UNDER SECRETARY BURNS NOVEMBER 30 MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002202

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2022
TAGS: MARR NATO PREL SP CZ
SUBJECT: UNDER SECRETARY BURNS NOVEMBER 30 MEETING WITH
CZECH FOREIGN MINISTER


Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION, HUGO LLORENS,
REASONS: 1.5 (B)AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: Under Secretary Nicholas Burns met with Czech
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg on the margins of the
Organization of Security and Cooperation (OSCE) Ministerial
in Madrid. Burns agreed with Schwarzenberg that NATO members
must coordinate a strong message and plan for dealing with
President Putin's decision to withdraw Russia from the
Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. Schwarzenberg
argued that Russia was seizing the initiative on a range of
issues, but Burns said that Russia was not making concrete
gains. Under Secretary Burns underscored that an OSCE
declaration papering over differences on CFE was not an
option. End Summary

RUSSIAN SUSPENSION OF CFE TREATY
--------------



2. (C) Schwarzenberg said that the news from Moscow regarding
the suspension of the CFE treaty was bad. He said it was
important to send a strong signal to Russia that this was
unacceptable. Schwarzenberg indicated that the Russian
decision was particularly unfortunate because "we were ready
to compromise" on this issue. Burns said that the United
States had made "a good offer" to Russia on CFE. He added
that NATO now needs a considered response. Schwarzenberg
reiterated that NATO needs to send a strong message on this
topic with no "tinkering about" from Germany or Italy. Burns
noted that he would be making a strong statement on the CFE
matter during his remarks at the Ministerial, and that NATO
foreign ministers need to be "strong" on this issue and
develop a plan for dealing with the suspension. Burns
expressed disappointment that Foreign Minister Lavrov had not
previewed at the Annapolis summit that President Putin would
be signing the suspension decree. Burns added that the U.S.
would be making strong statements about Russian
"unilateralism" in this context.

RUSSIA GAINING GROUND IN
SCHWARZENBERG'S OPINION
--------------


3. (C) Schwarzenberg said that beginning in January 2007
with a speech by President Putin in Munich, Russia was
effectively gaining strength. Burns agreed that Russia had
made much use of "megaphone diplomacy" but noted that Russia
was isolated on Kosovo and had not achieved concrete results
in other areas either. Schwarzenberg agreed somewhat with
the Under Secretary's analysis, but he said that the Russians
nonetheless "make great mischief." He said that the
international environment makes it more complicated to
challenge the Russian military presence in Georgia and
Transnistria. Burns said he understood, and that therefore a
concerted and strong U.S.-European position on Kosovo, the
OSCE's Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
(ODIR) and CFE was all the more essential.

OSCE DECLARATION PAPERING
OVER DIFFERENCES WITH RUSSIA
NOT AN OPTION
--------------


4. (C) Burns said that he would shortly be seeing Spanish
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, who would likely
want U.S. support for an OSCE declaration papering over
differences with Russia on CFE. The Under Secretary said he
would tell Moratinos that such a declaration was not
possible. Schwarzenberg agreed with this approach. He then
added that "his dear friend Moratinos" had granted a visa to
Transnistrian Foreign Minister Litskai to come to Spain,
although he was not attending the Ministerial. A member of
Schwarzenberg's staff said that it was lucky that Russia had
not included Litskai in its delegation.

AGUIRRE