Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06MOSCOW13073
2006-12-22 13:46:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Moscow
Cable title:  

GERMAN FM STEINMEIER'S MOSCOW VISIT: MIDDLE EAST,

Tags:  PREL PGOV IR LE GE RS 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMOA #3073 3561346
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221346Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 013073 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR LE GE RS
SUBJECT: GERMAN FM STEINMEIER'S MOSCOW VISIT: MIDDLE EAST,
IRAN, AND RUSSIA-EU


CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DANIEL A. RUSSELL.
REASONS: 1.4(B/D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 013073

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR LE GE RS
SUBJECT: GERMAN FM STEINMEIER'S MOSCOW VISIT: MIDDLE EAST,
IRAN, AND RUSSIA-EU


CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DANIEL A. RUSSELL.
REASONS: 1.4(B/D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER



PAGE 02 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
STEINMEIER MET WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME
MINISTER MEDVEDEV, AND FM LAVROV IN MOSCOW ON DECEMBER 21.
ACCORDING TO A READOUT FROM GERMAN AMBASSADOR WALTER SCHMIDT,
WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETINGS, PUTIN CLAIMED THAT RUSSIA'S
DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIA WAS AIMED AT ENCOURAGING
DAMASCUS TO ACT RESPONSIBLY IN LEBANON, IRAQ AND THE BROADER
MIDDLE EAST. AFTER MEETING PRESIDENT ASAD AND PM SINIORA,
PUTIN SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THE LATTER WAS WILLING TO SEEK A
COMPROMISE THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE OPPOSITION. TURNING TO
IRAN, PUTIN SAID RUSSIA WOULD TRY TO JOIN CONSENSUS ON THE
DRAFT UNSCR, BUT STEINMEIER WAS UNABLE TO PIN FM LAVROV DOWN
IN A SEPARATE MEETING ON RUSSIA'S POSITION ON THE DRAFT TEXT.
PUTIN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BAD PRESS RUSSIA WAS GETTING IN
THE WEST AND POLAND'S ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK NEGOTIATIONS ON A NEW
RUSSIA-EU PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (PCA).
STEINMEIER INDICATED TO THE RUSSIANS THAT GERMANY WAS WILLING
TO BE FLEXIBLE ON THE ENERGY PROVISIONS OF A NEW PCA. END
SUMMARY.
.
MIDDLE EAST



PAGE 03 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
--------------


2. (C) SCHMIDT SAID STEINMEIER MET WITH PUTIN FOR A ONE
HOUR ONE-ON-ONE, AND THEN FOR ANOTHER HOUR IN AN EXPANDED
FORMAT WITH LAVROV AND PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION FOREIGN
POLICY ASSISTANT SERGEY PRIKHODKO. WHILE STEINMEIER WAS IN
MOSCOW OSTENSIBLY TO PROVIDE A PREVIEW OF GERMANY'S G-8
PRESIDENCY, SCHMIDT'S READOUT FOCUSED ON THE MIDDLE EAST,
IRAN, AND RUSSIA-EU RELATIONS. PUTIN REVIEWED HIS RECENT
MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT ASAD AND PM SINIORA, NOTING THAT HE
APPROACHED THESE MEETINGS WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF SKEPTICISM,
BUT THAT RUSSIA WAS COMMITTED TO PREVENTING CIVIL WAR IN
LEBANON, WHICH WOULD BE A DISASTER FOR THE REGION. IN
RESPONSE TO STEINMEIER'S QUESTIONING ABOUT RUSSIA WEAPONS
SALES TO SYRIA, PUTIN SAID THAT ASAD HAD REASSURED HIM THAT
SYRIA HAD DONE NOTHING TO VIOLATE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH

RUSSIA (E.G., END-USER AGREEMENTS RESTRICTING TRANSFERS TO
THIRD PARTIES). ASAD ALSO TOLD PUTIN THAT SYRIA WAS ENGAGING
WITH THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT TO TAKE MEASURES TO STABILIZE THE
BORDER SITUATION. PUTIN STRESSED THAT RUSSIA WAS PRESSING



PAGE 04 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
SYRIA NOT ONLY TO ACT RESPONSIBLY IN IRAQ, BUT IN THE BROADER
MIDDLE EAST. (SCHMIDT HAD FEW DETAILS TO REPORT ABOUT THE
ONE-ON-ONE OTHER THAN TO NOTE THAT PUTIN AND STEINMEIER HAD A
LONG DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BAKER-HAMILTON REPORT.)


