SWISS PRESS CUBANS ON USINT TREATMENT, AND DRAW A

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 001157

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR WHA DAS MADISON, WHA/CCA, OFM, L

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/13
TAGS: PREL PGOV CU US
SUBJECT: SWISS PRESS CUBANS ON USINT TREATMENT, AND DRAW A
BLANK

REF: A. A) HAVANA 1076 AND PREVIOUS


B. B) BERN 1126 AND PREVIOUS

C. C) STATE 162119

Classified By: COM MICHAEL E. PARMLY FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D


1. (C) SWISS AMBASSADOR LOUIS BRIEFED USINT LATE MORNING 14
DECEMBER, JUST AFTER HIS MEETING WITH CUBAN MINREX DIRECTOR
FOR NORTH AMERICA JOSEFINA VIDAL. DRAWING ON INSTRUCTIONS HE
HAD RECEIVED LAST WEEK FROM BERN, AT HIS 12/14 MEETING AT
MINREX, LOUIS PRESENTED VIDAL A SHORT DIP NOTE ASKING MINREX
TO RECEIVE USINT COM "AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO DISCUSS SEVERAL
ISSUES RELATED TO USINT." IN SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION, LOUIS
REVIEWED THE DISCUSSIONS THE CUBANS HAD HAD WITH VISITING
SWISS A/S FOR LATIN AMERICA BAUMANN (REF A). SWITZERLAND WAS
SERVING, LOUIS INSISTED, IN ITS ROLE AS REPRESENTATIVE OF
U.S. INTERESTS. (lOUIS TOLD US HE WAS ABLE TO OBTAIN THE
MEETING WITH VIDAL ONLY BY APPEALING DIRECTLY TO CUBAN VICE
FOREIGN MINISTER CABALLERO, WHO APPEARED TO HAVE ORDERED
VIDAL TO RECEIVE THE SWISS.)


2. (C) LOUIS TOLD US THAT HIS APPEAL WAS FIRMLY REJECTED BY
VIDAL. ACCORDING TO LOUIS' REPORTING CABLE TO BERN, WHICH HE
SHARED WITH US, VIDAL SAID THE CUBANS DID NOT NEED FOR THE
SWISS TO PLAY A ROLE OF INTERMEDIARY. VIDAL REPEATED THE
CUBAN CHARGE THAT USINT IS BEHAVING "IN AN EVER MORE
PROVOCATIVE WAY, NOT RESPECTING NORMAL DIPLOMATIC PRACTICES."
LOUIS SAID HE WAS PUZZLED BY VIDAL'S ASSERTION THAT "THE
AGREEMENT OF BOTH PARTIES IS NECESSARY" TO BRING ABOUT AN
IMPROVEMENT IN USINT'S SITUATION, BUT HE WAS UNABLE TO
CLARIFY WHAT VIDAL WAS DRIVING AT.


3. (C) LOUIS TOLD US THAT IN LIGHT OF VIDAL'S CATEGORICAL
REFUSAL TO ENTERTAIN HIS APPEAL, HE DID NOT ENTER INTO THE
DETAILS OF THE CUBAN IMPEDIMENTS TO USINT OPERATION. HE
OPINED TO US, AND HAS OFFERED THE SAME COMMENTARY TO HIS
COLLEAGUES IN BERN, THAT THE ONLY CHANNEL OF SUSTAINING
U.S.-CUBAN DISCUSSION, EVEN OF MINOR ISSUES, APPEARS TO BE
THROUGH CCA AND CUBINT IN WASHINGTON. HOWEVER, LOUIS TOOK
THIS OCCASION TO REPEAT HIS RHETORICAL QUESTION TO BERN ON
WHETHER THE GOC BEHAVIOR IS IN CONFORMITY WITH EITHER THE
LETTER OR THE SPIRIT OF THE PROTECTIVE MANDATE THE SWISS HAVE
REGARDING BOTH THE US AND THE CUBANS, IN HAVANA AND IN BERN,
AS WELL AS IN WASHINGTON.


4. (C) COMMENT: AT SOME POINT, THE GOC WILL CAVE, AND WILL
TALK TO US. RAUL IS CONSISTENTLY IMPATIENT TO ESTABLISH A
CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE U.S., FOR HIS OWN INTERNAL
CUBAN REASONS. IF HE CAN CONSOLIDATE HIS CONTROL -- WHICH WE
DO NOT/NOT SEE HAPPENING AS OF YET -- HE WILL SEE IT IN HIS
INTEREST TO ALLOW RENEWAL OF THE USINT/MINREX CHANNEL. FOR
THAT REASON, THE "DRIP, DRIP, DRIP" OF SWISS APPEALS ON OUR
BEHALF WILL, WE ARE PERSUADED, EVENTUALLY BEAR FRUIT. WE
DON'T WANT TO BURN UP THE SWISS CONNECTION IN HAVANA, AND
WILL BE CAREFUL IN ASKING FOR THEIR INTERVENTION ON OUR
BEHALF. AFTER ALL, THE SWISS HAVE THEIR OWN BILATERAL
INTERESTS TO PROTECT VIS A VIS THE GOC. HOWEVER, BY KEEPING
THE SWISS EMBASSY HERE IN THE LOOP ON USINT'S INTERNAL
SITUATION, WE ARE MAINTAINING AN ACTIVE POTENTIAL ALLY IN OUR
CONFRONTATION WITH THE REGIME.
PARMLY