WHA DAS SHAPIRO DISCUSSES LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BRUSSELS 001241

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/24/2015
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV ETRD EAID EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: WHA DAS SHAPIRO DISCUSSES LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN
WITH EU

REF: A. A) LUXEMBOURG 262


B. B) USEU TODAY 03/18/05

C. C) BRUSSELS 555

D. D) BRUSSELS 837

E. E) BRUSSELS 1129

Classified By: USEU POLOFF TODD HUIZINGA, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In March 14 meetings with WHA DAS Charles
Shapiro, EU officials said:

-- the EU would increase contacts with the Cuban opposition;
the European Parliament might be interested in holding a
public hearing with Cuban dissidents;

-- the EU would send a fact-finding mission to Haiti in June,
and make 72 million euros of assistance funds available to
the new Haitian government when it takes office early next
year;

-- the EU is happy with the outcome of the Cartagena
conference in support of Colombia and is watching closely
Colombian efforts to pass a law on demobilization of
paramilitaries;

-- the EU is uncertain on how to approach Venezuelan
President Chavez in light of his popularity and oil
resources, and is leaning toward a &critical engagement8
approach that seeks, with help from Brazil and some EU
members such as Spain and France, to channel Chavez toward
working &more constructively8 with others in the region;

-- the EU supports the idea of a Constitutional Assembly to
rewrite Bolivia's constitution; also, the GOB has approached
the European Commission to do a study on coca cultivation;

-- the EU will discuss supporting U.S. efforts to achieve
destruction of all man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS)
in Nicaragua;

-- progress on the EU,s planned trade and association
agreements with the Andean Community and Mercosur is slow
because of lack of regional economic integration among the
organizations, members. END SUMMARY.

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Participants
--------------


2. (U) On March 14, the EU hosted WHA DAS Charles Shapiro for
the biannual U.S.-EU "COLAT" consultations on Latin America
and the Caribbean. Shapiro also had meetings with two
members of the European Parliament (MEPs),Charles Tannock
(UK) and Jan Zahradil (Czech Republic),and with Tomas Dupla
del Moral, European Commission Director for Latin American
Affairs, and members of his staff. The following
participated in the COLAT consultations:

EU Delegation
--------------

Luxembourg (current EU Presidency):

Jean Graff, Ambassador in Charge of Latin America and
Caribbean
Jean Claude Kugener, Deputy Chief of Latin America/Caribbean
Department, MFA
Gabriel Baptista, Charge de Mission, Latin America/Caribbean

United Kingdom (successor to Luxembourg in EU Presidency):

Steve Williams, Head of Latin America/Caribbean Department,
FCO

European Commission:

Marie-Anne Coninsx, Head of Latin American Regional Affairs
Unit, Directorate-General for External Relations (RELEX)
Laurence Argimon-Pistre, Head of Mercosur and Chile Unit,
RELEX
John Caloghirou, Head of Caribbean Affairs Unit,
Directorate-General for Development (DGDEV)
Rafael Gelabert, Desk Officer for Political Coordination,
Latin American Regional Affairs Unit, RELEX
Rafael Senan Llarena, Cuba Desk Officer, DGDEV

EU Council Secretariat:

Karl Buck, Head of Latin America Division
Dusan Chrenek, Latin America Desk Officer, Policy Unit

U.S. delegation
--------------

Charles Shapiro, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of
Western Hemisphere Affairs
Todd Huizinga, Political Officer, USEU Brussels

-------------- -
CUBA: EU PROMISES MORE CONTACT WITH OPPOSITION
-------------- -


3. (C) Jean Graff, the Head of the EU Working Group on Latin
America and the Caribbean (COLAT),said the EU had suspended
its June 2003 restrictive measures against Cuba in order to
regain access to Cuban officials and thus be able to push
them on human rights (see REF C). Most important in the EU's
new approach, said Graff, was that contacts with the
opposition would be "multilateralized;" the EU would now
engage -- at the multilateral, EU level -- in regular and
intensive contacts with the opposition in Havana. Without
going into specifics, Graff maintained that the Cubans would
need to take significant steps on human rights in order for
the EU and Cuba to achieve a lasting constructive dialogue.
On the review of the temporary suspension of the restrictive
measures, set for June or July, Graff suggested the EU would
welcome the release of those remaining in jail since March
2003 crackdown. Graff said the EU would support the U.S.
resolution on Cuba at this year's UNCHR in Geneva. (NOTE:
Subsequent developments reveal that EU deliberations on this
are still underway (REF A). END NOTE.)