3. (C) PUTIN TOLD STEINMEIER THAT HE BELIEVED THAT SINIORA
WAS PREPARED TO FIND A POLITICAL COMPROMISE THAT WOULD
INCLUDE OPPOSITION MEMBERS. THERE WAS NO TRUST BETWEEN
SINIORA AND ASAD, PUTIN SAID, BUT HE WAS ENCOURAGED THAT
SYRIA AND LEBANON WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND HOPEFUL THAT
A PEACEFUL, INCLUSIVE SOLUTION COULD BE FOUND. PUTIN
STRESSED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "INCLUSIVENESS" THROUGHOUT HIS
DISCUSSION OF THE MIDDLE EAST, ARGUING THAT HAMAS MUST BE
INTEGRATED INTO ANY PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT AND MUST NOT BE
FORCED BACK UNDERGROUND, AND THAT NO SOLUTION IN THE BROADER

MIDDLE EAST WAS TENABLE IF IT DID NOT INCLUDE IRAN.
.
IRAN
--------------




PAGE 05 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L

4. (C) PUTIN STATED THAT RUSSIA WOULD TRY TO COME TO
AGREEMENT ON THE DRAFT UNSCR BECAUSE OF MOSCOW'S INTEREST IN
FINDING A JOINT POSITION TO RESPOND TO TEHRAN. IN A SEPARATE
MEETING WITH LAVROV, THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF THE
UNSCR, BUT NO CLOSURE. SCHMIDT TOOK AWAY FROM THE MEETING
THE IMPRESSION THAT LAVROV HAD NO AUTHORITY TO ENGAGE ON THE
RESOLUTION AND THAT IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF WHAT SCHMIDT TERMED
SIGNIFICANT INFIGHTING WITHIN THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
ACCORDING TO LAVROV, EVEN THE POSSIBILITY OF A VETO COULD NOT
BE EXCLUDED. (FRENCH AMBASSADOR DE LABOULAYE NOTED TO THE
CHARGE THAT IN A SEPARATE DECEMBER 21 DISCUSSION, SECURITY
COUNCIL SECRETARY IGOR IVANOV HAD BEEN SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE
PRACTICAL EFFECT OF THE RESOLUTION. IVANOV CONCEDED THE
IMPORTANCE OF PRESENTING A UNIFIED FRONT TO TEHRAN AND,
SPEAKING PERSONALLY, THOUGHT RUSSIAS CHOICE ON THE UNSCR WAS
ABSTENTION OR A POSITIVE VOTE AND THAT AN ABSTENTION GAINED
NOTHING FOR MOSCOW.)
.
RUSSIA-EU
--------------



PAGE 06 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L


5. (C) FOCUSING ON RUSSIA'S IMAGE IN THE WEST, PUTIN
LAMENTED TO STEINMEIER ABOUT THE NEGATIVE PRESS MOSCOW WAS
GETTING AFTER THE POLITKOVSKAYA AND LITVINENKO MURDERS AND
THE FALLOUT FROM SAKHALIN 2, BUT OBSERVED THAT IT WAS NOTHING
NEW, NOTING WESTERN PRESS COVERAGE DURING THE SECOND CHECHEN

WAR. IN PUTIN'S VIEW, THERE WERE "FORCES" THAT DID NOT WANT
TO SEE IMPROVEMENT IN RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH EUROPE. BOTH
MURDERS HAD BEEN TRAGIC, BUT THEY NEEDED TO BE INVESTIGATED
AND THOSE RESPONSIBLE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. PUTIN PRONOUNCED



