DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 3 EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 003245

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2015

TAGS: KDEM KPAL PREL TU AU EUN
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 3 EU


FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING

REF: A. (A) STATE 177048


B. (B) VIENNA 3157


C. (C) VIENNA 2944

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso

ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered ref (a) demarche on

September 28 to Andreas Riecken, the Austrian Foreign

Ministry's European Union "correspondent."

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Turkey

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2. (C) Riecken noted continuing discussions between the

British Presidency and his colleagues in Brussels on the text

of the negotiating framework for Turkish accession

negotiations. Riecken said Austrian Political Director

Thomas Mayr-Harting had told EUR PDAS Volker in a telephone

conversation September 28 that Austria was not arguing for

inclusion of the words "privileged partnership" in the

negotiating framework. Riecken said the Austrian position

remained that which Austrian FM Ursula Plassnik had described

in her August 29 letter to UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw

(ref c). In that letter, Plassnik had called for language on

"specific alternatives to full membership" to appear in the

negotiating framework. Riecken said the Austrian negotiators

thought they were making progress in convincing the British

to make changes to the text (he had no specific language),

and considered the process constructive. "There is still

drafting going on," he said, "and not just on Austrian

issues." He said the Cypriots, for instance, were asking for

bracketed text on Cypriot participation in NATO and PfP --

"but that's not our issue," Riecken said.

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Turkey-Croatia

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3. (C) Riecken reiterated that Austria has no desire for a

"deal" to trade the start of talks with Turkey for the start

of talks with Croatia. That said, Austria very much wanted

"something to be done" on Croatia. "It would be hard to tell

the public that it is possible to start with Turkey, but not

with Croatia," he said.

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Croatia

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4. (C) Much would depend on what Carla del Ponte said after

her visit to Zagreb on Friday, September 30 about Croatia's

cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the

former Yugoslavia, Riecken said. If she said Croatia was

cooperating, there would be room for the EU to craft a way to

start accession talks with Croatia. For EU members, Riecken

said, the definition of cooperation with ICTY was not the

presence of Ante Gotovina in the Hague for trial. "No one"

in the EU, including the British, takes this position,

Riecken asserted. Instead, the aim was for Croatia to prove

that it has "destroyed the networks" that protected Gotovina

in the past. However, even if del Ponte declared that

Croatia was cooperating with ICTY, Austria believed it was

necessary to create a mechanism that would keep the pressure

on Croatia to continue its cooperation. Austria had proposed

establishment of a monitoring structure to perform this

function, Riecken said.


5. (C) If del Ponte announced that Croatia was not

cooperating with ICTY, it would be hard for the Council to

declare that she is wrong, Riecken admitted. There would be

at least a few EU member states which would block accession

talks under these circumstances.


6. (C) Riecken said Austria believed it was important not to

destroy the hopes of Croatia's entire population for the sake

of one criminal, Gotovina. If Croatia was now cooperating

with ICTY, Austria hoped accession talks could begin

immediately.

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Western Balkans/Kosovo

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7. (C) Austria agrees with our position favoring the start

of the future status process. The Austrians think it is not

necessary to await the end of Kai Eide's Comprehensive Review

to begin the process.


8. (C) Austria plans to invite the Foriegn Ministers of the

five Western Balkan countries to a meeting on the margins of

the March Gymnich meeting in Salzburg. After consideration

of whether the meeting would be at Heads of Government or

Foreign Ministers' level, Austria has decided on a

"Thessaloniki format" at ministerial level. Kosovo will, of

course, be one of the topics.

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Uzbekistan

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9. (C) Riecken said Austria, and the EU as a whole, shares

our concerns. The October 3 GAERC meeting would discuss the

specifics of sanctions, including the question of whom to

target.

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Russia and Russia's Neighbors

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10. (C) Riecken said there would be a discussion of the way

forward on the EU-Russia relationship. The EU-Russia Summit

in London October 4 would, of course, be a primary topic of

discussion. Riecken said Austria basically agrees with our

points on Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, but he said

he did not foresee a discussion of these topics at the

October 3 GAERC meeting.

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Iraq/Middle East

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11. (C) Riecken said he expected a discussion of the Middle

East Peace Process on October 3, but not of Iraq. The EU

agrees on the importance of supporting Quartet Special Envoy

James Wolfensohn, Riecken said.


12. (C) On the UN Holocaust Remembrance Resolution, Riecken

said Austria supported the initiative. Riecken said

Austria's UN mission had urged the Palestinians not to oppose

the resolution, pointing out that it took nothing away from

Palestinian or broader Arab interests. Riecken said the

Austrian mission expressed frustration that the Palestinians

appeared not to accept their argument.

Brown