Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LISBON3178
2007-12-18 16:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Lisbon
Cable title:  

EU-AFRICA SUMMIT; EPAS, ZIMBABWE, DARFUR

Tags:  PGOV PREL EAID ETRD PINS MOPS PHUM EUN XA PO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHTRO
DE RUEHLI #3178/01 3521654
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 181654Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY LISBON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6508
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT 0317
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1513
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 LISBON 003178 

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID ETRD PINS MOPS PHUM EUN XA PO
SUBJECT: EU-AFRICA SUMMIT; EPAS, ZIMBABWE, DARFUR

REF: A. A) LISBON 3106


B. B) USEU BRUSSELS 3470

Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, REASONS 1.4 (B,D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 LISBON 003178

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID ETRD PINS MOPS PHUM EUN XA PO
SUBJECT: EU-AFRICA SUMMIT; EPAS, ZIMBABWE, DARFUR

REF: A. A) LISBON 3106


B. B) USEU BRUSSELS 3470

Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, REASONS 1.4 (B,D)


1. (SBU/NF) Summary. The Portuguese are justly proud of the
successful EU-Africa Summit held December 8-9 in Lisbon, even
if the self-congratulation is sometimes over the top.
Economic partnership agreements that the European mission
thought were a done deal were derailed for further study, and
interim agreements continue to be negotiated to protect
current trading relationships. This conflict actually
reflected well on the summit and its participants,
demonstrating that the summit was not merely a photo op.
Darfur was discussed in detail, but with little progress
made. German Chancellor Merkel provided a stinging critique
of President Mugabe's stewardship of Zimbabwe. Mugabe's
ranting response was vintage in its vitriol and lack of
contact with reality. End summary.

Portuguese Launch the Summit
--------------


2. (U) The second European Union-Africa Summit was held in
Lisbon December 8-9. In the first of several summit
addresses, a forceful Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates
that "no subject will be taboo; nothing is off the table!"
and "(The agenda) says human rights; we will discuss human
rights!" In all of his statements at the EU-Africa Business
Summit, the opening and closing ceremonies of the full
EU-Africa Summit, and his press conferences, Socrates
underscored the breadth of activities attached to the summit,
which included youth meetings, the business summit, organized
labor meetings, and NGO sessions, in addition to the summit
itself. (Note: Although the primary interlocutors in this
partnership are the EU and the African Union, Morocco is not
an AU member. Thus, the official title of the summit was

"EU-Africa." End note.)


3. (U) Socrates' flights of rhetoric included such statements
as Portugal has "developed a bridge between Europe and
Africa" and that this summit "is essential to a better
world." Socrates opened the summit with the assertion that
he personally had decided the summit had to take place. He
was, he noted, "well aware" of the obstacles, as well as the
skepticism and reluctance by "certain parties." According to
Socrates, the presence of so many heads of state and
government was proof that he was right to organize it. He
said the leaders in attendance had responded not to an
invitation from Portugal but to an invitation from history.
In what will likely prove to be a bit of a stretch, Socrates
suggested that the history of Europe-Africa relationships
will always be defined by pre-Lisbon and post-Lisbon.


4. (U) In his own press conference mid-way through the
summit, Portuguese Foreign Minister Amado stated that the
summit had achieved its goals, having produced and adopted
the Joint Strategy and Action Plan. While the last EU-Africa
Summit in Cairo in 2000 had been a cathartic review of past
injustices, Amado implored this summit to look forward.
According to Amado, the Cotonou Accord had been designed by
Europeans and that colonial paradigm was over. The Joint
Strategy is a sign of the AU's importance. The EU and AU
commissions will henceforth meet twice per year, said Amado;
once each in Brussels and Addis Ababa.

