IRISH RESPONSE TO PRE-GAERC DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000207

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015
TAGS: PREL KPAL
SUBJECT: IRISH RESPONSE TO PRE-GAERC DEMARCHE

REF: STATE 25111

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jonathan Benton; Reasons 1.4 (B) and (
D).


1. (U) On February 15, Post delivered reftel talking points
to Gerard Keown, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) EU
Correspondent.

Trans-Atlantic Relations
--------------


2. (SBU) The European Union strongly supports practical
cooperation with the United States across the full spectrum
of trans-Atlantic and global issues, an approach that Ireland
had advocated during its EU presidency in 2004, said Keown.
The EU thus looked forward to President Bush's visit,
especially as this would be his first post-inaugural overseas
trip -- a gesture that Ireland expected would be repaid,
Keown observed. He commented that Secretary Rice's speeches
had been well received in European capitals, particularly in
Paris, and he added that EU foreign ministers looked forward
to another opportunity to meet with her during President
Bush's visit.

MEPP
--------------


3. (SBU) Keown characterized the MEPP as a tremendous
opportunity for successful trans-Atlantic cooperation. A
"win" on the MEPP would help to advance the reform agenda
throughout the region and diminish a primary source of Arab
grievances. Keown said that the March 1 London meeting would
dovetail with overall EU support for the Palestinian
community on security, infrastructure, administration, and
finance. He noted that the London meeting had been planned
before the Sharm el-Sheik summit, and he expressed hope that
the cease-fire announcement would induce Israel to
participate.

Iraq
--------------


4. (SBU) With the successful outcome of the Iraqi elections,
Ireland and the EU looked forward to the process of formal
appointments by the Assembly, observed Keown. He expressed
disappointment with the level of Sunni participation in the
polls, but hoped that this would not diminish the Assembly's
legitimacy or pose difficulties for the process of writing a
new constitution. Keown noted that the Member States had
been holding off on a decision regarding assistance for Iraqi
police training until the elections had been held. He
expected that any such assistance would extend beyond police
training to encompass rule of law. He recalled that the EU
had previously stated its intention to establish a presence
in Iraq, and he cited security-related concerns as the
remaining impediment to an EU office in Baghdad.

The Western Balkans
--------------


5. (C) Keown made the following points on the Western
Balkans:

-- Ireland and the EU would agree that the surrender of
General Lazarevic was a positive development, but not enough
to warrant further progress toward a feasibility study for
Serbia and Montenegro. The GOSM needed to do more to
demonstrate cooperation with the ICTY.

-- The EU wants to play a full role in the movement toward a
mid-term review for Kosovo. The prospect of Prime Minister
Haradinaj's indictment and voluntary surrender to the Hague
creates serious questions about the possibility of a
short-term political vacuum in Kosovo. Keown concurred that
the promise of Euro-Atlantic integration remained the
greatest incentive for progress in Kosovo and throughout the
region.

-- It was clear that the start of EU accession talks for
Croatia hinged on full cooperation with the ICTY, which would
be judged in the context of the Gotovina case. Keown related
Ireland's view that the "ball was now in Croatia's court" in
terms of demonstrating cooperation.

-- Regarding Bosnia, High Commissioner Paddy Ashdown had the
full support of the Member States for his actions to hold the
Republika Srpska accountable for its continued
non-cooperation with the ICTY. Keown believed that Ashdown
would review the state of play in the RS in late February
before considering other measures to encourage cooperation,
to include possibly the removal of more local officials.

Ukraine/Moldova
--------------


6. (SBU) The planned February 21 EU-Ukraine Cooperation
Council meeting will be the first to involve newly elected
Ukrainian President Yushchenko, and the EU looked forward
enthusiastically to this opportunity to deepen ties with the
GOU, said Keown. In particular, Member States hoped that
Ukraine would be able to lend a hand in resolving the
Moldova-Transnistria conflict, given shared borders with
Romania. Keown noted that Transnistria was increasingly
occupying the energies of Member State foreign ministers.

Sudan
--------------


7. (C) The EU's position on bringing crimes committed in
Darfur to the ICC was well-known, and Ireland concurred with
that position, said Keown. He remarked that the ICC had been
created specifically to deal with such crimes. He also noted
that the Rwanda tribunal (ICTR) had not yet demonstrated its
effectiveness, and he questioned whether the ICC was, in
fact, preoccupied with other investigations. The Member
States would agree, however, that pressure must be maintained
on the Sudanese government and rebels to end violence in
Darfur, said Keown. He added that EU assistance to the AU
mission would continue.

Great Lakes
--------------


8. (SBU) Like the United States, the EU advocated unanimity
on the Congolese transition and support for MONUC and the
tripartite process, observed Keown. He said that EU efforts
in security sector reform aimed to create a security force
that could function effectively while maintaining credibility
with different communities. He also conveyed Ireland's
impression that Congo's transition government would not be
ready to hold June elections as originally scheduled.
Ireland and other Member States recognized, however, the
importance of keeping the preparatory tasks related to the
election on track.
BENTON