87. Telegram 130497 From the Department of State to All Diplomatic Posts, May 27, 1976, 0057Z.1 2
TELEGRAM
Department of State
130497
P 270057Z MAY 76
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO ALL DIPLOMATIC POSTS PRIORITY
INFO
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY
XMT AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
AMCONSUL
ASMARA
AMEMBASSY SUVA
AMCONSUL MARTINIQUE
USINT BAGHDAD
STATE 130497
E.O. 11652: DS
TAGS: ILO PORG
SUBJECT: US RELATIONS WITH ILO
REF: (A) STATE 259540, (B) 17055, (C) 119316, (D) GENEVA 2953
(BEING REPEATED POSTS)
1. MESSAGE IS INFO ONLY FOR: A) ADDRESSEES IN COUNTRIES WHICH ARE NOT MEMBERS OF ILO (BANJUL, MASERU, PRETORIA, NASSAU, MUSCAT, MANAMA, TAIPEI, HONG KONG SEOUL); B) POSTS WHICH HAVE BEEN VISITED BY AMBASSADOR SILBERMAN (BONN, PARIS, LONDON, COPENHAGEN, LUXEMBOURG, TOKYO, OTTAWA, CANBERRA, ROME, BRUSSELS, OSLO, THE HAGUE); C) VIENTIANE, PEKING, TEL AVIV, BEIRUT (POUCH); D) EASTERN EUROPEAN POSTS AND E) DUBLIN. FOR DUBLIN: INSTEAD OF APPROACH DESCRIBED BELOW, EMBASSY SHOULD ADVISE GOI: A) NATURE OF APPROACHES WE ARE MAKING ELSEWHERE; AND B) THAT AMBASSADOR SILBERMAN, NOW IN WASHINGTON, IS MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO RETURN TO BELGRADE VIA GENEVA AND HOPES VERY MUCH IT WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO MEET WITH MINISTER O’LEARY DURING GENEVA STOPOVER (MAY 31 ).
2. FOR ALL OTHER POSTS: UNLESS THERE ARE OVERRIDING OBJECTIONS, EMBASSY SHOULD SEEK OPPORTUNITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE BEGINNING OF ILO ANNUAL CONFERENCE JUNE 2 AND WORLD EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE JUNE 4 TO APPROACH HOST GOVERNMENT AT APPROPRIATELY HIGH LEVEL: A) TO RECALL SUBSTANCE OF AND REASONS BEHIND US LETTER OF INTENT TO WITHDRAW FROM ILO; B), EMPHASIZE THAT US HAS NOT, AS SOME GOVERNMENTS REPORTEDLY BELIEVED, MADE UP MIND TO LEAVE ILO; C) STATE US IS ANXIOUS TO COOPERATE IN HALTING OR REVERSING TRENDS CITED IN LETTER SO THAT US CAN REMAIN AS ACTIVE ILO MEMBER. IN MAKING APPROACHES, POSTS MAY DRAW ON MATERIAL IN PARAS 3 TO 9 BELOW AND UPON REPORT MADE BY SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY AMBASSADOR SILBERMAN AFTER MISSION TO 12 INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRIES EARLIER THIS YEAR (BEING REPEATED SEPTEL). RESULTS OF APPROACHES SHOULD BE REPORTED PROMPTLY, INFO GENEVA AND USUN. POSTS PRESENTATION OF MATERIAL MAY BE TAILORED TO MEET LOCAL SITUATION.
3. ON NOVEMBER 6, 1975, US FILED NOTICE OF INTENT TO WITHDRAW FROM ILO IN TWO YEARS UNLESS CERTAIN OBJECTIONABLE TRENDS REVERSED (REF A). IN LAST FEW MONTHS US PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY AMBASSADOR LAURENCE SILBERMAN HAS VISITED CAPITALS OF KEY INDUSTRIAL ILO MEMBERS TO EXPLAIN OUR CONCERNS AND SEEK THEIR SUPPORT IN HALTING OR REVERSING OBJECTIONABLE TRENDS. (REF B) WE CONSIDER IT IMPORTANT THAT OTHER MEMBERS OF ILO BE REMINDED OF OUR CONCERNS AT THIS TIME SINCE THERE WILL BE TWO KEY ILO CONFERENCES IN JUNE--ANNUAL CONFERENCE FROM JUNE 2 TO 23 AND SPECIAL WORLD EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE FROM JUNE 4 TO 17. DEVELOPMENTS AT THESE TWO CONFERENCES WILL CONSTITUTE IMPORTANT TESTS IN EYES OF USG OF POSSIBILITY FOR HALTING OR REVERSING TRENDS WHICH LAY BEHIND US NOTICE OF INTENT TO WITHDRAW. OUTCOME OF BOTH CONFERENCES WILL INEVITABLY AFFECT US THINKING RE FUTURE PARTICIPATION IN ILO.
