Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VIENNA3025
2006-10-12 09:58:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF THE OCTOBER

Tags:  PREL PGOV EU AU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO6833
OO RUEHAG
DE RUEHVI #3025 2850958
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 120958Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5210
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST PRIORITY 1380
RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA PRIORITY 1099
C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 003025 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS - SAINT-ANDRE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV EU AU
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF THE OCTOBER
16-17 EU FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC)

REF: STATE 170214

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 003025

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS - SAINT-ANDRE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV EU AU
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF THE OCTOBER
16-17 EU FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC)

REF: STATE 170214

Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips. Reaso
ns: 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered reftel demarche on October
11 to Andreas Riecken, the Austrian MFA's European
Correspondent.


2. (C) Riecken made the following substantive comments on
reftel points:

-- Sudan: Riecken said there was broad agreement between
the EU and US on Sudan. He noted that European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso had led a team consisting of
approximately half of the Commission to visit Sudan. Barroso
had been unsuccessful in convincing Sudanese President Omar
al Bashir to accept the transition from an African Union
force to a UN force.

-- Kosovo/Serbia/Bosnia: There will be a discussion of
Kosovo over lunch at the Luxembourg GAERC, and a discussion
of Serbia and Bosnia during the plenary meeting, Riecken
reported. Riecken noted that UN Special Envoy Martti
Ahtisaari had sayd he would delay presentation of his report
until after the Serbian elections at the end of December.
Riecken said there was some concern in the EU that Serbia
might seek to delay elections until March, which would
present much too long a timeframe to delay the report.
Riecken said there was a clear sense that the Serbs would
never agree to a Kosovo settlement, and there would soon come
a point at which the international community would have to
present Serbia with a fait accompli.

-- Middle East Peace Process: Riecken said there would be
council conclusions on the Middle East Peace Process. The EU
agreed on the need to improve and expand the operation of
border crossings.

-- Lebanon: UNIFIL was an extremely important mission for
the EU, Riecken said. However, Austria will not participate,
choosing to maintain its long-time deployment to the
peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights, he said. Riecken
asked whether our point calling on EU member states to
prevent use of their territory or airspace to undercut the
arms embargo was in response to a failure of EU states to do
this. He said discussion of language on an EU common action
on the arms embargo was in progress He added that he would
be interested in knowing where there might be problems.

-- Iran: There is not much difference between the U.S. and
EU positions, Riecken said. The ball is currently in the UN
Security Council's court, he said. At this point, he added,
"no one wants military sanctions," but it was hard to see
what a sanctions package would contain.

-- UNSC Seat for Guatemala: This is not on the agenda as a
discussion item, Riecken said. (Note: The Austrians have
told us previously that they will vote for Guatemala, having
previously made a commitment of mutual support for their
respective UNSC bids. End note.)


3. (C) Zimbabwe is also on the agenda, Riecken said. There
had been a disagreement between EU member states that saw no
new developments that would warrante a discussion and those
who wanted to discuss the current state of play, and the
latter prevailed. Riecken noted that a related issue --
although one which would probably not arise at the GAERC --
was the discomfort EU member states were feeling at the
prospect of following through on their commitment to hold an
EU-African Union Summit in Lisbon. Riecken said "no one"
wants to hold a summit at which Zimbabwe President Robert
Mugabe would be present.
McCaw