Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04BRUSSELS2102
2004-05-14 15:47:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

EU FMS' MEETING: KEY AGENDA ITEMS AND DEMARCHE

Tags:  PREL RU EUN USEU BRUSSELS 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 002102 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2014
TAGS: PREL RU EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU FMS' MEETING: KEY AGENDA ITEMS AND DEMARCHE
RESPONSE

REF: STATE 104199

Classified By: Rick Holtzapple, PolOff, Reasons 1.4 B/D

SUMMARY
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 002102

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/14/2014
TAGS: PREL RU EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU FMS' MEETING: KEY AGENDA ITEMS AND DEMARCHE
RESPONSE

REF: STATE 104199

Classified By: Rick Holtzapple, PolOff, Reasons 1.4 B/D

SUMMARY
--------------


1. (C) The EU FMs' General Affairs and External Relations
Council (GAERC) meeting on May 17-18 will devote much of its
time to Intergovernmental Conference (ICG) debates on the
draft EU Constitutional Treaty. Ministers (with their
Defense colleagues also participating) will also focus on
ESDP issues, including plans to set up a European defense
agency and a review of capabilities under the Headline Goals.
Over lunch, the Foreign Ministers will have a broad
discussion of the Middle East. Conclusions will likely track
with the outcome of the May 4 Quartet meeting, but discussion
could also cover the situation in Iraq and the issue of abuse
of prisoners. The meeting may also decide on new language
for a non-proliferation clause to finalize an EU-Syria
Association Agreement and issue Conclusions deploring recent
death sentences for five Bulgarian nurses in Libya. Other
topics for the meeting will be the Western Balkans, with a
focus on KOSOVO, and preparations for upcoming EU Summit
meetings with Latin America and Russia. One possible
additional GAERC topic could be a Danish request to have the
EU discuss the upcoming roll-over of the UNSC's exemption for
the US from ICC jurisdiction, although it is not clear that
EU UNSC members will be interested in having any EU
constraints put on them. The EU will also hold meetings with
Turkey, Ukraine and the Gulf Cooperation Council on the
fringes of the session. END SUMMARY


2. (SBU) PolOff delivered reftel points to the Council
Secretariat's US desk and Nick Banner in External Relations

SIPDIS
Commissioner Patten's cabinet on May 13. We also attended a
background briefing on May 14 about the GAERC agenda by Irish
Perm Rep Anne Anderson.

IGC
---


3. (SBU) Anderson and other IGC sources have told us that
much of next week's FMs' meeting will be taken up by IGC
negotiations. The Irish Presidency has made significant
progress over the last few weeks at the senior officials
level to resolve many issues, but over a dozen unresolved
questions remain, and a successful conclusion to the IGC is

still not guaranteed. Among key issues FMs will address next
week are whether the number of issues that would be covered
by qualified majority voting (QMV) rather than unanimity in
the Council will be further expanded, and who would chair
many of the ministerial level Council formations under a new
treaty. The biggest remaining IGC issue -- the voting
formula that would be used for QMV -- will not be addressed
by FMs. It will only be addressed at the EU Summit on June

17.

MIDDLE EAST AND IRAQ
--------------


4. (SBU) Both Anderson and Banner said the GAERC Conclusions
should track quite closely with the statement from the May 4
Quartet meeting. Anderson also noted that the lunch
discussion of the issues would also cover recent developments
in Iraq, including the incidents of prisoner abuse. It was
not clear what type of language might or might not be
included in GAERC Conclusions, but Anderson noted that PM
Ahern had already spoken on behalf of the Presidency about
"the abuse and degradation inflicted on Iraqi prisoners by
members of the coalition military forces" as well as the
killing of civilians by terrorist factions.

ESDP
--------------


5. (U) The joint FMs/DefMins session will be largely an
opportunity to "take stock" of the overall development of
ESDP in the past six months, including progress on a variety
of capabilities efforts including the 2010 Headline Goal, the
Rapid Response Force and the 2004 Force Catalogue. The GAERC
will also take note of proposals by the European Defense
Agency's Establishment Team, with a view to a formal decision
to establish the Agency in June and the Agency actually
beginning its work by the end of 2004.