4. WHEN DISCUSSING US CONCERN RE EROSION OF TRIPARTISM (WORKER, MANAGEMENT, GOVERNMENT), WHICH CONSTITUTES ILO’S UNIQUENESS, POSTS SHOULD NOTE THERE WILL BE TWO RELEVANT ISSUES AT UPCOMING CONFERENCES. FIRST IS ELECTION OF OFFICERS TO IMPORTANT CONFERENCE POSTS--CHAIRMAN OF GOVERNING BOARD, PRESIDENT OF ANNUAL CONFERENCE, CHAIRMAN OF WORLD EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE AND CHAIRMAN OF WEC COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, AS WELL AS CHAIRMAN OF MARITIME SESSION OF ILO CONFERENCE IN OCTOBER. WE CONSIDER IT ESSENTIAL THAT THESE POSTS BE FILLED BY NATIONALS OF COUNTRIES WITH GENUINE BELIEF IN AND DESIRE TO CONTINUE TRIPARTITE NATURE OF ILO. SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE OPPOSED TO ELECTION OF ANY EASTERN EUROPEAN REPRESENTATIVE TO ANY OF THESE POSTS WE PLAN TO SUPPORT. WE SUPPORT THE CANDIDACY OF HASSE (FRG) FOR CHAIRMAN OF THE GB; O’LEARY (GOVT OF IRELAND) AS PRESIDENT OF ANNUAL CONFERENCE; ENNACEUR (TUNISIAN) AS CHAIRMAN OF WEC, SUBROTO (INDONESIAN) FOR CHAIRMAN OF WEC COMMITTEE OF WHOLE, AND NON-EASTERN EUROPEAN FOR MARITIME SESSION OF ILO CONFERENCE (OCTOBER).
5. SECOND ISSUE RELEVANT TO EROSION OF TRIPARTISM IS FUTURE OF DISCUSSION RE STRUCTURE OF ILO, FOR PAST SEVERAL YEARS WORKING PARTY ON STRUCTURE HAS SEEN HOLDING DISCUSSIONS RE POSSIBLE STRUCTURAL CHANGES, SPECIFICALLY/ EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE (PRIMARILY BY EASTERN EUROPEANS) TO ADD GEOGRAPHICAL CRITERIA TO METHOD USED FOR CHOOSING GOVERNMENT MEMBERS OF GOVERNING BODY, WE OBJECT TO THESE EFFORTS BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT IF THIS CHANGE OCCURS’ IT WILL LEAD TO EFFORT TO IMPOSE GEOGRAPHICAL CRITERIA ON CHOICE OF WORKER AND EMPLOYER MEMBERS OF GB, WHO ARE NOW CHOSEN AUTONOMOUSLY BY WORKER AND EMPLOYER GROUPS, SUCH CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE WOULD BE VERY SERIOUS EROSION OF PRESENT AUTONOMY OF TRIPARTITE GROUPS, WE WILL AGREE TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS IN WORKING PARTY ON STRUCTURE, IF THIS IS SUGGESTED BY OTHER ILO MEMBERS.
