VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHME #4482 2230118
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 110118Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2633
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0920
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L MEXICO 004482 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2011 
TAGS: PHUM PREL KPAO UNRCR PGOV MX
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED FOR HRC SPECIAL SESSION ON 
LEBANON 
 
REF: A. A) SECSTATE 130904 
     ¶B. B) MEXICO 4472 
 
Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR ALAN MELTZER, REASONS: 1.4(B/ 
D). 
 
¶1. (C) Acting MCPA and Poloff delivered ref A talking points 
to Dr. Luis Angel Benavides, acting head of the Office of 
Human Rights and Democracy at the Secretariat for Foreign 
Relations (SRE), as well as to Mariana Salazar Albornoz, 
Director of International Policy for Economic, Social, 
Cultural and Minority Rights. Benavides maintained that 
Mexico holds a different position than the U.S. regarding the 
appropriateness for the Human Rights Council (HRC) to call a 
special session on Lebanon (ref B).  Concerning Article 12, 
Benavides reiterated Mexico's stand that human rights are 
differentiated from issues of peace and security.  While 
interpretations of Article 12 vary, he asserted that 
precedents have been set supporting Mexico's position that UN 
human rights bodies can consider resolutions relating to 
human rights issues arising out of conflicts that have been 
brought before the UNSC.  Benavides remarked that human 
rights and international humanitarian law are so intertwined 
that he questions the logic suggesting the HRC is not 
qualified to evaluate matters involving international 
humanitarian law. 
 
¶2. (C) Benavides and Salazar agreed that the current draft of 
the resolution is one-sided and remarked that negotiations 
over the text are currently underway. They pointed to the 
difficulty of the negotiations due to the polarized views 
that exist on the HRC on this issue, particularly represented 
by the drafters of the text. They expect the special session 
to be similar to discussions on the Middle East during the 
first session of the HRC in June. Salazar emphasized that 
Mexico's representative serving as president of the HRC, Luis 
Alfonso de Alba, is taking seriously his role as an objective 
and neutral facilitator on the council. 
 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity 
 
GARZA