Africa Speaks
--------------

5. (U) President of Ghana and of the AU John Kufuor noted
that five centuries of contact between Europe and Africa had
been based on inequitable relationships, from mineral
exploration to slavery to colonialization. This summit, he
said, marked the first engagement as equal partners.
Throughout the summit, Kufuor maintained a positive message
that the AU was in this process out of self-interest in order
to become better prepared for a modern globalist economy.
His message that bad governance was bad for business, which
results in deeper poverty, was well-received by both
Europeans and Africans.


6. (U) Kufuor raised HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria (which were
not among the official topics to be addressed),calling them
the most serious threats Africa faced. African Commission
President Alpha Oumar Konare and European Commission
President Jose Durao Barroso each picked up on this point in
what appeared to be extemporaneous points. In an apparent
dismissal of absent UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Konare
also exulted that "all the relevant countries are here."

LISBON 00003178 002 OF 006


Each of the European speakers noted natural relationships
between the two continents. Konare was forceful, however, in
his statement that Africa is "no one's exclusive purview,"
listing the many African summits with others, including
China. Konare called for UNSC reform to include a permanent
African UNSC representative and for reform of Bretton Woods
institutions as well.


7. (C/NF) Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi did not receive
his usual adulation at the summit. Held in Europe, Qaddafi
was deprived of professional cheering squads to herald his
arrival, and professional press were more interested in
European leaders, Kofi Annan, and others for whom there is a
greater market for photos. Qaddafi's plenary speech,
according to Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos and Danish
delegation members, was singular in ignoring the purposes of
the summit but faithfully recited a litany of past
injustices. Qaddafi cited stolen diamonds, gold, and people
(slaves). A Dane quipped to us that he obviously valued the
three in that order. Even a Southern African Development
Community representative referred to Qaddafi as a "buffoon."
Socrates mentioned at the final press conference that Libya
had offered to host the next summit, but reminded all that
this would be up to the AU.

Structures and Statements
--------------


8. (U) The summit resulted in dozens of official statements
and reprints of speeches. Please see
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/eup res/ for all
official documents, including the final Lisbon Declaration.
Summit participants made the following commitments:

--engage in more frequent contacts between African and EU
political leaders, in particular between the Presidents of
the EU and AU institutions;

--hold EU-AU Troika meetings of Foreign Ministers twice per
year and sectoral ministerial meetings as necessary;

--establish mechanisms for closer cooperation and dialogue
between the organs and institutions of the EU and AU,
including annual meetings between the College of
Commissioners, semi-annual meetings of the Joint AU-EU Task
Force, and regular meetings between the Pan-African
Parliament and the European Parliament;

--strengthen the representation of the EU in Addis Ababa
(including designating an EU Ambassador to the AU that
represents Council and Commission) and of the AU in Brussels;

--establish a mapping of existing European and African civil
society organizations (CSOs);

--create a web portal to facilitate consultation with CSOs
ahead of key political decisions;

--establish informal joint experts groups on all priority
actions identified in the Action Plan;

--draw up an annual joint report on the progress of the
Action Plan to be presented at the Ministerial Troika
meetings; and

--hold a third EU-Africa Summit in 2010 in Africa to review
the first Action Plan and approve the next one.

Five Summit Topic Areas
--------------


9. (U) As noted in Ref A, the summit agenda was dedicated to
the five topic areas of Peace and Security, Governance and
Human Rights, Trade and Development, Environment and Climate
Change, and Migration. The substance of the discussions of
each of those issues is discussed below:

Peace and Security (which mostly meant Darfur)
-------------- -


10. (U) "It all starts here," said Socrates, when he said the
summit must send a message of hope to Darfur refugees. This
was his only mention of a specific crisis in his opening
address. Konare lauded AU action on Darfur, Somalia, and
Chad, but stressed that "we must stop wasting time on the
Darfur hybrid force." Kufuor agreed, suggesting since Africa
has already stepped up with troops, now the international
community must step up with money and equipment. Ghanaian

LISBON 00003178 003 OF 006


soldiers, he noted, are on the ground today in Chad but need
support. Amado said EU Foreign Ministers would discuss the
long-delayed hybrid force at the December 10 GAERC. While he
hoped the force would be fully deployed in 2007, there were
no guarantees. (Note: Foreign Ministers did discuss this at
the GAERC and again with heads of state/government at the
European Council December 14, although they reached no final
resolution. End note.)


