Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05VIENNA1461
2005-05-04 12:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:
SYRIAN COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 1559: AUSTRIAN
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 VIENNA 001461
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARN, IO/P, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO LE SY AU EUN
SUBJECT: SYRIAN COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 1559: AUSTRIAN
RESPONSE
REF: STATE 78006
Classified By: ECONOMIC-POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001461
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARN, IO/P, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO LE SY AU EUN
SUBJECT: SYRIAN COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 1559: AUSTRIAN
RESPONSE
REF: STATE 78006
Classified By: ECONOMIC-POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Embassy Vienna conveyed reftel demarche on April 29
to MFA A/S-equivalent for the Middle East and Africa Ralph
Scheide. EconPolCouns and Pol Unit Chief followed up with
Scheide on May 3. Scheide reported discussing the matter of
the EU-Syria Association Agreement with his German
counterpart recently. It was not so much that the Agreement
was "on hold," Scheide said, but that the procedure for
concluding it had stalled. Scheide thought it necessary to
strike a balance. While it was clear that Syria still had
much to do to comply fully with UNSCR 1559, it was important
to give Syria positive incentives. "Syria deserves some
credit for its withdrawal," Scheide said.
2. (C) Scheide pointed out that the Syrian Foreign Minister
would likely attend the Euro-Med Ministerial in Luxembourg on
May 29. While the Minister would probably express annoyance
about the lack of progress on the Association Agreement,
Scheide thought that "we can live with that. Better to let
him come and complain than to disinvite him." The EU could
then make it clear to the Syrians that the EU was prepared to
continue to process as long as Syria stayed on the path to
compliance.
3. (C) Scheide and his Syria/Lebanon office director,
Wolfgang Lapuh, reiterated that Austria was ready to join a
consensus on an EU Clearinghouse listing of Hizbollah as a
terrorist organization and regretted that the most recent
Clearinghouse had not been able to take a decision to do so.
The disarming of militias would prove to be one of the most
difficult tasks in achieving compliance with UNSCR 1559, they
thought. The UN verification mission would surely cite this
as unaccomplished in its report; it would then be up to the
Secretary General to give his assessment.
SIPDIS
4. (C) Regarding the date for elections, Lapuh noted that it
was now impossible to keep to the constitutional 30-day
deadline for promulgating a new election law and still hold
the elections in May. The old election law was biased in
favor of pro-Syrian forces, he observed.
Brown
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARN, IO/P, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO LE SY AU EUN
SUBJECT: SYRIAN COMPLIANCE WITH UNSCR 1559: AUSTRIAN
RESPONSE
REF: STATE 78006
Classified By: ECONOMIC-POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D)
1. (C) Embassy Vienna conveyed reftel demarche on April 29
to MFA A/S-equivalent for the Middle East and Africa Ralph
Scheide. EconPolCouns and Pol Unit Chief followed up with
Scheide on May 3. Scheide reported discussing the matter of
the EU-Syria Association Agreement with his German
counterpart recently. It was not so much that the Agreement
was "on hold," Scheide said, but that the procedure for
concluding it had stalled. Scheide thought it necessary to
strike a balance. While it was clear that Syria still had
much to do to comply fully with UNSCR 1559, it was important
to give Syria positive incentives. "Syria deserves some
credit for its withdrawal," Scheide said.
2. (C) Scheide pointed out that the Syrian Foreign Minister
would likely attend the Euro-Med Ministerial in Luxembourg on
May 29. While the Minister would probably express annoyance
about the lack of progress on the Association Agreement,
Scheide thought that "we can live with that. Better to let
him come and complain than to disinvite him." The EU could
then make it clear to the Syrians that the EU was prepared to
continue to process as long as Syria stayed on the path to
compliance.
3. (C) Scheide and his Syria/Lebanon office director,
Wolfgang Lapuh, reiterated that Austria was ready to join a
consensus on an EU Clearinghouse listing of Hizbollah as a
terrorist organization and regretted that the most recent
Clearinghouse had not been able to take a decision to do so.
The disarming of militias would prove to be one of the most
difficult tasks in achieving compliance with UNSCR 1559, they
thought. The UN verification mission would surely cite this
as unaccomplished in its report; it would then be up to the
Secretary General to give his assessment.
SIPDIS
4. (C) Regarding the date for elections, Lapuh noted that it
was now impossible to keep to the constitutional 30-day
deadline for promulgating a new election law and still hold
the elections in May. The old election law was biased in
favor of pro-Syrian forces, he observed.
Brown