition to the principle of Nations' sovereign 
equality and the obligation of not threatening or using force 
in order to damage the sovereignty and territorial integrity 
of other Nations; 
 
  ¶4. Taking into account all of the above, the Government of 
Honduras has submitted to the consideration of the Human 
Rights Commission the following draft resolution which has as 
its' fundamental objective, the authorization on the part of 
the Cuban Government for a Representative of the United 
Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to carry out her 
mandate in Cuba: 
 
"The Commission on Human Rights, 
 
Taking into consideration its resolution 2003/12 of April  17, 
2003, 
 
Considering that in the aforementioned resolution the 
Commission urged the Government of Cuba to receive the 
Personal Representative of the High Commissioner of the United 
Nations for Human Rights and to afford all the necessary 
facilities so that she can fulfill the mandate established in 
the resolution 2002/18 of April 19, 2002, 
 
Conscious that compliance with human rights and fundamental 
liberties is an obligation inherent to all States in the 
framework of the purposes and principles of the Charter of the 
United Nations, 
 
  ¶1. Expresses that the Government of Cuba like all other 
sovereign States, independent of the prevailing exceptional 
international circumstances which have obliged many States to 
intensify security measures, should avoid the adoption of 
measures which could threaten fundamental rights, freedom of 
expression and the right to due process of its citizens.  In 
this regard, laments the actions which occurred last year in 
Cuba in respect to sentencing of political dissidents and 
journalists, as has been reported by the international news 
media. 
 
  ¶2. Expresses its hopes that the Government of Cuba will 
continue making an effort to strengthen religious freedom and 
that it will put into place measures with the objective of 
facilitating the transition toward the establishment of a 
fruitful dialogue with all the currents of thought and 
organized political groups in its society, despite the 
precarious international environment, with the objective of 
promoting the full development of democratic institutions and 
civil liberties. 
 
  ¶3. Urges the Government of Cuba to cooperate, within the 
full exercise of its sovereignty, with the Representative of 
the High Commissioner for Human Rights, facilitating the 
fulfillment of her mandate, as other sovereign States must do 
in compliance with the purposes and principles which govern 
the Charter of the United Nations. 
  ¶4. Decides to give further consideration to this subject in 
the Sixty-first session, under the same agenda item." 
Tegucigalpa M.D.C., April 1, 2004 
Directorate of Institutional Communication 
 
¶3. End text. 
 
Palmer