SCENESETTER FOR A/S FRAZER MEETING WITH ALVARO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 002359

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FROM THE CHARGE FOR A/S JENDAYI FRAZER
AF FOR JOHN C. KELLEY AND STEFANIE AMADEO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2006
TAGS: PREL SMIG EAID AF SP
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR A/S FRAZER MEETING WITH ALVARO
IRANZO

REF: MADRID 1966

MADRID 00002359 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: CDA Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In your September 22 meeting with Spanish
MFA Director General for Middle East/Africa Alvaro Iranzo
(Asst. Sec'y equivalent),he will highlight the fact that
Spain is poised to expand its presence in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The ongoing migration crisis in the Canary Islands has
created logistical problems, bad visuals, human rights
concerns and a questioning of identity for Spaniards; the
majority of them wish the problem would just go away. The
Zapatero government has launched Plan Africa, a significant
program of targeted assistance to West Africa, Mauritania and
Morocco, some of which is not so subtly tied to the signing
of repatriation agreements and the institution of other
migration controls. To its credit, however, the Government
of Spain believes that the best way to stem illegal
immigration is to improve living conditions in the countries
of origin. Spain, free of much of the colonial baggage that
encumbers other European nations, feels that it can be an
active partner and an honest broker with Africa. Through an
exchange of letters originated by Foreign Minister Moratinos,
Spain has requested to engage with the United States on joint
efforts in the region. Spain's experience in the region is
fairly limited, and they might appreciate the assistance and
advice of our more seasoned development operations. We
believe this is an opportunity for Spain to contribute to the
U.S. global agenda and for us to improve bilateral relations
with an important European partner. END SUMMARY.

//ALVARO IRANZO GUTIERREZ//


2. (SBU) Iranzo is the Director General for the
Mediterranean, Middle East, and Africa. Apart from the
Sub-Saharan Africa, he is Embassy Madrid's lead contact on
Lebanon-Syria-Iran, the Western Sahara conflict, and the
Broader Middle East/North Africa dialogue. He holds a law
degree and entered the Spanish diplomatic corps in 1981. He
has served in Gabon, Mozambique and Algeria. He has
previously served as Director General for Foreign Policy for
Africa and the Middle East and as Deputy Director General for
North Africa. From 1997 to 2001 he was Ambassador to Angola,
and from 2001 to 2004 he was the Ambassador to Malaysia. He
speaks excellent English.

//AFRICA BEGINS AT THE PYRENEES//


3. (SBU) Europe has always considered Spain and Portugal to
be nations apart, their membership in the European Union
notwithstanding. The Muslim conquest from 800-1400 A.D. and
the similarities with North African culture and lifestyle
gave rise to the saying that "Africa begins at the Pyrenees."
It has become a truism of late, as roughly one in four
migrants to Spain is now from Africa (usually from Morocco
but increasingly from West Africa as well). After centuries
in which Spain was almost one hundred percent Roman Catholic,
the Muslim population has grown significantly in recent
years. Migration is the most important issue to Spaniards
according to recent polling. Unlike neighboring France,
however, the Spanish have been somewhat more successful in
integrating and employing migrant populations.

//COLONIAL HISTORY IN AFRICA//


4. (SBU) For millennia, residents of the Iberian peninsula
have traded with West African countries as far south as Mali
and have also fished West African waters. Spain's colonial
involvement in Africa was limited to a prolonged and futile
military campaign in Morocco, as well as the colonization of
the Canary Islands and what is now Equatorial Guinea. Spain,
which still maintains high-level interest in Equatorial
Guinea, has a large diplomatic and assistance presence in
Malabo, commensurate with its hydrocarbon interests in the
Gulf of Guinea. Its coverage throughout the rest of
Sub-Saharan Africa is thinner. Spain still holds Ceuta and
Melilla, enclaves on the North African Coast that have also
seen increased migrant activity. Preoccupied with European
integration and economic modernization, the terrorist
bombings of March 2004 and the recent migrant waves have
awakened Spain to their southern neighbors.

