IRISH RESPONSE TO TURKEY AND PRE-GAERC DEMARCHES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 001697

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/17/2014
TAGS: PREL EUN
SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE TO TURKEY AND PRE-GAERC DEMARCHES

REF: A. STATE 244333


B. STATE 240286

Classified By: political-economic counselor Mary Daly, reasons 1.4 (B)
and (D)


1. (U) On November 17, Post delivered reftels' talking
points to Gerald Keown, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
EU correspondent.

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Turkey
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2. (C) In a November 12 conversation with the Ambassador,
Michael Collins, senior advisor to Prime Minister Ahern, said
that Ireland would support Turkey's EU candidacy. He noted
that Ireland saw Turkey as an important market and did not
have the same social concerns as those EU Member States with
large Muslim populations. Keown amplified these remarks with
a more detailed explanation of where things stood in the EU.
Ireland would support a European Council decision to begin
early EU accession negotiations with Turkey in the context of
an EU consensus on that step, said Keown. He noted that
Ireland acknowledged Turkey's efforts to fulfill the
Copenhagen criteria, as did the Commission's October 6 report
on the accession issue. Keown expected that a decision
endorsing early accession negotiations would include
safeguard mechanisms for suspending negotiations in the event
of significant policy reversals by the Turkish Government.
He also pointed out that the December 17 European Council
meeting would discuss the option of placing conditions on
accession negotiations related to the implementation of
Turkey's legislative and other reform programs, but that the
same conditions would apply generally to any candidate
country. When emboff asked whether the EU would seek to
apply more specific conditions in Turkey's case, Keown said
that this would depend on Member States in which Turkey's
accession posed a more serious domestic issue. He added that
an outstanding issue for Turkey was recognition of the
Republic of Cyprus and that the possible amendment of
Turkey's customs union agreement with the EU to incorporate
the new Member States would be a positive step in that
direction.

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Middle East
--------------


3. (C) The EU looked forward to close coordination with the
Bush Administration in advancing the Middle East Peace
Process, said Keown. He did not know whether Ireland was
considering contributions to the International Finance
Corporation's Private Enterprise Partnership -- Middle East
and North Africa (PEP-MENA). He noted that Ireland and other
EU Member States were examining ways to support small and
medium enterprises in the region through the
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Barcelona Process). He added
that the November 30 Euromed ministerial meeting would
possibly address such assistance.

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China
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4. (C) Keown said that the situation regarding the China
arms embargo had not changed since the EU had decided in
October on the need for further consultations at the
technical level. No European consensus on lifting the
embargo was at hand. Keown acknowledged that the November
16-18 visit of Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju had been an
occasion to discuss the embargo as well as other issues, such
as trade and human rights. Vice Premier Huang, said Keown,
had made clear China's desire that the embargo be lifted.
His Irish interlocutors had repeated that the EU had not
achieved consensus on the embargo issue.

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Kosovo
--------------


5. (C) The GOI agreed that local government/decentralization
pilot projects in Kosovo should get underway as soon as
possible, said Keown. He noted that the Kosovo Serb boycott
of the recent Kosovo elections had been unhelpful, but he
expressed reservations about the U.S. point that work in
Kosovo would continue even if Kosovo Serbs refused to
participate. Keown elaborated that outstanding issues could
only be addressed on a cross-community basis. He noted that
politicians in Serbia had used the election boycott to
political advantage, and he observed that progress in Kosovo
would therefore require efforts to engage both Serbia and
Kosovo's Serbian population.

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Belarus
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6. (C) According to Keown, EU Member States are deeply
pessimistic about Belarus. He conceded that EU policy had
not only been unsuccessful, but had also worked to isolate
Belarusian society. Ireland agreed that it was important to
broach that isolation; the question was how. He noted that
efforts to engage members of society could expose them to
risks of arrest or personal harm. Keown expressed confidence
that the Dutch EU Presidency, following the line taken during
Ireland's presidency, would maintain a tough stance against
the Belarusian Government. The November 22 GAERC meeting
would issue conclusions to that end.

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Cyprus
--------------


7. (C) Keown described the Cyprus situation as a failure on
both sides. He said the EU would concur that a strong aid
and trade package was critical to the prospects of
pro-solution forces in the north. Legal and technical
factors, however, stood behind proposals to conduct
Commission programs from the south. He acknowledged recent
USG efforts to engage north Cyprus, and he said the EU
continued to explore ways that were legally permissible to
provide assistance to the north.

--------------
ESDP
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8. (C) Keown said that GOI support for closer EU-NATO
coordination was a given. The GOI, he added, was pleased
that preparations for SFOR's drawdown were proceeding
smoothly. On the question of Irish participation in EU
battlegroups, Keown noted that the GOI would not take any
decision until after discussions at the upcoming EU Military
Capabilities Conference.
KENNY