EU COTER TROIKA ON LIFTING LIBYA ARMS EMBARGO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 004475

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2014
TAGS: PREL PARM PGOV LY EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU COTER TROIKA ON LIFTING LIBYA ARMS EMBARGO

REF: STATE 221188

Classified By: USEU Poloff Van Reidhead for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) S/CT European Regional Director Brent Hartley
delivered reftel points to the EU Counter-terrorism troika
(COTER) during consultations in Brussels October 14.
Reponding for for the EU Presidency, Dutch MFA officer Wouter
Jurgens underscored that the US and EU were "on the same
page" regarding the positive direction in which Libya is now
moving. He said that since the outstanding issues
surrounding the Labelle Disco bombing (the reason for the EU
embargo) had been solved, and since Libya was making good
progress on WMD and terrorism, there was no longer any reason
to maintain the embargo. He emphasized that the EU's Code of
Conduct for arms exports would still apply, as would the
"Toolbox" measures for post-embargo countries, once
finalized. Jurgens said that until the US removed Libya from
its State Sponsors of Terrorism list, he hoped we would use
our waiver authority to prevent any retaliation against EU
countries doing business with Libya. Other troika
participants from The Hague, Luxembourg, Commission and
Council Secretariat did not comment.

Schnabel