PORTUGUESE VIEWS ON JULY 17 GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 001425 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2016 TAGS: PREL UN EUN YI MW SR BO IR IZ KPAL SU CG PO SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE VIEWS ON JULY 17 GAERC REF: A. SECSTATE 114605 ¶B. SECSTATE 115346 Classified By: Dana M. Brown, Pol/Econ Officer, State Department Reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) P/E officer met with MFA Deputy European Correspondent Ana Filomena Rocha on July 14 to discuss the Balkans, Middle East, Sudan, Congo, and North Korea per reftels. Rocha anticipates this GAERC will be slow since it is the first under the Finnish EU Presidency. -------------- Balkans -------------- ¶2. (C) Kosovo: Rocha said the final status process discussions were complicated and warned that pressure to conclude talks by the end of 2006 could harden positions. She said an open-ended schedule would be better, especially given Serbia's early election in October. -------------- Middle East Crisis -------------- ¶3. (C) Rocha said the EU had decided to discuss recent events in the Middle East instead of Iraq over lunch. She reported that the EU's statement responding to the crisis will be balanced and condemn the kidnappings, attacks, as well as what she said were Israel's actions to escalate the crisis. -------------- Sudan -------------- ¶4. (C) The EU is concerned about the future of Sudan once the AMIS force leaves and Rocha noted that continued funding would be a serious problem after August 31. She estimated that the mission costs 30 million Euros per month and concluded that the AU Conference on July 18 would have to generate significant funds to cover the three-month funding shortfall. Rocha believes that the EU will have to begin pressuring Sudan to accept a UN mission as soon as possible. -------------- Democratic Republic of Congo -------------- ¶5. (C) The EU mission has begun and Rocha agreed that DRC must keep elections on schedule. She noted with concern the recent clashes in Kinshasa and said she hoped that the international presence can stave off future violence. -------------- North Korea -------------- ¶6. (C) Rocha said Portugal shared the U.S. concern about North Korea's recent missile tests. Political Directors discussed the situation the week of July 3 and plan to respond as a Union rather than individual member states. O'Neal