VZCZCXRO5204
OO RUEHLH RUEHPW
DE RUEHIL #5766 2211245
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091245Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7355
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 5946
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR IMMEDIATE 0727
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 9041
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS IMMEDIATE 0330
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI IMMEDIATE 2310
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE IMMEDIATE 9774
RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR IMMEDIATE 7728
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 5667
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA IMMEDIATE 3735

UNCLAS ISLAMABAD 015766 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IS LE MOPS PHUM PK PREL PTER
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED ON DERAILING UN HUMAN RIGHTS 
COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION ON LEBANON 
 
REF: STATE 130145 
 
¶1.  Polcouns delivered reftel demarche on August 9 to Tariq 
Osman Hyder, Additional Secretary for UN Affairs at the MFA. 
 
¶2.  Hyder responded that the decision to appeal to the Human 
Rights Council (HRC) was made at the August 3 meeting in 
Malaysia of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). 
 He noted that to address perceived Israeli violations of 
humanitarian law, the Putrajaya Declaration of August 3 calls 
for "the immediate convening of a special session of the 
United Nations Human Rights Council as well as a meeting of 
the High Contracting Parties to the 4th Geneva Convention." 
The request to the HRC had been submitted by Tunisia, on 
behalf of both the OIC and the Arab League, but Pakistan had 
also played a role in its position as coordinator of the OIC 
human rights subgroup. 
 
¶3.  Hyder defended the appeal to the HRC on a number of 
grounds: 
 
-- He argued that it did not in any way preclude action by 
the Security Council.  "We deal with human rights, they deal 
with peace and security," he observed, adding that there 
should not be any contradiction between the two. 
-- He maintained that the intrinsic nature of Israel's 
actions, namely killing of civilians and targeting of 
civilian infrastructure, put them under the purview of the 
HRC. 
-- The appeal was, he said, in keeping with the "declared 
position of the United States, which is for the quickest 
possible cessation of hostilities."  Hostilities had now 
continued for more than three weeks and it was appropriate 
for the HRC to become engaged.  The objective of the 
resolution was to encourage an end to the fighting and 
attendant human suffering. 
-- The U.S. had engaged in a "long process" to establish the 
HRC, he said, in order to ensure that it would play a "more 
useful, practical role."  With over 500 people killed on both 
sides it was time for the HRC to play this role. 
-- He added that political sentiment in the Moslem world was 
at an extremely high pitch over the death and destruction in 
Lebanon.  It was preferable, and in the interest of western 
countries, that this sentiment be channeled via appropriate 
international mechanisms, rather than allow it to move in a 
"volatile, destabilizing and anti-western direction." 
 
¶4.  Polcouns reiterated that the United States views the 
engagement of the HRC at this sensitive juncture as highly 
unhelpful, and urged that Pakistan reconsider its position 
and withdraw its support from the effort. 
 
CROCKER