Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BRUSSELS3139
2007-10-12 16:33:00
CONFIDENTIAL
USEU Brussels
Cable title:  

EU DYNAMICS IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 15-16 FOREIGN

Tags:  PREL PGOV MOPS ETTC IR XF EUN BM CD ZL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8380
RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHBS #3139/01 2851633
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 121633Z OCT 07
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 003139 

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS ETTC IR XF EUN BM CD ZL
SUBJECT: EU DYNAMICS IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 15-16 FOREIGN
MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC)

REF: A. STATE 141316

B. STATE 143223

Classified By: LAURENCE WOHLERS, USEU POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR FOR
REASONS 1.5 (D) AND (E)

SUMMARY
---------
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 003139

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS ETTC IR XF EUN BM CD ZL
SUBJECT: EU DYNAMICS IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 15-16 FOREIGN
MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC)

REF: A. STATE 141316

B. STATE 143223

Classified By: LAURENCE WOHLERS, USEU POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR FOR
REASONS 1.5 (D) AND (E)

SUMMARY
--------------
1.(C) According to the Portuguese Presidency (protect),the
EU Foreign Ministers meeting General Affairs and External
Relations Council (GAERC) will start on Monday, October 15
with a presentation by the Greek delegation of proposed means
of reinforcing the EU disaster response arrangements. In the
External Relations session to follow, ministers will resume
their debate on the tone and focus of Russia policy in the
lead up to the EU-Russia Summit in Mafra on October 26. They
will also confirm that the EU will conduct a bridging
military operation in Chad/CAR, review developments in the
DRC and roll-out new sanctions on Burma. Ministers may be
forced to confront the issue of funding shortfalls. Ministers
will also seek to bridge differences (esp. Germany and the
Netherlands) on the retention of Uzbekistan sanctions. The
French are expected to lead the call for a new political
mandate to pursue further economic and financial sanctions
against Iran. The Western Balkans and Zimbabwe's
participation in the EU-Africa Summit will also be discussed.
The ministers will be joined by Chief Prosecutor of the
ICTY, Carla del Ponte, who will present her latest evaluation
of Serbia's cooperation with her tribunal. On October 16,
the EU will hold joint Cooperation Council meetings with
Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. USEU attended an
off-the-record preview of the GAERC by the Portuguese
Presidency on October 12. A summary of that meeting has been
forwarded to EUR/ERA via unclassified e-mail. This message
contains additional information on internal EU debate leading
up to the GAERC on Burma, Chad, Iran, Kosovo, and the Middle
East. End Summary


IRAN
--------------

2.(C) Per ref B instruction, on October 11, Ambassador and
visiting Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmit
engaged at length senior EU official, including two of High
Rep Solana's senior policy advisors (Robert Cooper and Pierre
Morel) and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on the
importance of imposing new EU autonomous sanctions in support
of multilateral diplomatic efforts. EU interlocutors took on
board U.S. views. On October 12, the EU Political and
Security Committee reached consensus on Iran sanctions
language for the October 15 GAERC (see October 11 USEU
Today). Various contacts have told us that the debate was
long and difficult. The anti-new sanctions group was led by
the Italian, who apparently made a long and passionate plea
against further sanctions, terming it a "huge historic
mistake". The Austrians were equally vociferous in their
opposition, albeit less passionate. The Greeks, Cypriots,
and Spanish also remained in the opposition camp whereas the
Dutch, Danes, and eastern EU member states expressed strong
support for new sanctions. UK and Dutch contacts in the room
told us that sanctions opponents represented roughly the
southern tier, with Germany clearly uncomfortable with a leg
in each camp. One UK contact, however, discounted the idea
that the anti-sanctions group was primarily trying to protect
commercial interests. Instead, he surmised, they were
motivated by three factors: a) a lingering belief (and
resentment) that the EU was being "pushed" into
confrontational policies by the U.S. (and to a lesser degree
by the EU-3),b) genuine concern that Iran could not be
brought around by a sanctions-led approach and worry about
losing all influence there, and c) concern that the U.S. and
the EU were pushing Russia too hard on too many issues right
now.

3.(C) It appears that the member states resisting further
sanctions is roughly the same as those who argue for a more
accommodating approach to Russian concerns on Kosovo and
Georgia. Some EU Permrep sources also believe that Italy
continues to nurse a bruised ego after being passed over for
EU-3 membership. During the PSC debate, the Council
Secretariat representative helpfully signaled that strong

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conclusions would be useful to High Rep Solana in his next
round of talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani.
According to Council Secretariat contacts, the
Solana-Larijani meeting is likely to be held on October 23 at
a venue yet to be determined.

KOSOVO
--------------

BRUSSELS 00003139 002 OF 002


4.(C) According to the German Mission, the EU has agreed to
"truly good" conclusions on Kosovo that focus on supporting
the troika process. According to our contact, discussions
over the past few days were less contentious than expected,
with Romania agreeing to language that "notes that the
(troika) process will conclude" with the report to the UNSYG.
Conclusions are not yet finalized on Bosnia-Herzegovina, but
reportedly focus on supporting HR Lajcak's efforts. Our
German contact said that some member states want them
strengthened in light of the continued impasse on police
reform. On the FMs' coffee with ICTY Chief Prosecutor Del
Ponte, the Council Secretariat Desk Officer for Serbia told
us not to expect an announcement at the GAERC that the EU
will sign an SAA with Belgrade. Rather, an announcement will
likely come only several days later, and the SAA likely will
be initiated in late October or early November. All of our
contacts have stressed that several member states continue to
oppose the signing of an SAA with Belgrade absent full
cooperation with ICTY but have acquiesced to initialing the
SAA as one way of reinforcing EU ties with Serbia before the
"unrelated" December 10 deadline for the Troika's report to
the UNSYG on Kosovo.

CHAD
--------------
5.(C) Although the Portuguese have said publicly that the
GAERC will approve an ESDP mission for Chad, the Poles told
us that funding is still being debated by EU Permreps. The
Pole felt that any future compromise would likely include the
following three elements: a) agreement on common costs of
$100 million, b) language to ask the Athena management
committee to consider taking on "some additional costs", c)
exclusion of any transportation costs from common costs.
When we pointed out that this was a murky financial way to
start a mission, he did not seem too concerned.

BURMA
--------------
6.(C) According to the Swedish PSC Ambassador, Sweden is
pushing for tougher sanctions on Burma than what the EU had
originally envisioned. The EU's original focus on sanctions
involved teakwood, precious gems, and some mining. The
Swedes, however, assesed that the EU member states had only
marginal trade in these items and, as a result, sanctions
there would not hurt the regime. FM Bildt feels strongly
that sanctions need to hurt and that this should mean going
after gas and oil interests. Therefore, the Swedish position
on Monday will be that although they will accept the original
sanctions package, they will insist that it also be
accompanied by a strong statement that the EU will be looking
at further sanctions. The Swedes added that Stockholm was
pleased with the UNSC statement yesterday and thought it
would be helpful in the GAERC discussion.

MIDDLE EAST
--------------

7. (C) The draft GAERC conclusions on the Middle East
reiterate the EU commitment to the peace process and welcome
the upcoming international meeting. According to a Council
source the Germans suggested the development of an EU action
plan to further support the parties in their ongoing
negotiations and the subsequent implementation period, which
is referred to in the draft conclusions. The draft
conclusions also call on Israel to provide accreditation to
the EUPOL COPPS mission without delay. GRAY
.