11. (U) On the margins of the plenary assembly, the EU troika
met with Sudanese President Bashir to discuss the north-south
accord, frustration with the failure of the peace process,
fear that a 2011 referendum would partition the country, the
problems created by the Sudanese government regarding the
hybrid force and prohibition of non-African troops, and lack
of cooperation with the International Criminal Court.
Portuguese State Secretary Joao Cravinho said the goal was to
pass the EU's message to Bashir, and that it was
accomplished. Cravinho said Bashir promised a final
determination on troops in Darfur by the end of the year and
that the EU is awaiting that notice in the UN.


12. (C/NF) Regarding the hybrid force, Konare particularly
lamented the lack of air support. UN Deputy Secretary
General Mirigo seconded that point, noting the UN had
contacted every single involved nation to request helicopter
assets but had received none. A Dutch diplomat told us the
Netherlands would not contribute helicopters themselves but
that they would push "larger states to the east and west to
help France." Based on this, we queried Spanish Minister of
Foreign Affairs Moratinos on the margins of his press
conference on December 8, who told us that Spain had promised
two civil transport aircraft but were still defining how they
could be used. On helicopters, he flatly rejected any
contribution.


13. (U) On a completely separate security topic, Spanish
President Zapatero lauded his country's cooperation with
France regarding counter-terrorism. During his December 9
press conference, Zapatero went off-topic to laud Spanish
cooperation with France in combating ETA, the Basque
terrorist separatist organization. Zapatero complimented the
permanent joint investigative team staffed by French and
Spanish agents and analysts. He said this team has increased
the efficiencies and strengthened the institutions that
defend liberty and democratic rights. Zapatero made no
mention of the joint investigative team that Spain set up
with Portugal to combat ETA, despite speaking in the
Portuguese capital.

Governance and human rights (which mostly meant Zimbabwe)
-------------- --------------


14. (U) Socrates said governance and human rights was at the
center of the summit agenda and the Joint Strategy. He
lamented the fact that the second EU-Africa summit had been
delayed for seven years because of the "grave situation in
Zimbabwe," but that was his only reference to any specific
trouble spot. Alone among opening speakers, EU Parliament
President Pottering noted that no non-democratic state is
allowed to join the EU and that any state that relinquishes
its democratic commitments would be suspended. He lamented
that the same is not true for the AU. Durao Barroso said it
is incomprehensible that those who fought for freedom would
deny it to their people.


15. (U) German and Danish delegation members confirmed that
during the Saturday session German Chancellor Merkel provided
a stinging critique of Zimbabwe's political situation and
Mugabe's stewardship of the country. Danish PM Fogh
Rasmussen added unscripted comments to support Merkel during
his prepared remarks on the environment, as did the French
and Dutch leaders. While Senegalese President Wade responded
for the African side, calling Merkel "uninformed" and
suggesting she "misunderstood" Zimbabwe, Mugabe himself
remained silent. Mbeki, specifically charged with a
statement on human rights and governance, did not address
Zimbabwe.


16. (U) Mugabe used his speaking slot on the summit's final
day to lambast Merkel, the United Kingdom, and all other
critics. Highlights include:

--"This is the arrogance of the European side making trumped
up charges against Zimbabwe."

--"...those who talk of equality but who do not respect it."


LISBON 00003178 004 OF 006


--"Does the German Chancellor have better knowledge about
Zimbabwe than SADC or the AU?"

--"They do not recognize results of elections properly held
because they do not like the winner."

--"(Zimbabwe's) opposition only says what 10 Downing Street
wants them to say."

--"The colonial power continues to manipulate. They want to
change our government."

--"We will never be a colony again."


