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ZNY CCCCC ZZH
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FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1370
INFO RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN PRIORITY 7615
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN PRIORITY 1678
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG PRIORITY 9968
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 000398 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR P, NEA/IR, DRL/NESCA, AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SA
SUBJECT: DIRCO ON IRAN: ANY UNHRC MOTIONS SHOULD URGE 
DIALOGUE 
 
REF: A. PRETORIA 00384 
     ¶B. SECSTATE 16236 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Helen La Lime for reasons 1.4 (b 
) and (d) 
 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶1. (C) South African officials request confirmation before 
February 27 that the USG will introduce a resolution on the 
human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran at the 
next session of the U.N. Human Rights Council (HRC). After 
consultation with DRL, Poloff informed the SAG today that 
this decision has not been made and is still being considered 
at the highest levels. While the SAG will not necessarily 
vote in favor of any such motion, it wholeheartedly favors 
the HRC as the proper venue for debate on human rights 
matters, rather than the General Assembly (UNGA). Further, 
the SAG suggests that any proposal include a provision to 
explore alternative avenues to engage the GOI, giving the GOI 
ample opportunity to demonstrate either its willingness to 
cooperate, or its continued recalcitrance. End summary. 
 
-------------------- 
IRAN: AGENDA ITEM #1 
-------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Poloffs met with Mr. Pitso Montwedi, Chief Director, 
Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the Multilateral 
Branch of the Department of International Relations (DIRCO); 
Raymond Sithole, Deputy Director for Civil and Political 
Rights (CPR); Laura Lazarous, Assistant Director for CPR and 
Sybil Matlhako, Assistant Director for CPR. The discussion of 
Iran took place in the context of poloffs' delivery of the 
demarche on USG priorities for the March session of the 
HRC.(Pretoria 00384) 
 
¶3. (C) Montwedi began the meeting by asking for confirmation 
that the USG would introduce a resolution on the status of 
human rights in Iran. Montwedi shared a letter from Mr. Aryeh 
Neier, president of the Open Society Institute (OSI), written 
to Susan van der Merwe, Deputy Minister of DIRCO. In the 
letter Neier asks for South Africa's support and leadership 
in the March session of the HRC on an Iran resolution. 
 
¶4. (C) If the U.S. were planning such a resolution, Montwedi 
further asked how this development would affect the USG's 
support of the Canadian resolution on the Situation of Human 
Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which they have 
tabled each of the last seven years. 
 
¶5. (C) Montwedi shared that Ambassador Sipho George Nene, 
Deputy Director General of the Multilateral Branch of DIRCO, 
leaves for Geneva on Saturday, February 27, and would like to 
know the USG's plans before then. After consultation with 
DRL, Poloff informed the SAG today that this decision has not 
been made and is still being considered at the highest 
levels. 
 
¶6. (C) The SAG welcomes the introduction of an Iran 
resolution in the March session of the HRC as a "constructive 
approach to bring this resolution home." Montwedi stressed 
that while the SAG may vote against said resolution, they 
strongly support the approach of beginning the process in the 
HRC and would make statements to that effect.  He added that 
he thought both "friends and foes" would welcome this 
approach and the latter would no longer be able to vote 
against an Iran resolution under the guise of technicalities 
like the lack of "system-wide coherence". (Comment: Montwedi 
was wryly referring to his own seniors, encouraging greater 
pressure on them to take a clearer stand on Iran. End 
Comment.) 
 
------------------------------------ 
BEYOND RESOLUTIONS: ANOTHER APPROACH 
QBEYOND RESOLUTIONS: ANOTHER APPROACH 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶7. (C) Montwedi discussed the necessity of exploring other 
avenues to engender cooperation with the GOI. He explained 
that while the Iranian conflict has been addressed repeatedly 
at the ambassadorial level, such discussion has not mustered 
the desired consensus or cooperation, but rather hardened the 
attitudes of opposing camps. The SAG suggests convening a 
meeting of ministers with Ahmadinejad or some other type of 
 
PRETORIA 00000398  002 OF 002 
 
 
high-level special conference focused on Iran. 
 
¶8. (C) As a potential next step, the SAG proposes the 
dispatch to Tehran of a group of "eminent personalities" to 
negotiate with the GOI.  Montwedi cautioned that the group 
would have to consist of credible international negotiators 
interested in honest brokering. When Poloff asked for 
possible examples of appropriate emissaries, Montwedi listed 
former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Prince 
Hassan and Queen Rania of Jordan or former UN Secretary 
General Kofi Annan. If such a distinguished delegation failed 
to make progress, the SAG suggests that the fallback position 
would be to send heads of state to Tehran to negotiate with 
Ahmadinejad. 
 
¶9. (C) In the event a visit by heads of state to Tehran also 
failed, Montwedi suggested that even those member states who 
have historically supported the GOI would have to concede 
that Iran was to blame for the lack of progress and would 
have no choice but to refer the situation to the Security 
Council. He added that the GOI has been driven into an 
extreme position by the international community's censure and 
such a program of high-level engagement would force the GOI 
to "either take advantage of the opportunity or let it slip 
through their fingers." Asked for the SAG's sense of Iran's 
intent, Montwedi said he did feel Iran was genuinely 
interested in improved relations, since at present "they do 
not envy the position they are in." 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶10. (C) The SAG has no desire to confront the GOI publicly 
about its ongoing human rights violations, but seems to want 
to place that responsibility with other member states. Its 
suggestion to engage the GOI at the ministerial or 
head-of-state level could be a way to buy time for the GOI, 
or it could be a genuine attempt to find an effective 
solution. Post will continue to encourage SAG officials to 
support efforts to end human rights violations in Iran. 
GIPS