Cablegate: Un Goldstone Resolution: New Zealand Is Watching Europe

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O R 250234Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0425
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SIPDIS
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SENSITIVE
STATE FOR EAP/ANP AND EUR/HR COURTNEY MUSSER (MUSSERCC@STATE.GOV)

E.O. 12958: DECL: (##)
TAGS: PHUM UNGA PREL PGOV NZ
SUBJECT: UN GOLDSTONE RESOLUTION: NEW ZEALAND IS WATCHING EUROPE

REF: 10 STATE 15722

CLASSIFIED BY: Adam Smith, Second Secretary, DoS, P/E; REASON:
1.4(B), (D)

1. (SBU) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Michael McBryde, the
Foreign Ministry's UN Division Deputy Director, urging GNZ to vote
no or abstain (as NZ did in November 2009) on the February 26 UN
Goldstone Report draft resolution recently circulated by the
Palestinian Observer Mission.

2. (SBU) McBryde stated that Jim McLay, NZ's UN Ambassador,
follows Middle East issues very carefully and is well aware of
sensitivities regarding the Goldstone Report. Last November McLay
recommended abstention on the Goldstone Report draft resolution
because he felt that the UN should "take note of" the report, not
endorse it. NZ's UN delegation considers the latest draft
resolution to be more "moderate and constructive", and it is
waiting to see how European countries such as the UK, France, and
Sweden will vote. NZ's UN delegation will have the authority to
finalize its position (and its vote) based upon how the February 26
debate unfolds.

3. (SBU) NOTE: James Kember, the Foreign Ministry's UN Division
Director, will travel on March 11 to meet with NZ's European and
New York-based UN delegations. McBryde stated that Kember has only
been in his current position since September 2009, and this will be
his first trip to meet with these two groups. McBryde referred to
the trip as a "pastoral mission" and did not share any specific
agenda items. END NOTE

4. (C/NF) COMMENT: When pressed, McBryde admitted that, in
particular, New Zealand is watching to see how the UK will vote on
the Goldstone Report draft resolution. He said the UK has
indicated that the new draft resolution is more "moderate and
constructive", and there is a chance that London will change its
vote from abstain to yes. Post believes that a shift in the UK
position could have a significant impact on New Zealand's vote.
McBryde further confided that this is a "particularly sensitive
issue because Ambassador McLay is scheduled to travel to several
Middle Eastern countries next week (including Israel)." END
COMMENT
CLARKE

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