Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04BRUSSELS3066
2004-07-19 14:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:  

EU ON EXPANDED TRANSNISTRIA VISA BAN: NEED TO

Tags:  PREL PARM PBTS PHUM PGOV RS MD EUN OSCE USEU BRUSSELS 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003066 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/UMB AND EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2009
TAGS: PREL PARM PBTS PHUM PGOV RS MD EUN OSCE USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU ON EXPANDED TRANSNISTRIA VISA BAN: NEED TO
PERSUADE MEMBER STATES

REF: A. STATE 150715


B. BUCHAREST 1952

C. TAPLIN-LITZENBERGER EMAILS

Classified By: USEU POLOFF LEE LITZENBERGER; REASONS 1.4 (B,D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003066

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/UMB AND EUR/RUS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2009
TAGS: PREL PARM PBTS PHUM PGOV RS MD EUN OSCE USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU ON EXPANDED TRANSNISTRIA VISA BAN: NEED TO
PERSUADE MEMBER STATES

REF: A. STATE 150715


B. BUCHAREST 1952

C. TAPLIN-LITZENBERGER EMAILS

Classified By: USEU POLOFF LEE LITZENBERGER; REASONS 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) On July 19, USEU conveyed reftel non-paper to
Council Secretariat Russia watcher Carl Hallergard, who is
temporarily covering Moldova. He welcomed the non-paper, and
said he would distribute it to member states at that day's
COEST Working Group meeting. The Council Secretariat, he
said, is convinced the EU needs to look at "options" such as
the proposed expansion of the US-EU visa ban on Transnistrian
officials. The Council Secretariat thinks that Russia will
try to take advantage of US presidential elections and the
change in EU Commission members this fall to spring a "Kozak
II" unilateral settlement proposal for Moldova/Transnistria.
Hallergard said that Russian Deputy FM Chizhov told EU
Political Directors in Moscow on July 16 (septel) that Moscow
considers the first Kozak proposal as the "starting point"
for an eventual settlement.

Transnistrian actions will strengthen the case
--------------

2. (C) Hallergard said one option for the EU to use to
press the Transnistrians to engage in the ongoing OSCE-led
settlement process is expansion of the visa ban. But, he
cautioned, "It will take time. Member States do not share the
Council Secretariat's sense of urgency." The issue of a
possible expansion of the visa ban was discussed last week in
Brussels and The Hague, he said; there was no consensus to
ratchet up the travel ban. Any discussion of sanctions, he
added, always raises legal and technical issues by members
states who oppose sanctions on principle. Hallergard was
nevertheless optimistic that the Council Secretariat would be
able to persuade member states to support an expansion of the
ban. First, late last week the Transnistrians closed down a
Moldovan school in Transnistria, an incident the EU raised
with Moscow last Friday. Next, he welcomed the US non-paper,
which lays out other recent examples of Transnistrian
obstructionism. Third, he welcomed the US proposal for US
and EU missions in Chisinau to coordinate a recommendation,
acknowledging that Finally, he considers it likely that the
Transnistrians will continue to take steps that will only
help bolster the case for expanding the sanctions.

Comment
--------------

3. (C) The key next step is for EU Ambassadors in Chisenau
to get the green light to coordinate an expanded list with
us. Due to the August EU vacation period, this week's two
COEST meetings will be the last opportunities for the working
group to discuss Moldova until September. It is not clear,
though, that there will be a consensus to task Embassies to
explore expanding the list. At the next higher EU level, the
Political and Security Committee is likely to meet on an
ad-hoc basis in August, which will offer additional
opportunities to push this issue in coming weeks. We will
continue to work with the Council Secretariat to this end.

McKinley