76. Telegram 5300 From the Mission in Geneva to the Department of State, July 8, 1975, 1734Z.1 2
TELEGRAM
Department of State
GENEVA 5300
P R 081734Z JUL 75
FM USMISSION GENEVA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4411
INFO
USMISSION USUN NY
AMEMBASSY TEL
AVIV
GENEVA 5300
DEPT PASS LABOR FOR SEC DUNLOP, SEGALL, PERSONS AND QUACKENBUSH
E.O. 11652: N/A
TAGS: ILO PORG PLO
SUBJECT: DIRECTOR GENERAL MAKES CASE FOR US PARTICIPATION IN ILO
REF: GENEVA 4781
1. SUMMARY. DURING CALL BY AMBASSADOR MOYNIHAN, ILO DIRECTOR GENERAL BLANCHARD SAID WITHDRAWAL OF US FROM ILO WOULD SERVE NEITHER US NOR ISRAELI INTERESTS, THAT ILO WAS NOT DOMINATED BY NON-DEMOCRATIC COUNTRIES AND THAT US SHOULD REMAIN IN ILO AND FIGHT TO MAINTAIN BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ILO. BLANCHARD OFFERED TO SERVE AS MIDDLE-MAN IN HELPING US MARSHAL FORCES OF INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES AND OF SYMPATHETIC LDCS. HE AGREED WITH AMBASSADOR MOYNIHAN ON NEED TO APPLY ILO STANDARDS TO ALL COUNTRIES, INCLUDING COMMUNIST COUNTRIES. END SUMMARY.
2. AMBASSADOR MOYNIHAN OPENED CONVERSATION SAYING THAT FEELING IN US ON ILO WAS RUNNING VERY HIGH AS RESULT OF ILO ACTION ON PLO AND THAT IT COULD WELL BE THAT US WORKER OR EMPLOYER DELEGATIONS WILL NOT BE SEEN AT ILO AGAIN IN THIS DECADE. HE ASKED BLANCHARD WHAT ADVICE HE COULD OFFER HIM IN CONNECTION WITH UPCOMING CONSIDERATION BY US OF RELATIONSHIP TO ILO.
3. BLANCHARD MADE THREE MAJOR POINTS:
A. US WITHDRAWAL WOULD MEAN LOSS OF US INPUT INTO INTERNATIONAL STANDARD MAKING AND WOULD BE CLEARLY AGAINST US ECONOMIC INTERESTS AS WELL AS A DISADVANTAGE TO US SOCIAL POLICY INTERESTS;
B. US WITHDRAWAL FROM ILO WOULD NOT SERVE ISRAELI INTERESTS BUT WOULD ENCOURAGE ARAB EXTREMISTS TO SEEK EXPULSION OF ISRAEL FROM ILO. SOME MEMBERS OF ISRAELI DELEGATION TO ILO CONFERENCE DELEGATION HAVE TOLD HIM THAT ISRAELI INTEREST WOULD NOT BE SERVED BY US WITHDRAWAL;
C. REAL ISSUE IN ILO WAS NOT ONE OF SOVIET DOMINATION (SEE PARA 3, REFTEL) BUT OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COUNTRIES WHO BELIEVE IN ILO AS LEGISLATOR OF INTERNATIONAL LABOR STANDARDS AND THOSE NATIONS WHO WISH TO CHANGE NATURE OF ILO. HE OFFERED TO HELP MOBILIZE THE COUNTRIES WHO BELIEVED IN ILO PRINCIPLES AND ALSO OFFERED HIS GOOD OFFICES TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AFL-CIO AND ICFTU MEMBERS OF WORKERS GROUP. BLANCHARD SAID UPCOMING WORLD EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE WOULD BE OPPORTUNITY TO PERSUADE LDCS OF VALUE OF TRIPARTISM AND ILO STANDARDS, AND HE DESCRIBED HIS OWN EMPHASIS IN ILO PROGRAM ON WORKERS EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AT ATTEMPT TO ENCOURAGE DEVELOPMENT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN LDCS.
4. AMBASSADOR MOYNIHAN SAID THAT DOUBLE STANDARD UNDER WHICH ONLY SELECTED NATIONS WERE CITED FOR VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN AND TRADE UNIONS RIGHTS WAS “OBSCENE” AND IF DOUBLE STANDARD PERSISTED US COULD END UP WITHDRAWING FROM UN SYSTEM. BLANCHARD SAID HE AGREED COMPLETELY WITH MOYNIHAN’S POINT OF VIEW. MOYNIHAN ALSO URGED BLANCHARD TO MAKE STRONGER CASE FOR US, PARTICULARLY WITH US LABOR MOVEMENT, FOR CONTINUED US PARTICIPATION IN ILO; HE CONTRASTED ACTIVE ROLE OF EARLY ILO DIRECTOR GENERALS AND US LABOR MOVEMENT IN SECURING US MEMBERSHIP IN THEN LARGELY UNKNOWN ILO WITH UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO GET US TO JOIN PRESTIGIOUS WORLD COURT. BLANCHARD SAID HE WAS READY TO GO TO WASHINGTON OR NEW YORK AND WOULD RAISE QUESTION OF TIMING WITH SECRETARY DUNLOP. HE ALSO SAID HE WOULD FURNISH WRITTEN STATEMENT OF HIS VIEWS TO MISSION IN NEXT FEW DAYS. BLANCHARD ADDED THAT NOTICE OF US WITHDRAWAL FROM ILO AND CUTTING OFF OF US FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM ILO WERE BOTH GRAVE MEASURES WHICH WOULD NOT ONLY CAUSE FINANCIAL HARM BUT COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS CHANGE IN NATURE AND OPERATION OF ILO; HOWEVER, OF THE TWO ALTERNATIVES, WITHDRAWAL OF US FINANCIAL SUPPORT WOULD CAUSE IMMEDIATE AND MORE GRIEVOUS HARM BY FORCING CUTBACK IN PRESENT PROGRAMS, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE WORD CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYMENT.
5. COMMENT: BLANCHARD IS CONVINCED THAT ILO RECORD ON PLO IS BEST IN UN SYSTEM (“THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD ENTER IN A WEEK AND IT TOOK THIRTEEN MONTHS”) AND IS AMAZED THAT PLO ISSUE (“WHICH CONCEIVABLY COULD NOT BE WITH US NEXT YEAR”) WOULD PRECIPITATE US WITHDRAWAL FROM ILO. SIGNIFICANCE FOR USG AND FOR TRIPARTITE GROUP NOW CONSIDERING US RELATIONSHIP TO ILO IS THAT BLANCHARD APPEARS READY TO RESPOND TO US INITIATIVE; ESPECIALLY IN AREA OF APPLICATION OF CONVENTIONS (WHERE 60TH CONFERENCE LET SOVIETS OFF SCOTT-FREE) AND IN STRUCTURAL REFORM. HIS DEFENSIVENESS RE WORLD CONFERENCE ON EMPLOYMENT ALSO SUGGESTS OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO CRANK IN ITS VIEWS ON AGENDA AND STANDING ORDERS FOR THIS MEETING IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFERENCE BECOMING LDC SHOW. DALE