CODEL WEXLER MEETING WITH FM DE GUCHT

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000142

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL BE
SUBJECT: CODEL WEXLER MEETING WITH FM DE GUCHT



1. (SBU) SUMMARY: ON JANUARY 16, CONGRESSMAN ROBERT WEXLER IN
HIS ROLE AS INCOMING HFRC EUROPEAN SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR MET
WITH BELGIAN FM KAREL DE GUCHT. WEXLER AND DE GUCHT
DISCUSSED HOW CLOSE THE U.S. AND EU ARE ON MOST FOREIGN
POLICY ISSUES. DE GUCHT ENCOURAGED THE U.S. TO ENGAGE ON THE
MIDDLE EAST AND WANTS THE QUARTET REENERGIZED. HE VIEWS
KOSOVO AS A LOOMING PROBLEM WITH A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES, NOT
JUST RUSSIA, WORRIED ABOUT THE PRECEDENT OF AN INDEPENDENT
KOSOVO. WEXLER SUPPORTED AN INDEPENDENT EU MILITARY
CAPABILITY, BUT WARNED DE GUCHT THAT THE EUROPEANS WOULD HAVE
TO INVEST MORE IN DEFENSE TO HAVE A CAPABLE MILITARY FORCE.
DE GUCHT NOTED THAT MOST EUROPEANS SIMPLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO
WAR AND WON'T FUND ARMIES WHICH COULD. ON CLIMATE CHANGE,
WEXLER SAID THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS JUST PASSED
EMISSIONS GUIDELINES, AND HE PLANS TO FILE AN IDENTICAL BILL
IN CONGRESS. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) WEXLER, ACCOMPANIED BY AMBASSADOR KOROLOGOS, DCM
IMBRIE, AND STAFFERS ERIC JOHNSON AND JONATHAN KATZ, MET WITH
KAREL DE GUCHT, AMERICAS COUNTRY DIRECTOR LUC DE VOLDER, AND
DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE FM'S CABINET WALTER STEVENS. WEXLER
TOLD DE GUCHT THAT AFTER A FULL DAY OF HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS AT
THE EU, HE WAS STRUCK BY HOW CLOSE US/EU RELATIONS ARE, FAR
BETTER THAN TWO YEARS AGO. HE SAW NO SIGNIFICANT DIVISIONS
IN POLICY ON IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE
PROCESS, KOSOVO. THE TURNING POINT WAS THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP
TO BRUSSELS IN FEBRUARY 2005, A "BRILLIANT FOREIGN POLICY
MANEUVER" WHICH HAS PAID GREAT DIVIDENDS. DE GUCHT AGREED
FULLY WITH WEXLER THAT THE EU AND U.S. HAVE THE SAME ANALYSIS
OF FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES, INCLUDING RUSSIA. ON THE MIDDLE
EAST, THE EU BELIEVES THAT SOMETHING MUST HAPPEN QUICKLY )
ANY DELAY WILL MAKE THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST MORE
DANGEROUS. ISRAEL CLAIMED IT HAD NO NEGOTIATING PARTNER WHEN
ARAFAT WAS ALIVE; NOW HE IS DEAD, THEY STILL DON'T HAVE ONE
WITH HAMAS IN POWER. ISRAEL LOOKS FIRST TO THE U.S. AND THE
PALESTINIANS LOOK TO THE EUROPEANS. THE U.S. AND EU NEED TO
REVIVE THE QUARTET TO USE THEIR COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES.
WEXLER ADDED THAT DR. RICE IS POISED TO FULLY ENGAGE IN THE
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, BUT THIS WILL BE COMPLICATED BY
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.


3. (U) ON CLIMATE CHANGE, HE EXPECTED THE DEMOCRATS IN
CONGRESS TO LEAD TOWARDS CLOSER AGREEMENT CHANGE WITH THE EU.
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS JUST PASSED EMISSIONS GUIDELINES
AND WEXLER PLANS TO FILE AN IDENTICAL BILL IN CONGRESS.


4. (SBU) ON KOSOVO, DE GUCHT SAID THAT THE U.S. AND EU ARE
IN AGREEMENT, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO FIND A WAY TO
INDEPENDENCE. THE KOSOVARS WANT COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE RIGHT
NOW, BUT RUSSIA WON'T BE WILLING TO GO ALONG. AND
INDEPENDENCE MAKES OSCE MEMBERS NERVOUS SINCE IT RUNS AGAINST
ITS PRINCIPLES OF THE INVIOLABILITY OF BORDERS AND SELF
DETERMINATION AGAINST THE WILL OF SERBIA. A NUMBER OF
COUNTRIES ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PRECEDENT INDEPENDENCE FOR
KOSOVO WOULD SET.


5. (SBU) DE GUCHT ASKED HOW THE AMERICANS LOOKED AT
SOLANA'S ROLE AND CSFP. WEXLER ASSERTED THAT THE U.S. WANTS
A STRONG EUROPEAN PARTNER. BUT IF THE EUROPEANS WANT A
DISTINCT EUROPEAN FORCE, THEY WILL NEED TO PAY FOR IT. THE
EU CAN'T JUST PLAN ON BORROWING THE CAPABILITIES THEY WILL
NEED FROM NATO. THEY WILL HAVE TO INCREASE THEIR DEFENSE
EXPENDITURES TO IMPLEMENT A REAL CSFP. DE GUCHT SAID THAT
THE BATTLE GROUPS HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN TWO YEARS. BUT
THERE WON'T BE A SUPRA-EU ARMY, AND MOST OF THE EUROPEANS
REALLY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT A WAR ) EXCEPT THE UK ) AND
WON'T PAY FOR AN ARMY WHICH CAN.


6. (SBU) ON AFGHANISTAN, DE GUCHT SAID THAT NATO IS MAKING
PROGRESS. HE HAS RECENTLY BEEN IN AFGHANISTAN AND IS
IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THE PRTS ARE ACCOMPLISHING, INCLUDING IN
KONDUZ IN THE BELGIAN/GERMAN PRT.


7. (U) WEXLER HAS NOT REVIEWED THIS CABLE.

KOROLOGOS