INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Special Lebanon Tribunal Demarche: No Offical

Published: Wed 23 May 2007 10:08 PM
VZCZCXYZ0031
OO RUEHWEB
DE RUEHPE #1854 1432208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 232208Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY LIMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5589
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0130
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT IMMEDIATE 0053
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 0322
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 0226
UNCLAS LIMA 001854
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
IO/UN/P ANNELIESE REINEMEYER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC LE PREL PTER PE
SUBJECT: SPECIAL LEBANON TRIBUNAL DEMARCHE: NO OFFICAL
RESPONSE YET
REF: STATE 70478
1. (SBU) Ambassador delivered reftel demarche to Foreign
Minister Jose Antonio Garcia Belaunde in the afternoon of May
23. Garcia Belaunde, who had just emerged from a cabinet
meeting at the time, said he had not yet had the opportunity
to review the GOP's position on the Lebanon Tribunal and
promised to get back with the GOP's official response by COB
May 24 (when he returned from a one-day trip to Colombia.)
Separately, polcouns contacted Ana Rosa Valdivieso, Director
General of the MFA's Multilateral Affairs Division, to
emphasize U.S. Support for a Special Tribunal for Lebanon and
to request clarification of the GOP's position. Valdivieso
said the GOP agreed with the substance ("fondo") of the
demarche but not with the "form," stating that the issue
should be resolved in channels other than the UNSC under
Chapter 7. She said the Multilateral Affairs Division would
therefore recommend that the GOP abstain on the upcoming vote
but acknowledged that other government offices might have a
different recommendation and that the Foreign Minister's
official response was far from decided.
2. (SBU) PolCouns of the French Embassy told polcouns May 23
that the French Ambassador had demarched Vice Foreign
Minister Gonzalo Gutierrez on the Lebanon Special Tribunal
that morning, and noted that the VFM had suggested that the
UNSC should not be used to resolve an internal political
matter in Lebanon. DCM of the British Embassy said he had
not yet received instructions on the Lebanon matter but
expected them at any time.
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