6. WHEN DISCUSSING US CONCERN RE POLITICIZATION, POSTS SHOULD NOTE US EXPECTS EFFORTS TO INJECT INTO FORTHCOMING CONFERENCES POLITICAL ISSUES UNRELATED TO BUSINESS OF ILO--INCLUDING GENERAL ARAB/ISRAELI ISSUES. (ARAB POSTS HAVE DISCRETION IN USE OF FOLLOWING) POSTS SHOULD STRESS THAT US, WHILE IT RECOGNIZES SERIOUSNESS OF ARAB/ISRAELI DIFFERENCES (USG IS IN FACT AT VERY CENTER OF EFFORT TO BRING ABOUT SETTLEMENT OF DIFFERENCES), BELIEVES THESE ISSUES ARE LEGITIMATE CONCERN OF UN BODIES SUCH AS SC AND GAP BUT IT IS OUR STRONG BELIEF ILO IS NOT PROPER FORUM FOR DEBATING SUCH ISSUES, SUCH DEBATES CAN HAVE NO EFFECT ON ISSUES THEMSELVES AND CONTINUED POLITICIZATION OF ILO TENDS TO DESTROY SUPPORT FOR ILO IN US, INCLUDING SUPPORT FOR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS IMPORTANT TO DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN LDS’S. FOR THESE REASONS, US HOPES ALL ILO MEMBERS ANXIOUS TO MAINTAIN ILO AS EFFECTIVE ORGANIZATION WILL JOIN IN EFFORT TO AVOID INJECTION OF IRRELEVANT POLITICAL QUESTIONS, INCLUDING ARAB-ISRAELI ISSUES, INTO FORTHCOMING ILO CONFERENCES.
7. WHEN DISCUSSING US CONCERN RE DUE PROCESS, POSTS SHOULD STRESS IMPORTANCE OF AVOIDING ANY REPETITION OR COMPOUNDING OF THE VIOLATION OF DUE PROCESS REPRESENTED BY 1974 RESOLUTION WHICH CONDEMNED ISRAEL FOR ALLEGED VIOLATION OF RIGHTS OF ARAB WORKERS IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, WITHOUT ANY PRIOR INVESTIGATION. (ARAB POSTS HAVE DISCRETION HERE ALSO) WE OBJECT TO BOTH THE CONDEMNATION WITHOUT INVESTIGATION, AND TO THE ILO’S SUBSEQUENT REQUEST TO HAVE THE DIRECTOR GENERAL INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS INSTEAD OF USING LONG-ESTABLISHED INVESTIGATIVE MACHINERY, FURTHERMORE, WE DOUBT THAT ANY INVESTIGATION BY WHATEVER METHOD, CAN BE IMPARTIAL WHEN IT HAS BEEN PRECEDED BY DECISION TO CONDEMN.
8. ANOTHER IMPORTANT ISSUE IN TERMS OF EFFECT ON US SUPPORT FOR THE ILO INVOLVES THE “DOUBLE STANDARD”, I.E. FAILURE OF ILO CONFERENCE TO CITE SOME COUNTRIES (SUCH AS USSR) FOR VIOLATIONS OF ILO CONVENTION 87 CONCERNING FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION OR CONVENTION 29 CONCERNING FORCED LABOR, DESPITE FINDINGS THAT VIOLATIONS EXIST. THIS IS BASIS FOR POINT IN US LETTER CONCERNING SELECTIVE CONCERN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. US HOPES OTHER ILO MEMBERS WILL PARTICIPATE OBJECTIVELY IN REVIEW OF APPLICATION OF ILO STANDARDS, AND END DOUBLE STANDARD.
9. SUMMARY. POSTS SHOULD ASK HOST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO EXAMINE REASONS WHY THEY PARTICIPATE IN ILO. IF THEY SEE ILO AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROGRESS THROUGH LABOR STANDARDS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES RELATING TO EMPLOYERS AND WORKERS, THEY SHOULD ALSO WISH TO WORK CONSTRUCTIVELY WITHIN THE ILO TO HELP ORGANIZATION RETURN TO ITS BASIC PRINCIPLES AND TO ELIMINATE DISTRACTING INFLUENCES WHICH NOW DETRACT FROM ILO EFFECTIVENESS. HOST GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT US DELEGATION TO ILO CONFERENCES HOPES TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES IN MORE DETAIL IN GENEVA. SISCO
- Source: Department of State, INR/SEE/FP Files: Lot 92 D 403, ILO. Confidential; Priority. Drafted by Palmer, Toussaint, and Linensemayer (Department of Labor); cleared by Goott (in draft), Selzak (in draft), Whiting (in draft), and Baker, and in EUR/SOV (in draft), ARA (in draft), S/IL (in draft), and NEA/RA; and approved by Toussaint. Repeated Priority to USUN and the Mission to the U.N. in Geneva. For Kissinger’s letter tendering notice of withdrawal from the ILO, see the source note to Document 83.↩
- The Department explained the U.S. position on participation in the International Labor Organization and requested posts to stress to host governments the value of refraining from politicization of international technical organizations.↩