SLOVENIA IN ADVANCE OF JUNE GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000414 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/NCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA IN ADVANCE OF JUNE GAERC REF: SECSTATE 80034 Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson for reason 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) PolEcon Chief delivered reftel points to MFA Director of EU Affairs, Matej Marn June 14. Cuba - Marn noted the conclusions of the PSC on Cuba and predicted there would be no further discussion at the GEARC. ENP - He did not think Belarus would be discussed since as a condition of holding talkks on energy as proposed by Minsk, the EU was insisting on discussion of human rights. Marn expected to hear a report and future taskings from the Presidency on the ENP. Central Asia - An EU representative for the tripartite discussions has been identified, and Slovenia hopes that cooperation with Shanghai Corp. will be fruitful. He added that Slovenia strongly believed that more cooperation between regional groups was important, too. Serbia - Slovenia is actively promoting the inclusion of visa facilitation in the GAERC conclusions. It has support from about 12 other EU members and FM Rupel will try to encourge wider support in Brussels next week. Marn said that while the GOS was not pressing for a date certain when a new travel regime could be implemented, he said Slovenia felt strongly that inclusion of this as a goal was the sort of encouragement the EU should be giving to Serbia. He said that France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain were resisiting this idea. Kosovo - Slovenia remains in line with U.S. views. Slovenia is prepared to offer 15 police and 2-3 judges/prosecutors to the Kosovo ESDP mission. Ukraine/Moldova/Russia - do not appear to be on the agenda. ¶2. (SBU) Others issues to be raised at the GAERC include the Bulgarian nurses in Libya, and Malta's proposal to institutionalize an EU Arab League meeting. Slovenia would support a one time meeting with the Arab League but feels there are already several established venues for discussion with Arab partners and would find this unecessarily duplicative. ¶3. (SBU) The EU Council will also meet about External Relations and discuss ENP, Centeral Asia, EU-Africa and the "Heiligendamm Process" an agreement reached at the recent G-8 meeting open regular dialogue with China, Brazil, South Africa, India and Mexico. ROBERTSON