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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #1408/01 3421610
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 071620Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0103
INFO RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001408 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
STATE PLEASE PASS ALL DIPLOMATIC POSTS COLLECTIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON DR
SUBJECT: Socialist International Holds Second Council Meeting in the 
Dominican Republic 
 
1.(U)  SUMMARY:  The Socialist International (SI) held its second 
Council meeting of the year in Santo Domingo on 11/23-24.   The 
meeting, entitled "At a Turning Point for a Sustainable Future: The 
Social Democratic Way Forward," saw the delegates representing over 
150 SI members adopt three declarations (climate change, democracy, 
and arms control and nuclear disarmament), as well as three 
resolutions (global development, human rights in Iran, and the 
Middle East).  SI President, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou 
called for greater participation of women in political processes as 
well as for tax revenues from developed countries to be used to 
help developing countries combat climate change.  The meeting's 
host, opposition Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD) President 
Miguel Vargas Maldonado, was rewarded for his efforts by being 
elected as one of two SI Vice Presidents (the other being Sigmar 
Gabriel, head of Germany's SPD).  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
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CLIMATE CHANGE 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2.  The Council adopted a declaration entitled "From a High-Carbon 
Economy to a Low-Carbon Society," which called for an international 
agreement on climate change between all parties during the 
conference of the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate 
Change in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The Declaration 
states that the "principles of common and differentiated 
responsibility and respective capacity" should guide the Copenhagen 
discussions, that the agreement reached there should include 
absolute reductions for developed countries and objectives for the 
main developing countries, along with contributions for rapid 
financing and a "formula for the financing of mitigation and 
adaptation under a future regime."  (NOTE:  The SI resolution on 
Global Development, see below, however, does call for less 
developed states such as China and India to commit to reductions. 
END NOTE.) 
 
 
 
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DEMOCRACY 
 
------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3.  The Council's declaration on "Securing Democracy and 
Reaffirming People's Rights" could be interpreted as a commentary 
on the situation in Honduras because of its emphasis on free and 
legitimate elections within the Rule of Law, along with its 
condemnation of "any disruption of democratic institutions." 
 
 
 
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NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
- 
 
 
 
¶4.  The Council's declaration on "Working for a World Free of 
Nuclear Weapons and for Arms Control" emphasized the SI's 
commitment to comprehensive global disarmament as well as the 
importance of holding a successful Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) 
Review Conference in May 2010.  The Council welcomed the 
negotiations between President Barack Obama and Russian President 
Dmitry to cut the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, as well as 
President Obama's decision to cancel deployment of anti-ballistic 
missile systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.  The Council also 
called on non-State Parties to sign on to the NPT and for all 
states to comply with its obligations.  In addition, SI members 
"demanded" the development of nuclear-weapon-free-zones, 
"especially in areas of tension such as the Middle East," the 
establishment of zones free of all weapons of mass destruction, the 
continuation of the moratorium on nuclear testing, and the "urgent 
ratification" of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (the SI 
 
 
welcomed President Obama's statement to seek such ratification). 
In addition, they called upon the Conference on Disarmament to 
quickly conclude a treaty on the production of fissile material for 
explosive devices and for all nuclear weapon states to commit to a 
no-first-use policy. 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5.  The Council's resolution on "The Challenges of Global 
Development at the End of 2009 and the Perspectives for 2010 - The 
Economic, Social, Environmental and Cultural Dimensions" called for 
sustainable global development, criticized "neoliberal policies and 
casino capitalism," and lauded the "social democratic approach of 
economic development, protection and social justice, and 
environmental protection.  It echoed the SI's declaration on 
climate change in demanding the developed states, as the highest 
per capita emitters of greenhouse gases, "must agree on new and 
deeper targets for cutting emissions," but also affirmed that less 
developed states, "particularly China and India, must also commit 
to reductions, even if the targets are numerically lower."  The 
Council expressed satisfaction at the establishment of the G-20, 
opining that it should replace the G-8 at the forum for developing 
a global economic framework, although the ideal, according to the 
Council would be a G-192, containing all of the world's countries. 
With respect to future policies, the SI encouraged China to use its 
"substantial savings" to increase domestic demand and improve its 
social security system.  The SI further stated that China and India 
"must assume more responsibility for global economic development" 
as well as favored the creation of a new currency reserve adapted 
from proposals by China's Central Bank. 
 
 
 
The SI cautioned against "premature" reductions in counter-cyclical 
stimulus packages and urged governments not to cut spending on 
social programs and infrastructure when they do adopt deficit 
reduction policies.  In addition to these policies, the Council 
argued that the financial sector should be "made to bear the costs 
of the crisis through a global tax on capital gains" and even 
opposed continued bailouts and subsidies to that sector. The 
Council also expressed concern that the purchase by more developed 
countries of agricultural land in less developed countries will 
"exacerbate the inequitable distribution of food resources." 
Finally, the SI welcomed the G-20 commitments to refrain from 
increased protectionist measures, called for the elimination of 
developed country subsidies for agricultural exports and for 
greater market access for developing country exports while also 
urging completion of the WTO Doha Round in 2010. 
 
 
 
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HUMAN RIGHTS IN IRAN 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6.  In its "Resolution on Iran," the Council expressed concern over 
the denunciations of violations of human rights in Iran, condemned 
every practice that is contrary to the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, demanded respect for the rights of ethnic and 
religious minorities, including the Kurds, demanded freedom of 
political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and expressed its 
solidarity with those who, "in accordance with our values, struggle 
for democracy, progress and justice in Iran." 
 
 
 
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THE MIDDLE EAST 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  The Council, in its "Resolution on the Middle East," reaffirmed 
 
 
the SI's "conviction" that a solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict 
includes the creation of a Palestinian State, and the recognition 
of Israel's right to "live in peace within internationally 
recognized borders."  The resolution also calls for an end to the 
"Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territory occupied in 1967, 
including East Jerusalem (which is indentified as the ideal capital 
of an independent, sovereign and viable democratic Palestinian 
state).  The SI termed Israeli settlement activities in the 
Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, as "illegal," as 
a "gross violation of international law," as a major obstacle to 
peace," and as a violation of Israel's signed commitment not to 
undertake "any unilateral action liable to prejudice the outcome of 
final status negotiations," and called for Israel to halt them "at 
once."  The Council called on all governments to "put an end" to 
the blockade of the Gaza strip, which it characterized as a 
"collective punishment," to support the efforts of the Palestinian 
government to build the economic and institutional foundations of a 
future state, and to reconstruct Gaza. 
 
 
 
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OTHER ISSUES 
 
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¶8.  The Council sent a message of support to Aung Sang Suu Kyi (SI 
Special Honorary President), "deplored" the decision to hold 
elections in Honduras before the restoration of constitutional 
government there, sent its (prescient) "best wishes for success" to 
Uruguay's Frente Amplio presidential candidate Jose Mujica, and 
supported the request by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization 
for the UN General Assembly to consider the case of Puerto Rico. 
 
 
 
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COMMENT 
 
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¶9.  Emboffs consulted PRD officials for their readout of the 
Council meeting, but were advised to just "read the declarations 
and resolutions."  Domestically the major news coming out of the 
meeting was PRD leader Vargas Maldonado's election as one of the 
SI's two Vice Presidents. END COMMENT. 
Lambert