17. (U) Executive Secretary of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) Tomaz Salomao publicly said one
must respect (Merkel's) opinion, but equally one must respect
the protest against that opinion. He said that neighboring
countries such as Malawi and South Africa have the right to
comment, not long-distant foreigners. He noted that Mugabe's
ZANU-PF party is talking with the Zimbabwean opposition and
we must find ways to assist. He continued that SADC finance
ministers meet regularly to search for ways to help mitigate
the financial fallout from the economic crisis.


18. (C/NF) Indeed, Zimbabwe began its offensive 24 hours
before the official summit even began, distributing colorful
materials entitled, "The Adverse Impact of SANCTIONS against
Zimbabwe" (allcaps theirs). The Portuguese MFA said they had
seen the documents in previous meetings but felt that anyone
reading them would recognize them as "ridiculous propaganda."


19. (U) Highlights of the thick Zimbabwean document included:


--"the reality on the ground is that the tight grip of
declared and undeclared sanctions are to be found in the
statutes of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery
Bill, enacted by the United States Government." The document
later noted that this act caused NGOs to flee the country,
harming the Zimbabwean population.

--"Sanctions against Zimbabwe are a declaration of war on a
sovereign state..."

--"Sanctions, declared or undeclared, have regrettably
claimed the lives of innocent children and physically
handicapped, through denial of medical equipment drugs and
food."

--"the illegal sanctions also negatively affected the image
of the country through adverse perceptions by international
financial markets. Zimbabwean companies find it increasingly
difficult to ACCESS LINES OF CREDIT (allcaps theirs) because
of the perceived artificial country risk."

--The Danish government came under pages of abuse for closing
the DANIDA office (and indeed, the embassy). Ironically,
there is a page on the significant benefits of the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA),and lamenting that
Zimbabwe is not allowed to participate.

--Conclusion: "the current setbacks facing Zimbabwe are a
transitory rough patch primarily arising from sanctions being
imposed on the country."


20. (U) In his own press conference, Portuguese Foreign
Minister Luis Amado said that for all the publicity, Zimbabwe
had been a marginal issue, eclipsed in the working sessions
by the important summit topics. He referred to Merkel's
comments and those of other leaders, noting the Portuguese
had always promised such statements would be included in the
summit. At the closing ceremony, Kufuor noted that SADC is
addressing the issue and it will take time for Zimbabwe to
return to normality. Durao Barroso added that the Merkel and
Mugabe exchange was healthy. Merkel reflected the view of
the whole EU, he said, and it was important for the Africans
to hear it.

Trade/development (which mostly meant EPAs or lack thereof)
-------------- --------------


21. (U) Durao Barroso set a strong early tone on the future
EU-AU trading relationship, a tone which he had to refine
rapidly. At an EU-AU Business Summit the day before the
official summit began, Durao Barroso called for those African
countries that had not enacted Economic Partnership
Agreements (EPA) with the EU to do so immediately. This is,

LISBON 00003178 005.2 OF 006


he said, "the best offer you are going to get," noting that
on January 1 such states would lose access to much of the EU
market.


22. (U) Several African leaders noted their wish to review
the EPAs more thoroughly. Konare responded forcefully that
no one should foist these economic partnerships on Africans
because "those days of colonial dictates are over." Trade,
he stressed, requires reciprocity. Past experiences with
trade agreements shoved through rapidly had negatively
affected Africans. Konare also stressed that the AU is the
paramount institution in Africa, and the European
Commission's efforts to negotiate with regional economic
groupings or bilaterally with individual states was divisive
and unhelpful. The current timeline issued by Durao Barroso,
he concluded, was an imposition on the African people.
SADC's Salomao said Senegal and Lesotho spoke for all
Africans that they needed more time to generate a fair
agreement for the long term. Amado confirmed that the EPAs
had been discussed in critical terms by several African
interlocutors, but that a solution could be found.


