PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR ON UNGA TALKS WITH CUBANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L HAVANA 000904 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/12/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV EU PO CU SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR ON UNGA TALKS WITH CUBANS Classified By: CHIEF OF MISSION MICHAEL E. PARMLY FOR REASONS 1.4 B, D ¶1. (C) PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR TO CUBA MARIO GODINHO DE MATOS BRIEFED COM ON 11 SEPTEMBER ON WHAT HE KNOWS OF THE UPCOMING PORTUGUESE/EU TALKS WITH THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT. THE EXACT DATES FOR THE TALKS IN NEW YORK, ON THE MARGINS OF UNGA, HAVE NOT YET BEEN SET, BUT THE TARGET IS FOR ONE DAY BETWEEN 24 AND 26 SEPTEMBER. GODINHO DE MATOS SAID CUBAN FM PEREZ ROQUE WOULD LEAD THE CUBAN SIDE. THE EU DELEGATION, FUNCTIONING IN THE "RESTRICTED TROIKA" FORMULA, WOULD BE LED BY THE PORTUGUESE FOREIGN MINISTER AND WOULD INCLUDE (PROBABLY) JAVIER SOLANA AND SOMEONE FROM THE COMMISSION STAFF OF COMMISSIONER LOUIS MICHEL, POSSIBLY MICHEL HIMSELF. ¶2. (C) GODINHO DE MATOS TRACED HOW THE MEETING CAME TO BE ARRANGED. HE SAID THAT IN THE WAKE OF THE JUNE POSITION ANNOUNCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION, INTER ALIA, INVITING THE CUBANS TO COME TO BRUSSELS, THE CUBANS HAD COME BACK WITH AMBIGUOUS SIGNALS, NEITHER ACCEPTING THE EU INVITE NOR FORMALLY REJECTING IT. SO WHEN PORTUGAL TOOK OVER THE PRESIDENCY IN JULY, GODINHO DE MATOS SAID HE HAD ASKED CUBAN VICE FOREIGN MINISTER CABALLERO WHAT THE CUBAN INTENTIONS WERE WITH REGARDS TO THE EU INVITE. GODINHO DE MATOS SAID HE HAD TOLD CABALLERO THAT THE EU WAS IN NO HURRY; THE BALL WAS IN THE CUBAN COURT. HE GOT A NON-ANSWER AT THE TIME. HOWEVER, IN AUGUST, GODINHO DE MATOS SAID CABALLERO CAME BACK TO HIM AND FLOATED THE IDEA OF MEETING IN NEW YORK ON THE MARGINS OF THE UNGA, AND INDICATED AGREEMENT WITH THE "RESTRICTED TROIKA" FORMULA. ¶3. (C) GODINHO DE MATOS SAID HE HAS AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE CUBAN MINREX (MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS) EUROPE DIRECTOR TERESITA VINCENTE ON 13 SEPTEMBER TO REVIEW THE ISSUE OF THE AGENDA. THE EU HAS ALWAYS SAID THERE CAN BE NO PRECONDITIONS ON ANY TALKS, AND HAVE INSISTED THAT THE FULL RANGE OF ISSUES HAS TO BE ON THE TABLE. GODINHO DE MATOS SPECIFIED TO US THAT MEANS HUMAN RIGHTS. HE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT THE SPANISH COOPERATION DIRECTOR'S UPCOMING VISIT TO CUBA HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED PUBLICLY, WITH THE SPANISH STIPULATING IN THE PRESS AT LEAST THAT THE COOPERATION TALKS WOULD NOT/NOT TOUCH ON HUMAN RIGHTS. THE OTHER LIKELY ISSUE WITH THE EU WOULD BE COOPERATION, BUT GODINHO DE MATOS DOUBTED THAT THERE WOULD BE MORE THAN VERY LIMITED EXPLORATION OF FUTURE PROSPECTS IN THAT REGARD. ¶4. (C) THE PORTUGUESE AMBASSADOR SPECULATED THAT THE NEW YORK VENUE MAY BE THE CUBANS' WAY OF GETTING PAST THEIR DILEMMA OF HOW TO RESPOND TO THE EU POSITION OF JUNE, INVITING THE CUBANS TO BRUSSELS. TO HAVE GONE TO BRUSSELS COULD BE SEEN BY THE CUBANS AS LOSING FACE, ESPECIALLY AFTER FIDEL'S CONTEMPTUOUS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE EUROPEAN STANCE. GODINHO DE MATOS SAID HE AND HIS EU COLLEAGUES IN BRUSSELS ARE CONVINCED PEREZ ROQUE FEELS A NEED, FOR DOMESTIC POLITICAL REASONS, TO DELIVER SOMETHING WITH THE EUROPEANS, BUT THE CUBAN FM DOES NOT WANT TO DO IT ON EU TERMS. NEW YORK, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, MIGHT BE SEEN AS NEUTRAL TURF. PARMLY PARMLY