GERMAN VIEWS ON THE JANUARY FOREIGN MINISTERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000113 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EUN GM SUBJECT: GERMAN VIEWS ON THE JANUARY FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING REF: STATE 05640 Classified By: POL M/C John Bauman for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarch to Thomas Schieb, Deputy EU Correspondent at the MFA, and relayed the points to the Chancellery, the Economics Ministry and the MFA's policy planning staff. Schieb reported that Germany is encountering difficulties with its desire for the EU to approve a negotiating framework for a new PCA with Ukraine. Poland wants strong language suggesting that Ukraine will eventually join the EU, while France remains opposed especially given its upcoming elections. Given a positive result in the January 21 Serbian election, Schieb said the PSC would meet in an extraordinary session on January 22 and the PSC along with the GAERC would put out a strong message welcoming Serbia's movement towards a European future. Schieb expected more substantive conclusions on Kosovo and Serbia during the February GAERC, once it has had the opportunity to observe how constructive Serbia and Kosovo are behaving. ¶2. (C) On Somalia, Schieb said the EU had 15 million euros to spend immediately to help during the transition period. Additional money would depend on a number of conditions. The two key ones being that the transitional government become more inclusive and the replacement of the Ethiopians by an African force. Schieb has heard that there is 50 to 200 million euros left in European Development Fund and some thought has been given to repurposing this money for Somalia. Doing so will require some difficult bureaucratic juggling meaning it would not be available until April/May and the member states willing to forgo having this money refunded to them. TIMKEN JR