SLOVENIA IN LINE WITH EU ON AMENDMENT TO CUBA

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000709 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016 TAGS: PHUM PREL UNGA SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA IN LINE WITH EU ON AMENDMENT TO CUBA EMBARGO RESOLUTION REF: STATE 163498 Classified By: COM for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) COM delivered reftel demarche to MFA State Secretary Bozo Cerar on October 26. Cerar was well aware of the issues, noted his sympathy for the US position, but said that the GoS had problems with combining language critical of the Cuban human rights situation with the embargo resolution. He said that the GoS would continue to follow the EU approach. ¶2. (C) DCM met with North American Department Chief Mirko Cigler on October 27. Cigler commented that the GoS would take the EU "two track" approach by continuing to talk with Cuba but mentioning human rights within that dialogue. He said that the EU had worked hard to develop this position and does not want to move away from it with the proposed amendment. Cigler did note that a separate statement "might be possible" but that it would not be appropriate to take language from last year's resolution and put it into this amendment. He concluded by saying that the GoS would look to November internal EU meetings on Latin America for further direction on EU policy regarding Cuba. ROBERTSON