DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF THE MAY 23 EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001653

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/ERA - BISHARAT AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS CH SU AU EUN
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF THE MAY 23 EU
FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC)

REF: STATE 90085

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
n: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) EconPolCouns met on May 18 with Andreas Riecken,
the Austrian Foreign Ministry's European Correspondent, to
present reftel points and discuss the May 23-24 General
Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) meeting.


2. (C) Riecken made the following comments concerning the
points in reftel:

-- On the China arms embargo, Riecken said it was his
personal interpretation that Luxembourg Foreign Minister
Asselborn's May 11 statement referring to a possible lift of
the embargo during the Luxembourg presidency was simply a
bureaucratic nod to the mandate the Presidency had received
from the European Council in December, and not an attempt to
energize the issue. In December, achieving a lift by the end
of June looked "easy," Riecken said. Now, everyone knew that
"times have changed," in view of both the strenuous U.S.
objections to a lift and Chinese actions like the
Anti-Secession Law. Riecken noted that the China arms
embargo was not on the GAERC agenda.

-- On European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP),Riecken
noted that Defense Ministers would meet for an hour and a
half Monday morning, starting at 0900. Foreign Ministers
would then continue the discussions. Concerning
staff-to-staff cooperation between NATO and the European
Defense Agency, Riecken said that, while this was certainly a
goal, some basic problems stood in the way, including
Turkey/Cyprus and France.

-- On Sudan, African Union chair Konare met with the EU
Political and Security Committee (PSC) and with NATO in
Brussels on May 17, Riecken said. The EU was considering
what it could do to provide more support in a more
coordinated way. Riecken said it seemed that a lot of
countries were taking action, but there was no EU chapeau,
and there was a lack of information sharing between the EU
and NATO.


3. (C) Riecken said other items on the agenda were the
Middle East and the tsunami action plan.

-- Discussion on the Middle East could touch on any issue,
he said. He thought Gaza and the Wolfensohn mission would
likely come up, in addition to the Palestinian parliamentary
elecdtiosn on July 17. Lebanon, Iran and Iraq might also
come up, he said.

-- On the tsunami, Riecken said there had been an action
plan from January 31 to improve EU capabilities to coordiante
consular, military and development assistance efforts in
response to disasters. The GAERC was now going to discuss a
status report on these efforts.
Brown