4. (C) In a separate meeting Shapiro briefed two members of
the European Parliament (MEPs) on the March 3 Cuba hearing of
the House International Relations Committee (HIRC),at which
three members of the Cuban opposition testified from Havana
by phone. The MEPs (Charles Tannock of the UK and Jan
Zahradil of the Czech Republic, both members of the Christian
Democrat/Conservative Group) said they might be able to drum
up interest in the European Parliament (EP) in holding a
similar hearing.

-------------- -
HAITI: EU TO SUPPORT ELECTIONS, NEW GOVERNMENT
-------------- -


5. (C) European Commission (EC) Caribbean Affairs Chief John
Caloghirou said the EU would participate in observation of
the elections in Haiti in the fall. He said the EC had
dedicated 10 million euros to election support, not including
the observation mission. In June, the EU would send a
fact-finding mission to Haiti to assess needs. Currently,
said Caloghirou, the EC had 145 million euros dedicated to
Haiti, and was looking for ways to limit tendering times in
order to put the money to work more quickly. Caloghirou
stressed that the Commission would "scrape the bottom of the
drawer" for more funds, but additional assistance would
nevertheless not amount to much. Under the 9th European
Development Fund (EDF),72 million euros were in the process
of being programmed. This money would be available to the
new Haitian government when it takes office in early 2006.

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COLOMBIA: EU WATCHING FOR DEMOBILIZATION LAW
--------------


6. (C) Graff said the EU was pleased with the results of the
February Cartagena conference on Colombia, especially with
the role of the U.S. and the EU in getting the Cartagena
Declaration adopted. On possible EU support for the peace
process, Graff said the EU would not be directly involved for
now but was closely following efforts to get a law on
demobilization of the paramilitaries passed by summer. On
human rights, Graff said the recent report of the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights was the EU's tool for tracking
human rights and working on the issue with the GOC. Graff
said he looked forward to getting a balanced statement on
Colombia at the CHR in Geneva, based on the High
Commissioner's report and on a fair hearing of the GOC's
views. Coninsx said that, on the whole, the EU relationship
with Colombia was based on solidarity with the GOC, as
expressed primarily through trade and aid (REF E). In a
separate meeting Tomas Dupla del Moral, European Commission
(RELEX) Director for Latin America, said he would talk to the
GOC soon about future EC assistance priorities. He said the
peace laboratories and promoting regional integration via the
Andean Community would remain front and center. The EC might
also explore programs for IDPs in cooperation with Colombian
cities.

-------------- -
VENEZUELA: EU'S "CRITICAL ENGAGEMENT" APPROACH
-------------- -


7. (C) EU interlocutors shared USG disquiet about Venezuelan
President Chavez' increasing authoritarianism and regional
troublemaking, but the level of their concern was lower.
Williams described the EU approach to Venezuela as "critical
engagement." Dupla del Moral said that, with Chavez'
popularity and his oil money, the EU was hard pressed to find
any leverage to influence his behavior. Dupla del Moral said
he was thinking about how to use Brazil's weight to encourage
Chavez to play a more constructive regional role -- in
Bolivia, for example, where Chavez exerts influence over the
cocalero leader Evo Morales. In addition, the EC is working
with Venezuelan NGOs; Dupla del Moral reported that
Venezuela had been selected for a new one-million-euro
program on institutional strengthening of NGOs. Finally,
Dupla del Moral added that Chavez was receptive to some EU
member states, such as Spain and France, partially because of
the large number of immigrants of European origin in
Venezuela.


