Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS6936
2005-10-07 17:37:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:
BLAIR-CHIRAC MEET, LOOKING PAST DISAGREEMENTS TO
how-toThis 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 PARIS 006936
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2015
TAGS: PREL EFIN UK FR EUN
SUBJECT: BLAIR-CHIRAC MEET, LOOKING PAST DISAGREEMENTS TO
THE FUTURE
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for Reaso
ns 1.4(b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 006936
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2015
TAGS: PREL EFIN UK FR EUN
SUBJECT: BLAIR-CHIRAC MEET, LOOKING PAST DISAGREEMENTS TO
THE FUTURE
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for Reaso
ns 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) In an October 7 meeting between EUR PDAS Kurt Volker
and French MFA Director for European Cooperation, Gilles
Briatta, Briatta spoke about the discussion that took place
earlier in the day between British PM Tony Blair and French
President Jacques Chirac. Briatta said that during their
meeting Blair thanked Chirac for his work to ensure that
Turkey would begin EU accession talks and that Blair wanted
to "bring closure to prior disagreements and look to the
future." While the meeting's purpose, he said, was for Blair
to discuss the upcoming informal October summit and to
"straighten out" EU budgetary matters, the general goal of
the meeting was to determine whether the French would try to
derail the UK presidency after recent, much publicized,
disagreements. Briatta said that Chirac assured Blair that
France would not play the role of spoiler, adding that the
British EU presidency needed to succeed if Europe was going
to succeed.
2. (C) With regards to the EU budget, Briatta said that the
indeterminate outcome of the German elections, which, he
believed, the UK had neither expected nor desired, diminished
the leverage the UK thought it would have. He added that
France, however, understood that it cannot go back to its
original budget plan and predicted that, in the end, the
budget would satisfy France's requirements yet contain enough
modifications to allow the UK to look good or "save face."
He added that he was sure that Blair had a "Plan B" and
speculated that something close, but not identical, to the
"Luxembourg compromise" might emerge as the mutually
acceptable outcome. (Note: The German Ambassador offered a
similar comment in a September 27 meeting with Ambassador
Stapleton.)
3. (C) With the EU Commission in a weakened state, Briatta
said, both France and the UK understood the importance of a
good bilateral relationship and that the two countries meet
"all the time." He said that the EU presidency has and would
continue to prove difficult for the UK because it is a
powerful country and therefore an easy target for criticism
by smaller member states.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2015
TAGS: PREL EFIN UK FR EUN
SUBJECT: BLAIR-CHIRAC MEET, LOOKING PAST DISAGREEMENTS TO
THE FUTURE
Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for Reaso
ns 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (C) In an October 7 meeting between EUR PDAS Kurt Volker
and French MFA Director for European Cooperation, Gilles
Briatta, Briatta spoke about the discussion that took place
earlier in the day between British PM Tony Blair and French
President Jacques Chirac. Briatta said that during their
meeting Blair thanked Chirac for his work to ensure that
Turkey would begin EU accession talks and that Blair wanted
to "bring closure to prior disagreements and look to the
future." While the meeting's purpose, he said, was for Blair
to discuss the upcoming informal October summit and to
"straighten out" EU budgetary matters, the general goal of
the meeting was to determine whether the French would try to
derail the UK presidency after recent, much publicized,
disagreements. Briatta said that Chirac assured Blair that
France would not play the role of spoiler, adding that the
British EU presidency needed to succeed if Europe was going
to succeed.
2. (C) With regards to the EU budget, Briatta said that the
indeterminate outcome of the German elections, which, he
believed, the UK had neither expected nor desired, diminished
the leverage the UK thought it would have. He added that
France, however, understood that it cannot go back to its
original budget plan and predicted that, in the end, the
budget would satisfy France's requirements yet contain enough
modifications to allow the UK to look good or "save face."
He added that he was sure that Blair had a "Plan B" and
speculated that something close, but not identical, to the
"Luxembourg compromise" might emerge as the mutually
acceptable outcome. (Note: The German Ambassador offered a
similar comment in a September 27 meeting with Ambassador
Stapleton.)
3. (C) With the EU Commission in a weakened state, Briatta
said, both France and the UK understood the importance of a
good bilateral relationship and that the two countries meet
"all the time." He said that the EU presidency has and would
continue to prove difficult for the UK because it is a
powerful country and therefore an easy target for criticism
by smaller member states.
Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
STAPLETON