US TAKES SLIGHTLY SOFTER LINE ON RIGHTS

AFP 24 January 1997

The United-States is soft-pedalling on efforts to get China's human rights abuses condemned by the United Nations in a bid to secure concessions from Beijing on the rights of political prisoners. Washington's approach is outlined in a confidential diplomatic telegram sent this week to the 15 member states of the European Union. The document indicates that Washington is willing to jointly sponsor a critical resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission's annual meeting in Geneva from March 10-April 18, unless China's rights performance improves. "We are continuing to talk with the Chinese about what meaningful concrete steps they might take to avoid confrontation in Geneva", it states. The document states that US contacts with China have focused on the release of political prisoners needing medical treatment and a resumption of discussions on prison visits. Crucially however, the United States fails to set a deadline for when it will conclude that beijing is not going to deliver and begin lobbying other state

s to back a disapproving resolution. But even if the US seeks to push ahead with this approach, the EU will not be able to join it until late February at the earliest after failing on Thursday in its third attempt to agree a common strategy. In a meeting of the EU Human Rights Working Group, France and Italy maintained their veto on a confrontation with China in Geneva.