OSCE: SPAIN'S CHAIRMANSHIP, KAZAKHSTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 002259

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2016
TAGS: KDEM PREL OSCE SP KZ
SUBJECT: OSCE: SPAIN'S CHAIRMANSHIP, KAZAKHSTAN
CHAIRMANSHIP, AND TOLERANCE REPS

REF: SECSTATE 139361

Classified By: PolCouns Kathy Fitzpatrick for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (U) Please see action request paragraph 6.


2. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff discussed reftel demarche, Spain's
plans for the Chairmanship, and the Personal Representatives
on Tolerance with Jose Lopez Jorrin, MFA Coordinator for the
Spanish Chairmanship of OSCE, on September 7. Lopez Jorrin
said that Spain supports Kazakhstan's candidacy for the
Chairmanship because withdrawing the possibility of
Chairmanship could slow or change the course of Kazahkstan's
transition to democracy. He said that the GOS believes that
Kazakhstan has a reasonable record on human rights as it
struggles through a difficult transition. He argued that the
OSCE Chairmanship would re-focus Kazakhstan's attention on
the west. He said that it is time for non-EU countries to
hold the Chairmanship. Lopez Jorrin said that, during its
Chairmanship, Spain will emphasize the consensus and dialogue
aspects of the OSCE. Spain will try to prevent the
organization from bogging down over troublesome issues, and
wants to build on the Belgian presidency rather than be
revolutionary. Spain supports maintaining the three Personal
Representatives on Tolerance. Lopez Jorrin said that MFA is
considering a series of visits to key capitals, including
Washington, as it prepares for the Chairmanship. END SUMMARY.

-- SPANISH CHAIRMANSHIP --


3. (C) Lopez Jorrin resisted the idea that Spain could or
would impose priorities as Chairman on such a
consensus-driven organization. He acknowledged, nonetheless,
that Spain looks forward to focusing on several issues. Two
key areas will be finishing whatever remains of the OSCE
reform agenda after Brussels and revising the election
monitors reporting process so that reports are fairly and
usefully presented. In the politico-military dimension,
Spain will focus on counter-terrorism, civil-military efforts
in conflict zones, and compliance with the Conventional
Forces in Europe treaty. In the econ/environment dimension,
Spain will focus on land degradation, soil conservation, and
water management. Lopez Jorrin said that Spain's project in
this area will focus on Central Asia, with the idea of
keeping those OSCE members connected to the organization and
to Europe. Finally, in the human dimension, Spain wants the
OSCE to focus on managing diversity in pluralistic societies.
He said that this theme includes immigration, a major issue
for Spain right now, but said that it will be presented in a
broad way that includes gender, sexual preference, and other
diversity issues.

-- KAZAKHSTAN'S CHAIRMANSHIP --


4. (C) Lopez Jorrin said that Spain supports Kazakhstan's
candidacy and is surprised by the US position. He said that
Spain doesn't see the human rights situation there as being
so bad, considering that it is a country in transition that
is making progress. Lopez Jorrin said that Spain sees the
glass as half full, while apparently the US sees it as half
empty. Lopez Jorrin said that the key factors in transitions
to democracy are speed and direction. He said that both are
good, and worried that a rejection by the OSCE right now
could change the direction altogether. Lopez Jorrin said
that Kazakhstan has all sorts of neighbors to choose from -
China, Russia, SW Asia - and that it is important to keep it
connected to Europe. He also said that Kazakhstan's
neighbors would be watching carefully what happened with
Kazakhstan's Chairmanship. Lopez Jorrin pointed out that any
concerns that the US has now about Kazakhstan's human rights
situation are not likely to be resolved in the next few
years, so it doesn't really matter if Kazakhstan is Chairman
in 2009, 2011, or 2014. Finally, he said that the OSCE will
not survive if only EU countries are allowed to become
Chairmen. He said that it is time to show that all members
are full members. Lopez Jorrin said that he was amused by
the demarche's call for Spain to act with discretion, since
the subject of the demarche is big news in Kazakhstan.

-- PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES ON TOLERANCE --


5. (C) Lopez Jorrin said that Spain's national position - not
its "chairmanship position" - on the three Personal
Representatives on Tolerance is to support keeping them. He
said that they still have plenty of work to do and could be a
help to Spain in its Chairmanship. Lopez Jorrin said that he
is aware that the Representatives face budget and
bureaucratic support issues, and that he would be interested
in exploring those issues during Spain's chairmanship.
Finally, he said that he doesn't know who opposes the
Representatives and hasn't heard the arguments in favor of

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getting rid of them. He noted that the Turkish
Representative would be in Madrid for a few days at the end
of September.


6. (C) Action request: Lopez Jorrin asked for clarification
from Washington on whether Ambassador Finley's recent
comments on the Kazakhstan question indicate a change in
policy. He said that Spain understood recent comments to
indicate that while the US won't support Kazakhstan "this
year", there might be room for further discussion next year.
Nonetheless, he said that it would be unusual to postpone the
election beyond December and probably not the best solution.
AGUIRRE