//PLAN AFRICA - ASSISTANCE INCREASES//


5. (SBU) In an attempt to confront what the GOS has termed
its "final frontier" in foreign policy, Spain launched Plan
Africa in August 2006. The plan calls for significant

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increases in foreign assistance to West African countries,
the opening of several new embassies in Sub-Saharan Africa,
and a large increase in diplomatic representation in the
region. Spain's 2006 development assistance budget for
Africa totals 380 million euros - 230 million in direct
assistance and 150 million in development loans and credits.
Additionally, Spain is a European leader in debt relief; it
has accepted the G-8 Gleneagles agreement and will have
canceled approximately 800 million euros in African debt by

2008. Spain has also already budgeted significant increases
for African assistance for at least the next two years.


6. (SBU) Skeptics have called the effort window dressing
and an attempt to look tough on immigration. The GOS has
stayed on message - they acknowledge that migration is the
backdrop of their initiative, but they insist that their
initiative is a long-term commitment that will not fix the
short-term problem. For help with the immediate-term problem
of boats overwhelming the Canary Islands, Spain has sought EU
assistance and found that the European Union has been
disinclined to treat the issue as a European crisis.


7. (U) Spanish assistance targets the full range of
development programs - health, education, water, food
assistance, democracy building, and human rights. In the
Canary Islands, Spain is also opening Casa Africa, a regional
center that will focus on Spanish-African relations, economic
and business opportunities, and cultural ties.

//MILITARY PRESENCE IN AFRICA//


8. (C) While the Zapatero government is providing a
peacekeeping contingent for the elections in Congo, it would
be hard pressed to come up with further troop contributions
for Darfur due to its other commitments in Lebanon, Kosovo
and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, Spanish authorities are
concerned about Darfur and Spain fully supports the U.S.
position calling for rehatting and a more robust peacekeeping
force in the region.

//BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP//


9. (C) After the Zapatero government's decision to hastily
pull Spanish forces from Iraq, the bilateral relationship
soured for a time. However, over the past two years, Spain
has made repeated efforts at improving trans-Atlantic
relations, most notably with a force contribution in
Afghanistan. The U.S. and Spain share excellent cooperation
on counter-terrorism, justice, and counter-narcotics, and the
U.S. operates two military bases in Spain. We work closely
together in Latin America as well, most notably on Cuba,
Bolivia, and Venezuela. At their spring meeting, Secretary
Rice and Foreign Minister Moratinos agreed that Africa might
represent another area in which both countries could
cooperate productively.

//AGENDA//


10. (C) Iranzo has suggested the following regions as
topics for your meeting: Sudan, Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Angola, Horn of Africa, cooperation on counter-terrorism and
counter-migration. He will also certainly mention Plan
Africa and their problems in West Africa, but we have made
clear that the most pressing items for the USG are Darfur,
the Horn, and Congo. As Spain's experience in the region is
fairly limited, they might appreciate the assistance and
advice of our more seasoned development operations. We
believe this is an opportunity for Spain to contribute to the
U.S. global agenda and for us to improve bilateral relations
with an important European partner. You may wish to suggest
that Spain target some of its assistance packages to
complement our own in West Africa and elsewhere - perhaps in
the areas of health, food assistance and potable water. More
specifically, Equatorial Guinea could be an opportune area
for increased joint efforts in democracy building, rule of
law, and human rights. The Spanish are well plugged into
North Africa with respect to counter-terrorism and is
interested in CT cooperation in West Africa as well (Spain
recently hosted a West and North African ministerial on
counter-terrorism and has called on African nations to ratify
relevant terror conventions).


11. (SBU) Iranzo will also extend to you an invitation to
attend the opening of Spain's "Casa Africa" in Las Palmas,
Canary Islands this November (Date TBD) and to address
Spain's African Chiefs of Mission Annual Meeting at that
time. If the date can be worked out, Embassy Madrid would

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heartily welcome such a visit as an opportunity to follow up.


12. (SBU) At UNGA, Iranzo may also meet with A/S Welch on
Western Sahara and the Middle East.

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Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website;
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/
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LLORENS