23. (U) During the course of the summit, Durao Barroso
backtracked heavily on EPAs. Whereas on Friday he said "sign
them because they are the best deal you will get," Durao
Barroso on Sunday allowed that the European Commission was
negotiating interim agreements to avoid the tariff deadline.
He said full discussions on an EPA will continue at such a
pace as to address the concerns of all African leaders and
that he hoped that text would be ready by February. He noted
that all but three countries that needed an interim agreement
had already initialed one. (Note: Least Developed Countries
do not need an interim agreement or an EPA as trade
preferences for such countries do not violate WTO rulings.
End note.) He did confirm, however, that for non-LDCs that
fail to make an interim agreement, the old market access
regime would still end January 1.


24. (U) By the end of the summit, Konare said he was happy
that EPA discussions would continue, but feared that the
interim agreements would inhibit real negotiation on the
EPAs. In such a situation, Konare worried the interim
agreements would become the de facto permanent regime.
Salomao said Africans would return home to work on the issue.
Both Konare and Salomao repeatedly returned to the need for
infrastructure assistance to be coupled with trade.
According to Salomao, that was the best approach for
improving the EPAs.

Environment and climate change
--------------


25. (C/NF) Both sides described the environment as a critical
priority, but Danish and Zambian delegation members admitted
that "environmental cooperation" meant two entirely different
things to the two groups. The Europeans wanted African
support for efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, while
the Africans were more interested in discussing sustainable
development, particularly collaboration on a growth-oriented
agenda that allowed for more intensive farming and commercial
development.


26. (C/NF) A Danish diplomat told us Europe's approach was
guided by the premise that Africans will suffer the effects
of climate change, so Africans must support the climate
change initiatives supported by Europe. By contrast,
according to a Zambian delegation member, Africa wants to
industrialize further and take advantage of coal, oil, and
gas reserves to do so. In short, Africa, said this diplomat,
hoped to increase its greenhouse gas output. Any initiative
to curb such emissions must exclude them.

Migration
--------------


27. (U) In his opening address, Socrates characterized
migration as the ignored topic in previous EU-AU discussions,
noting the need to encourage legal immigration, combat
illegal immigration, and better integrate migrants.
Socrates' point was validated as subsequent summit speakers
addressed it only in passing, with the exception of Spanish
President Zapatero, who listed migration as one of Spain's
highest priorities. Throughout the summit, Zapatero
repeatedly called for a unified EU front to combat illegal
immigration. He expanded the call to include a collaborative
EU-AU effort in exchange for targeted development funds for
certain African states to minimize the factors that induce
people to emigrate. He acknowledged that the idea of

LISBON 00003178 006 OF 006


offering extensive development assistance to Africa to reduce
the "pull" factor in exchange for cooperation to fight
irregular immigration was not received warmly by Senegal's
Wade, amongst others.


28. (U) Reflecting on the migration discussions during the
closing ceremonies, Konare rejected the notion of "sweets"
for certain countries. President Toure of Mali rejected the
characterization of uncontrolled illegal immigration, noting
that this phenomenon represents only two percent of the total
migratory flows between Africa and Europe. More than fifty
percent, he continued, is merely family reunification, and
development assistance should be primarily focused on
migration within Africa, rather than between Africa and
Europe.


29. (C/NF) A Spanish diplomat told us Spain had pushed a
holistic EU approach to migration for many years. They had
been ignored by several members, who saw floods of migrants
on Spanish shores as Spain's problem. In the development of
the summit papers, however, Spain's views were incorporated,
if glossed over by most of the European leaders. The Spanish
diplomat said Europeans had been quiet, Africans were angry,
but the points remained part of the action plan.

Comment
--------------


30. (SBU) The entire Portuguese establishment, from Socrates
to Amado to the lowest MFA staffer, was proud of the summit.
The Portuguese set out to inaugurate a structure in which the
two continents could engage in a sustained way on matters of
mutual interest, and they appear to have achieved that. The
Portuguese also deserve credit for pulling off such an
enormous logisitical undertaking, with nearly 80 heads of
government and state in town and the significant security
arrangements their presence required, with no major hiccups.

Stephenson