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Cablegate: Croatia's Unchr Priorities

Published: Fri 12 Mar 2004 02:47 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
121447Z Mar 04
UNCLAS ZAGREB 000436
SIPDIS
FOR DRL AND IO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PREL HR UNHCR
SUBJECT: CROATIA'S UNCHR PRIORITIES
REF: STATE 41252
1. On February 25, we delivered reftel non-paper to Dubravka
Simonovic, MFA Head of Department for Human Rights. In
return, Simonovic provided us on March 12 with Croatia's
priorities for the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human
Rights (full text follows in para 3). She offered no
specific comments on reftel non-paper.
2. Croatia's listed "priorities" are largely non-specific and
general expressions of principled support for human rights.
Croatia is seeking support for a consensus resolution on its
biennial "conscientious objection to military service"
resolution. On country-specific resolutions, Croatia
supports an "objective evaluation" without politicization and
voting through regional blocks.
3. Begin text of non-paper:
CROATIA'S PRIORITIES AT THE 60th SESSION OF
THE UN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS
The Republic of Croatia attaches great importance to the
pivotal role of the UN Commission on Human Rights, and as a
first time member in the period 2002-2004, this year will
continue to play an active role in its work. The Permanent
Representative of Croatia to the UN Ambassador Gordan
Markotic, has been elected as one of the Vice-Chairmen of the
Commission.
-In the field of human rights promotion and protection,
Croatia is firmly committed to the principle that all human
rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and
inter-related.
-Croatia supports the universal ratification of core
universal human rights treaties, as well as their effective
implementation at the national level. This particularly
refers to the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights in the context of which it should be stressed that
Croatia remains committed to the universal abolition of death
penalty and the prevention of torture and all forms of cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Croatia has
signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against
Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or
Punishment.
-Croatia pays particular attention to the further
strengthening of the implementation of economic, social and
cultural rights. In this context, it supports the early
commencement of work related to the elaboration of a draft
optional protocol to the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights related to an optional
communications procedure for individuals or groups claiming
to be victims of the violation of the rights contained in the
Covenant.
-Croatia remains committed to the further strengthening of
the mechanisms for the protection of human rights within the
UN system. It firmly believes that the strengthening of
effectiveness of these mechanisms and their streamlining is
crucial for the protection and promotion of human rights
worldwide. In this respect, Croatia extended a standing
invitation to the thematic special procedures in 2003 and
invites the countries that have not done so to do the same.
-Croatia renders its full support to the ongoing activities
related to the reform of the human rights treaty system, the
achieving of increased co-ordination and closer co-operation
among the treaty bodies leading to the strengthening of the
human rights protection at the national and international
levels.
-At this session, the Republic of Croatia will present its
biennial resolution entitled "Conscientious Objection to
Military Service" which is important in the context of the
freedom of opinion, freedom of conscience, freedom of belief
as well as the right not to be discriminated.
-Croatia will continue to support the efforts within the
Commission on Human Rights aimed at the integration of gender
perspective in all of its activities. Paying particular
attention to gender equality as an important objective,
Croatia considers the work of the Special Rapporteur of the
Commission on Human Rights on violence against women
particularly important for achieving this goal.
-The Republic of Croatia attaches significant importance to
the process of adopting resolutions considering the fact that
the role of the members of the Commission is crucial for the
future protection and promotion of human rights worldwide.
Consequently, Croatia:
--supports the adoption of thematic resolutions by consensus
over the increasing trend of adopting them by voting.
Members should commit themselves to adequate preparation of
the texts of resolutions and appropriate negotiations;
--supports the ongoing initiatives regarding the improvement
of the organization of work of the Commission and the call
for biennialization or triennalization of resolutions that
provide added value aimed at the promotion and protection of
human rights;
--supports the objective evaluation of country resolutions
without politicization and voting through regional blocks,
since such voting undermines the resolutions' key aim of
unbiased assessment of specific human rights situations in
the observed countries.
End text.
FRANK
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