VZCZCXRO5167
RR RUEHAT
DE RUEHGV #1656/01 1761539
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251539Z JUN 07
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 6338
RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA 0237
RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 0042
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4556
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2304
INFO RUEHZJ/HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 001656 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/RHS, DRL/MLGA, L/HRR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM UNHRC
SUBJECT: HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, JUNE 
19-22 
 
REF: GENEVA 1609 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) The Human Rights Council (HRC) held the first 
organizational meeting of its second year June 19-22 to 
follow up on institution-building in preparation for the next 
Council session (Sept. 10-28).  In a worrisome indication 
that negotiations in Geneva are unlikely to be more 
transparent than under former Council president de Alba, 
newly-elected HRC President Doru Costea (Romania) said he 
would not hold open meetings on the development of a program 
of work for the Council, but would be available to meet with 
delegates individually or as groups during the next month. 
His target date to have an agreed program of work and a 
calendar of meetings for the  HRC's second year is an 
organizational meeting planned for August 28.  For now, the 
only other meeting scheduled before the September session 
will be a brief informal meeting on July 25 to select 
facilitators for the elaboration of various 
institution-building modalities.  On June 20, delegates 
adopted three resolutions -- including two related to Israel 
-- which were tabled during the June 11-18 session. Costea 
warned that the Council's second year would be just as 
demanding as the first and include at least 10 weeks of 
regular Council sessions, six weeks of universal periodic 
review (UPR) working group sessions, and weeks of other 
meetings, including organizational meetings, Durban-related 
business, and special sessions. END SUMMARY. 
 
HRC CALENDAR AND PROGRAM OF WORK 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  Despite a new mandate calling on the Council to adopt 
a program of work and an annual calendar of regular sessions 
at its first organizational meeting, HRC President Costea 
said the task was too difficult to carry out in one or two 
days.  (Note: the program of work is intended to 
operationalize the agenda, which was included in the 
institutional-building package. End Note.)  Costea plans to 
develop a proposal in consultation with regional groups, 
delegations, and others, but does not plan to hold open 
negotiations.  Costea proposed presenting the program of work 
and meeting calendar for adoption at an August 28 
organizational meeting.  A number of delegations across 
regional groups called on Costea to prepare a proposal well 
in advance of the September session in order to allow 
delegations and NGO's time to prepare for that session as 
well as subsequent meetings. There was no decision regarding 
a possible Council meeting in November-December. 
 
UPR CONFUSION 
------------- 
 
¶3. (U)  Costea laid to rest confusion over whether the six 
weeks of UPR were included in the Council's 10 weeks of 
regular sessions or were meant to be in addition to them.  He 
said that UPR would be a separate process as far as timing 
and that it was not a matter for further discussion. 
Pakistan, China, Algeria, South Africa, and Nigeria 
originally insisted that the six weeks of UPR were meant to 
be part of the regular sessions, while Brazil, Portugal, 
Germany, the UK, Australia, Italy, and the Netherlands 
maintained that the resolution clearly called for 
inter-sessional UPR meetings. 
 
INSTITUTION-BUILDING CONTINUED 
------------------------------ 
 
¶4. (U)  For institution-building follow-up, President Costea 
said he would designate four separate facilitators to head 
working groups on: 1) UPR modalities; 2) the establishment of 
an expert advisory committee and mechanisms to continue the 
working groups of the former Sub-Commission; 3) setting of 
selection criteria for mandate holders; and 4) issues 
relating to the complaints procedure.  He hoped to have 
facilitators selected by the July 25 informal meeting.  A 
number of Asian and African delegations asked Costea to 
appoint Bureau members (i.e. the vice-presidents) as 
facilitators.  Others noted that Bureau members already 
carried a heavy load, suggesting that the facilitators be 
selected from other members. 
 
COUNCIL ADOPTS HRC5 RESOLUTIONS 
 
GENEVA 00001656  002 OF 002 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (U)  Earlier in the week (June 20), the Council adopted 
without vote three resolutions following up on previous 
Council resolutions -- Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian 
Territories (OPT), and Darfur.  Canada disassociated from 
consensus on the OPT resolution.  The resolutions were tabled 
during the HRC's fifth session, but, due to time constraints, 
were adopted on an exceptional basis during the 
organizational meeting. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  While the Mission does not doubt Costea's 
sincerity in trying to put the Council on the right path 
during its second year, we have concerns about his continuing 
some of his predecessor's poor practices.  The fact that 
there will be no open consultations to discuss such important 
issues as the program of work harkens back to the Council's 
first year of opaque negotiations and backroom deals. 
Separately, Mission notes for Department and USUN concerns 
regarding resource requirements, following Costea's warning 
that he expects the second year to include 30 weeks of 
meetings. In its first year, the Council held the equivalent 
of 32 weeks of meetings -- plenary sessions, special 
sessions, organizational meetings, open informals, and 
working group meetings.   END COMMENT. 
 
TICHENOR