U/S DOBRIANSKY'S MEETINGS IN MADRID

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 003570 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL TBIO PGOV EAGR SP SUBJECT: U/S DOBRIANSKY'S MEETINGS IN MADRID REF: A. A) MADRID 3492 ¶B. B) 3447 ¶1. Summary. During her September 27 visit to Madrid to meet with FM Miguel Angel Moratinos (REF A),Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky also met with Director General for International Organizations and Multilateral Affairs Arturo Laclaustra to discuss USG initiatives to monitor and respond to avian influenza and Spain's position on Magen David Adom, as well as with DG for the Middle East and Africa Alvaro Iranzo, Special Envoy for the Alliance of Civilizations Maximo Cajal, and Sub Director General for North American Affairs Manuel de la Camara. U/S Dobriansky met separately with a small group of think tank representatives. End Summary. //AVIAN FLU, MAGEN DAVID ADOM// ¶2. In her meeting with MFA DG for International Organizations and Multilateral Affairs Laclaustra, U/S Dobriansky discussed the USG's support for a diplomatic conference to discuss the Third Protocol and the inclusion of Magen David Adom in the International Red Cross, as well as the USG's growing concern regarding the possibility of a global pandemic related to the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. On Magen David Adom, Laclaustra said the MFA was "100 percent" behind the assessment that this is a humanitarian not political issue. Noting that the two societies were meeting at the time of his meeting with the Under Secretary, he was encouraged that civil society on both the Israeli and Palestinian side seemed to be working towards a resolution. He acknowledged that Switzerland was playing a facilitating role, but stressed that the majority of the discussion was at the civil society level. Laclaustra said that the Swiss were working on setting a date for a meeting to move the MDA issue forward, but that it would not take place by October 27. U/S Dobriansky thanked Spain for its support and noted the USG's desire to set a date for a meeting in order to generate positive traction. ¶3. U/S Dobriansky described the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) initiative, emphasizing its core principles of transparency and coordination among the various interested parties and organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and affected countries such as Vietnam and Laos. Dobriansky urged Spain's participation in the upcoming experts meeting in Washington, a meeting intended to help key actors verify whether all appropriate measures are in place to monitor and respond to avian flu outbreaks. Laclaustra expressed appreciation for the USG initiative, but indicated Spain would await development of an EU common position on the issue at the September 30 meeting of the COREPER in Brussels (REF B). U/S Dobriansky encouraged Spain's participation in IPAPI irrespective of the results of the COREPER meeting. //MEETING WITH MFA OFFICIALS// ¶4. U/S Dobriansky held a separate meeting with DG for Foreign Policy Dezcallar, DG for the Middle East and Africa Alvaro Iranzo, Sub Director General for North American Affairs Manuel de la Camara, and Special Envoy for the Alliance of Civilizations Maximo Cajal to discuss democracy promotion, especially in the BMENA region and Latin America. She drew particular attention to the value of the Community of Democracies process as a forum for democracies from around the world to exchange information. She thanked Spain for its support for BMENA initiatives and reviewed her meeting with FM Moratinos earlier in the day, including his expressions of support for the Budapest International Center for Democratic Transitions and for the Foundation and Fund for the Future. ¶5. Dezcallar and Iranzo highlighted North Africa as a region of strategic concern for Spain, noting the difficulties involved in promoting democracy and reform in Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Dezcallar said Spain enjoyed an excellent image in Morocco and in the Middle East and could use its credibility to support a pro-reform agenda. He urged USG activism in North Africa, especially in encouraging improved relations between Algeria and Morocco. U/S Dobriansky reviewed USG actions to keep Algeria and Morocco pointed in a positive direction and the USG's support for the UN process on Western Sahara. Maximo Cajal returned to the importance of Morocco for Spanish foreign policy, saying, that it would be difficult for the Alliance of Civilizations to prosper if Spain could not develop a mutually supportive relationship with Morocco. Dezcallar discussed the preparations for the September 29 Spain-Morocco summit, which included multiple cabinet level officials from both countries. //THINK TANK EVENT// ¶6. U/S Dobriansky's final event in Madrid was a meeting with a small group of political and think tank figures, including Popular Party (PP) Parliamentarian Jorge Moragas, Soeren Kern of Madrid's premier Elcano Institute, and Jose Luis Herrero of the Foundation for International Relations and Dialogue. Moragas discussed the PP's differences with the Zapatero government on foreign policy issues, particularly over CUBA and Venezuela and the PP's view that Spain's position on both countries should be much closer to that of the USG. Jose Luis Herrero, whose organization focuses on Middle East issues, described Spanish views on the Middle East Peace Process and discussed the Alliance of Civilizations initiative. He highlighted his effort to get the Spanish Parliament to focus on human rights efforts, including on mandating the replication of the USG Human Rights Report. He lamented the lack of objective facts, noting that this contributed to insufficient dialogue and decision making in the Spanish Parliament. He also noted that the U.S. media is not focused on international issues, which contributes to a lack of understanding of such issues among the general American population. Kern, a U.S. citizen and long term resident of Spain, described the difficulty in penetrating Spanish misperceptions of the U.S. political process. U/S Dobriansky discussed her objectives in Spain and noted USG and Spanish efforts to coordinate on important initiatives such as the Barcelona Process and the Alliance of Civilizations. AGUIRRE