APPROACHING THE EU IN ADVANCE OF THE NOVEMBER 19

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 002080 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017 TAGS: EUN PREL PGOV BK BM CH IR IS IZ KV LE PK SY, ZI, GM SUBJECT: APPROACHING THE EU IN ADVANCE OF THE NOVEMBER 19 FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING (GAERC) REF: STATE 156474 Classified By: Acting Political Counselor William Moeller for reasons 1 .4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) PolOff delivered reftel demarche to Thomas Schieb, Deputy EU Correspondent at the MFA, and relayed the points to the Chancellery. ¶2. (C) Schieb provided substantive comments on the following topics: --Upcoming EU Summits with China, Africa, and India: The November 19 GAERC agenda will include a briefing by the troika (EU Presidency, European Commission, and EU High Representative Javier Solana) on preparations for the upcoming EU summits with China, India, and Africa. According to Schieb, discussions on all three summits are expected to be "normal" and "routine". He noted that, with respect to the EU-Africa summit, the Germans view the preparations as "less than ideal" because a draft of the planned declaration for the summit has not yet been circulated. --Kosovo: According to Schieb, Kosovo is the "highest priority" on the German political agenda right now. At the November 19 meeting of FMs, Schieb said that EU Envoy Wolfgang Ischinger will provide a debriefing on developments with Kosovo. Schieb said that Ischinger is now "more pessimistic" about the proposed neutral status solution, which Kosovo has determined is unacceptable. Schieb said that EU member states are "communicating regularly" about possible alternatives after the December 10 deadline for the troika mandate. Although the Germans still prefer a "common EU line" on Kosovo, Schieb expressed pessimism about garnering such a common position given ongoing differences among EU member states. Schieb said there will likely be short conclusions on Kosovo at the November 19 meeting. --Bosnia: The political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina will be on the November 19 meeting agenda and "everyone is very concerned" about developments there, Schieb reported. He said that although the FMs would send a clear message in support of High Representative Lajcak, the message probably would not specifically address Russia's role in the situation. --Iran: Although Iran will be on the agenda for the GAERC meeting, Schieb said that "no conclusions are foreseen" due to the release of several reports on November 15 and 16. These include reports from the IAEA, an "options paper" from the Council Secretariat, and one from the EU Heads of Missions in Tehran. The EU will take time to examine these reports, Schieb said, and emphasized the EU's primary interest in "promoting and supporting the UN process" on Iran. --Iraq: Noting that the Iraqi FM is invited to the November 19 GAERC meeting, Schieb said that there would be "uncontroversial conclusions" on Iraq. Although these conclusions will probably not include a specific statement encouraging Arab governments to establish diplomatic presence in Baghdad, Schieb said that the EU supports this in principle. --Israeli-Palestinian Peace: This is one of the main topics on the FMs' agenda, Schieb said, and added that there will be general conclusions about the Middle East with a view to supporting the upcoming USG-sponsored conference in Annapolis and the Donors' Conference in Paris. Schieb said that EU High Representative Solana will circulate a draft statement on the Middle East before November 19. --Lebanon/Syria: On Lebanon, Schieb reported that there will be short conclusions presented at the November 19 meeting that reiterate the EU's support of free and fair, timely presidential elections that are "free from foreign interference." He added that the EU is considering a "simple, low-key, exploratory mission" to the region to assess border security issues with Lebanon and Syria, but said that this item is not/not on the November 19 meeting agenda. He said that this initial mission could take place as early as in the next few days. --Burma: Discussion on Burma is not/not on the GAERC agenda, Schieb said, but there will be conclusions supporting the Special Envoys. Additionally, the FMs will formally adopt the EU sanctions text at the November 19 meeting. --Pakistan: Due to ongoing events in Pakistan, the Portuguese presidency decided it was important for the FMs to exchange views at the November 19 meeting. But Schieb said it would be a short discussion with "no conclusions foreseen." KOENIG