RUSSIA AND EU NEIGHBORHOOD
--------------


6. (C) Banner said that the agenda for the EU-Russia Summit
on May 21 in Moscow has been largely agreed. The focus will
be on work toward more detailed and concrete "action plans"
for setting up the four proposed "common spaces" between the
EU and Russia. On Chechnya Banner anticipated "the usual
discussion" where the EU would express its concerns, with the
Russians responding "not so politely" that it was none of the
EU's business, and then go on to raise concerns about
Russian-speaking minorities within the EU. On the latter
issue, Patten had sent a letter to Moscow on May 13 laying
out all the EU's programs to assist and protect minority
rights, but the Duma continues to "stir things up."


7. (C) Concerning Russian involvement in Moldova and Georgia,
Banner commented that reftel points "could be our speaking
notes." He acknowledged the EU did not have much of a stick
available to secure improved Russian behavior, but was
hopeful Putin might eventually realize the benefits of
delivering on Moscow's commitments so as to avoid the kind of
risks that could emerge if these places increasingly become
"failed states." Kees van Rij, the Council Policy Unit's
chief for Russia, told us may 14 the EU would adopt "a more
active line" on Moldova and that the Irish would likely
demarche the Russians soon on the need to re-launch
five-party talk. Van Rij said they hoped to do this prior to
the EU-Russia Summit to set the stage for an approach
directly to Putin.


8. (SBU) Banner said that the EU was pleased that increased
EU-US coordination in countries such as Moldova, Ukraine and
Belarus was underway, and said the EC felt that particularly
in Belarus it appeared to be having some impact. As for the
EU's Neighborhood Initiative (which was approved by the
Commission on May 12, but will only be presented to the
Council on May 17 without serious discussion),Banner
observed that extending it to cover the Caucasus was an
"obvious and necessary political gesture, but it is not
trouble-free." There is serious question whether the
Georgian government has the administrative capacity to
undertake the legislative approximation and other steps that
the initiative should eventually encompass. Therefore,
assuming the Council approves the Commission proposal to
bringing the region into the program, the first attempts at
an action plan with Georgia would "not be very far-reaching."

BALKANS
--------------


9. (U) Anderson noted that the GAERC Conclusions would cover
several items, including a request to the Commission to begin
preparing an opinion on Macedonia's EU membership application
(a process that will take well over a year),and approval of
the Commission's proposals for "European Partnerships" with
all of the Balkan states. Banner and other Council sources
told us that the only item FMs will probably discuss would be
KOSOVO policy, but it is still to be confirmed whether UNMIK
SRSG Holkeri will attend this portion of the GAERC.

TURKEY/CYPRUS
--------------


10. (C) Neither is on the GAERC agenda, but the EU
Association Council with Turkey will be held on May 18.
Banner commented that Turkey was "in about as comfortable a
spot as it can be on the Cyprus issue -- no one is blaming
it." Therefore, he said it was a good thing that the GoT now
appeared focused on continuing internal reforms, although the
Leyla Zana case had been "a serious setback." Patten
continues to be supportive of a positive Commission report on
Turkey in October, and while "some Commissioners are no
friends of Turkey", Banner said Patten believed the report
would be a good one barring some negative event in the
meantime. On Cyprus, the Commission is still working on "the
precise details" of how it can ease trade restrictions, and
it was unlikely the Greek Cypriots would be obstructive. But
more political measures were "harder." Even a step such as
opening a Commission delegation in the north posed "legal
problems."

LATIN AMERICA
--------------


11. (SBU) Banner noted that different EU Member States held
different positions on how eager the EU should be about
regional free trade agreements. Member States also disagreed
about how strict the EU's conditionality regarding better
regional integration should be.

POSSIBLE OTHER BUSINESS: LIBYA, SYRIA, ICC, SUDAN, BURMA
-------------- --------------


12. (C) An unusually large number of "other business" items
may still possibly be added to the GAERC agenda. Conclusions
are likely condemning the recent death sentences in Libya
for five Bulgarian nurses accused of infecting children with
HIV. The GAERC may also try and reach final agreement on a
non-proliferation clause for the EU-Syria Association
Agreement currently under negotiation. Some Member States
may be interested in raising recent developments in Sudan and
Burma. The Danish FM has also suggested the EU should
discuss its position regarding a possible UNSC roll-over of
the U.S. exemption from the ICC's jurisdiction under UN
operations, prior to the issue coming up again in the next
couple of months in the UNSC. Banner commented that he
doubted the EU states on the UNSC would want their margin of
maneuver on the issue to be restricted.

SCHNABEL