GERMAN FM STEINMEIER'S MOSCOW VISIT: MIDDLE EAST,

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