AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH SPAIN'S DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 004347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SP, CU 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH SPAIN'S DEPUTY FOREIGN 
MINISTER 
 
Classified By: DCM Bob Manzanares for reasons 1.4 (b)&(d). 
 

/>4. (C) On the issue of the possible sale of Scorpene

submarines to Venezuela, Leon said that Spain is not

involved. He said that the issue had surprised him when it

came up in Washington, so he came back and consulted with

Ministry of Defense. MOD told him that perhaps Venezuela had

talked with France about such a sale, but said that Spain's

MFA, MOD, and Navantia haven't had contact with Venezuela on

the issue. Leon further noted that while Spain sometimes

makes the hulls for the Scorpenes, it is not always involved.

Finally, he pointed out that Defense Minister Bono is

currently talking to Pakistan about buying S-80 submarines

and that this submarine is currently Spain's focus.



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CUBA

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5. (C) Leon described to the Ambassador in great detail his

recent trip to Havana to be an overseer of the Colombia-ELN

talks. He said that Cuba announced that it would only give

visas to people who agreed not to meet with dissidents while

in Cuba. Leon told the Cubans that he could not agree to

such a demand, given Spain's policy of talking with both

sides. Ultimately, they agreed that Leon would come to Cuba

exclusively for the Colombia talks, and wouldn't meet with

either the Cuban government or the dissidents.



6. (C) On his first morning in Havana, the Cubans called Leon

at 9, offering an informal lunch with the Cuban Foreign

Minster if he would agree not to meet with the dissidents.

Leon held firm that he would meet with both sides, if at all.

In the end, Leon did have a lunch with the Foreign Minister

which he characterized as "a boxing match." Leon said that

Perez Roque was extremely loud and antagonistic. When Leon

again refused Perez Roque's demand not to meet with

dissidents, Perez Roque said that they had reached the point

of divorce, and that it was clear that Spain and Cuba were

headed in different directions. Leon speculated that the

room was bugged, and that Perez Roque was performing for the

microphones. At the end of the lunch, Perez Roque pulled him

to the window, lowered his voice, and asked how they could

make things better between Spain and Cuba. Leon promised to

send him a letter listing things that Cuba would have to do.

Leon told the Ambassador that Spain's Ambassador to Cuba is

currently in Madrid, and that they are drafting a letter to

Perez Roque, but did not specify what the letter would

contain.



7. (C) Leon said that he'd had good meetings with dissidents,

and noted in an aside to the Ambassador that the Cubans don't

realize how involved top GOS officials are in Cuba policy.

He said that not only he, but also Minister Moratinos and

even President Zapatero know, for example, the names of most

of the Cuban prisoners as well as their health status. Leon

said that the dissidents had talked with him about their need

to open dialogue with the Cuban government, and about a

possible Spanish mediating role in such a dialogue. He said

that the dissidents gave him a list of concerns that included

"acts of repudiation" (particularly those outside Havana that

aren't monitored by embassies and other observers),visits to

prisoners, prisoner health care, exit visas for dissidents,

and the situation of the 23,000 gas station attendants who

just lost their jobs.



8. (C) The Ambassador emphasized the importance of the US and

Spain working together on Cuba transition issues. Leon

replied that Fidel Sendagorta (head of MFA policy planning)

has been working with Caleb McCarry. The Ambassador

encouraged him to think bigger, recognizing the critical

opportunity for US-Spain cooperation that a Cuba transition

would present. They agreed to have a more detailed

discussion of this issue when WHA A/S Shannon visits at the

end of January.



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THE ODYSSEY

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9. (C) The Ambassador asked Leon to get involved with the

case of the US salvage vessel Odyssey and its plan to

excavate the HMS Sussex, a sunken vessel off the coast of

Gibraltar. He said that, with authorization from the MFA in

hand, the Odyssey crew had finally begun its work. Then on

December 28, the Embassy received a message from the Ministry

of Interior asking why the Odyssey was working without having

met all Spanish requirements. The Ambassador expressed

concern about the growing possibility of confrontation. Leon

said that he was already involved with the case, that he had

been in contact with regional government in southern Spain

that is resisting the Odyssey's work, and that he would stay

involved. He noted, however, that the regional government

had challenged MFA's jurisdiction over the case. Leon said

that if the shipwreck turned out to be Spanish rather than

British, it would belong to the regional government, which

has responsibility for historical patrimony. He said that

Vice President de la Vega would help to sort out the

jurisdiction questions, but that she is out of town. Leon

agreed on the need to focus on this case, and promised to

keep in touch with the Ambassador.

AGUIRRE