PAGE 02 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
HIMSELF SATISFIED BY THE COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIAN AND
BRITISH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. STEINMEIER RESPONDED TO
PUTIN'S COMPLAINTS BY STRESSING THAT THERE WERE EUROPEANS
INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THE RUSSIA-EU RELATIONSHIP, BUT THAT
RUSSIA NEEDED TO TAKE STEPS TO HELP CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN
WHICH IMPROVED COOPERATION WAS POLITICALLY FEASIBLE.


6. (C) PUTIN CRITICIZED POLAND FOR BLOCKING NEGOTIATIONS
OVER A SUCCESSOR PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (PCA).
HE CLAIMED RUSSIA WAS PREPARED TO COOPERATE WITH POLAND TO
RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF MEAT IMPORTS, BUT THAT WHILE WARSAW HAD
MADE A PUBLIC FUSS OVER THE DISPUTE, IT HAD BEEN UNWILLING TO
SIT DOWN TO HAMMER OUT A SOLUTION. AS PUTIN NOTED
CAUSTICALLY, THE POLES HAD TRIED TO PASS OFF CHINESE BUFFALO
AS POLISH VEAL.


7. (C) PUTIN STRESSED TO STEINMEIER THAT IT WOULD BE
POSSIBLE TO ADDRESS ENERGY ISSUES IN A NEW PCA IN A
SATISFACTORY WAY. SCHMIDT NOTED GERMAN WILLINGNESS IN
DEVELOPING ENERGY CHAPTERS OF THE PCA TO DROP PROVISIONS FROM



PAGE 03 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
THE ENERGY CHARTER TREATY REGARDING MAJORITY OWNERSHIP OF
PIPELINES AND ENERGY FIELDS THAT RUSSIA OBJECTED TO IN ORDER
TO COME TO CLOSURE. STEINMEIER ALSO MET SEPARATELY
ONE-ON-ONE WITH FIRST DFM MEDVEDEV TO DISCUSS ENERGY ISSUES,
BUT SCHMIDT DID NOT SHARE DETAILS. (STEINMEIER AND MEDVEDEV
HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP DATING FROM STEINMEIER'S
PREVIOUS POSITION AS MEDVEDEV'S COUNTERPART.)
.
CIVIL SOCIETY
--------------


8. (C) STEINMEIER ATTENDED TWO CIVIL SOCIETY EVENTS WHILE
IN MOSCOW. THE FIRST, MORE POLITICALLY FOCUSED MEETING WAS
TO INVOLVE GARRI KASPAROV (UNITED CIVIL FRONT),GRIGORIY
YAVLINSKIY (YABLOKO),AND INDEPENDENT DUMA DEPUTY VLADIMIR
RYZHKOV, BUT ONLY KASPAROV ATTENDED. WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING
THAT SOME OF RUSSIA'S PROBLEMS COULD BE TRACED BACK TO
DECISIONS TAKEN DURING YELTSIN'S TENURE, KASPAROV ARGUED THAT
RUSSIANS WERE BECOMING IMPOVERISHED (!) AND TALKED UP HIS
CHANCES OF WINNING THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST (!!).



PAGE 04 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L
MEMORIAL, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AND THE MOSCOW HELSINKI
GROUP WERE AMONG THE ATTENDEES AT THE SECOND EVENT. NGO
LEADERS COMPLAINED ABOUT THEIR STATUS IN RUSSIA, BUT URGED
THAT THE WEST REMAIN ENGAGED. IN RESPONSE TO STEINMEIER'S
QUESTION ABOUT THE "OTHER RUSSIA" MOVEMENT, MOST CIVIL
SOCIETY LEADERS WERE CRITICAL OF ITS APPROACH AND IMPACT ON
THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY OPERATED.
RUSSELL