EU WORKING ON A COMMON APPROACH TO STABILITY PACT

C O N F I D E N T I A L DUBLIN 000903 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2014 TAGS: PARM PBTS PREL SUBJECT: EU WORKING ON A COMMON APPROACH TO STABILITY PACT REF: STATE 129208 Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES KENNY FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (c) ¶1. (C) EMBOFF REVIEWED REFTEL POINTS ON MOLDOVAN STABILITY PACT INITIATIVE JUNE 14 WITH DFA MOLDOVAN DESK OFFICER PETER MCIVOR, WHO HAD JUST RETURNED FROM PARTICIPATING IN LAST WEEK'S OSCE HEADS OF MISSION FACT-FINDING MISSION. MCIVOR SAID HE WAS SOMEWHAT SURPRISED THAT THE STABILITY PACT DID NOT RECEIVE MORE ATTENTION FROM MOLDOVAN OFFICIALS FROM PRESIDENT VORONIN ON DOWN. IT WAS RAISED, BUT NOT AS A PRIORITY ISSUE, AND THE ONLY OFFICIAL WHO ASKED FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE POTENTIAL SIGNATORIES WAS THE FOREIGN MINISTER. PRESIDENT VORONIN DID STATE, HOWEVER, THAT THE TEXT WAS SUBJECT TO NEGOTIATION, ACCORDING TO MCIVOR. MCIVOR COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY MOLDOVA DID NOT INCLUDE ITSELF AMONG THE SIGNATORIES AND FELT THIS REQUIRED SOME "REFLECTION." ¶2. (C) MCIVOR SAID MOLDOVAN OFFICIALS EXPLAINED THE STABILITY PACT INITIATIVE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FAILURE OF THE KOZAK MEMORANDUM AND THE FACT THAT MOLDOVA WAS A SMALL, FRAGILE, NEUTRAL STATE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHER POTENTIAL "SOLUTIONS" WHICH MIGHT INFRINGE ON ITS OWN BORDERS. ¶3. (C) MCIVOR SAID HE WOULD CIRCULATE THE U.S. POINTS AND NOTED THAT THE EU WAS JUST BEGINNING TO FORMULATE A COMMON APPROACH TO THE MOLDOVAN INITIATIVE. IT WOULD NOT BE NOTED IN THE JUNE 14-15 GAERC CONCLUSIONS ON MOLDOVA BECAUSE THE EU WISHED TO SEND A MORE GENERAL MESSAGE, RATHER THAN HAVE THE TEXT BE SEEN SPECIFICALLY AS A RESPONSE TO THE STABILITY PACT PROPOSAL. THE NEXT COEST MEETING WOULD BE JULY 15 IN THE HAGUE, UNDER THE DUTCH PRESIDENCY, AND IT WAS LIKELY THE STABILITY PACT WOULD BE CONSIDERED THERE. KENNY