DON'T INVEST IN SYRIA: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 003975 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/LEA, EB/OFD/IDF, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2015 TAGS: ETRD EFIN PREL PGOV SY AU EUN SUBJECT: DON'T INVEST IN SYRIA: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE REF: STATE 229611 Classified By: ECONOMIC-POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS ¶1. (C) Embassy conveyed reftel demarche to Austrian MFA Acting A/S-equivalent for Bi- and Multilateral Economic Relations and International Financial Institutions Hans Kogler on December 23. We followed up with Kogler on December 29. Kogler told us he had only recently assumed his duties as Director for the Barcelona Process (and deputy to Austrian U.S-EU Task Force Chair Melitta Schubert). He noted that the Finance Ministry has the lead on the EIB lending facility for the Middle East (FEMIP),but offered to check on the status of the loan and see if it could still be withdrawn. We stressed the need to keep up the maximum pressure on Syria in the matter of the Hariri assassination investigation and urged the GoA to make use of its upcoming EU Presidency to block any further investments in Syria until the SARG cooperates fully. KILNER