8. (C) Graff and Williams said Colombia had not raised
concerns to the EU about Venezuelan arms acquisitions (REF
D). Williams said the EU did not see grounds for formal
intervention with Venezuela regarding GOV acquisition of
Russian AK-47s. He said Venezuela's intended use for these
weapons -- to supply reservists patrolling the
Venezuela/Colombia border -- would improve stability.

-------------- --
EU SUPPORTS CONSTITUTIONAL ASSEMBLY FOR BOLIVIA
-------------- --


9. (C) Shapiro and his EU interlocutors agreed on the
importance of supporting President Carlos Mesa in a situation
that remained precarious, but disagreed on the wisdom of
holding a Constitutional Assembly. Coninsx said that, in
addition to alternative and regional development, EC aid to
Bolivia would concentrate on helping to get a Constitutional
Assembly up and running. Dupla del Moral maintained that
some kind of assembly was necessary in order to reach a modus
vivendi among the diversity of interests -- otherwise, he
said, the country would split apart. On development
assistance to Bolivia, Dupla del Moral said both the Bolivia
Support Group concentrating on the fiscal crisis and the
Bolivia Consultative Group with its focus on poverty
reduction had key roles to play; most important, though, was
to get regional actors such as the Andean Community more
involved.

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EC ON POSSIBLE COCA GROWING STUDY
--------------


10. (C) Dupla de Moral reported that the GOB had approached
the EC for help in carrying out a study reevaluating how much
coca should be harvested legally in Bolivia. He said the EC
could see the merits of such a study, but was wary of
possible political repercussions if the study finds that the
amount of legal coca cultivation should be increased. He
said the EC might participate in the study under three
conditions: (1) if an institution seen by all parties as
impartial could take the lead; (2) if the choice of
institution were certified by the EU and the UNODC; and (3)
if the USG would state that it does not object to EC
involvement. Shapiro said he would consult within the USG on
the issue.

-------------- --
NICARAGUA: EU MIGHT SUPPORT MANPADS DESTRUCTION
-------------- --


11. (C) Shapiro raised U.S. commitment to destruction of all
man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) in Nicaragua, and
solicited political support from the EU. Graff said he
thought it likely that the EU would support such an effort,
and said he would raise the issue in the EU Working Group on
Latin America (COLAT). Meeting participants discussed ways
the EU could support the effort, including by having a
representative of the EU Presidency in Managua raise it with
the GON, organizing a joint EU demarche and approaching the
Nicaraguan Congress. Shapiro said he would see about passing
further information on MANPADS to the EU.

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TRADE, ASSOCIATION NEGOTIATIONS MOVING SLOWLY
--------------


12. (C) Our EU interlocutors reported that progress on the
EU,s planned trade and association agreements with the
Andean Community (CAN) and Mercosur is slow because of lack
of regional economic integration among the organizations,
members. Coninsx discussed state of play of negotiations
toward an EU-CAN Association Agreement, which would include
an FTA. She said an assessment of the extent of economic
integration in the CAN was underway, and the assessment
working group planned to finish its report by the end of the
year. As of now, an EU-CAN FTA remained a long way off
because of the region's lack of economic integration. Thus,
the question of when to begin negotiations would depend on
the results of the assessment.


13. (C) Argimon-Pistre reported on negotiations toward an
EU-Mercosur Regional Association Agreement. She said
negotiations that had broken down in October 2004 would be
restarted in the coming weeks on the basis the previous best
offers of both sides. The EU's objectives for the agreement
are very ambitious, including cooperation on the environment,
nonproliferation, information society, and research. The EU
wants the trade part of the agreement to include the same
"full basket" of issues that the U.S. wants for the FTAA --
including intellectual property rights, services and
government procurement. Just as in the case of the EU-CAN
agreement (para 12),lack of regional economic integration in
Mercosur is a major obstacle, said Argimon-Pistre; the EU
wants the same kind of free movement of EU goods and services
within Mercosur that is available for Mercosur products
within the EU.

MCKINLEY
.