POLAND, LITHUANIA BREAK CONSENSUS ON EU HEADS OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 004232

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2017
TAGS: PROG PREL EUN RS
SUBJECT: POLAND, LITHUANIA BREAK CONSENSUS ON EU HEADS OF
MISSION REPORT ON EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS

Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Alice G. Wells
(1.4 b/d)


1. (C) Summary: The EU Heads of Mission Report, prepared for
the informal September 7-8 EU foreign ministers meeting on
EU-Russia policy, was submitted to Brussels without the
endorsement of Poland and Lithuania. In an unexpected move,
the Polish embassy refused to sign off on the assessment,
arguing that the report was too soft on Russia, and the
Lithuanian mission agreed. EU diplomats conceded that this
was the first report Moscow EU missions submitted to Brussels
without a full consensus, but doubted this would
significantly affect the ministerial talks in Gymnich or the
EU's policy towards Russia. The parochial view here is that
Poland overplayed its hand, but that the HOMs tempest will
help fuel what is already expected to be an interesting
debate on EU-Russia relations. End Summary.

Poland and Lithuania Refuse to Endorse Report
--------------


2. (C) In preparation for the September 7-8 informal meeting
of EU foreign ministers in Gymnich, Brussels instructed EU
heads of mission (HOMs) in Moscow to prepare a comprehensive
assessment of EU-Russian relations "from a local
perspective." The report was prepared by the Portuguese, the
Slovenians, and the European Commission, with significant
input from France, Great Britain, and Germany. EU diplomats
involved in the preparation of the report informed us that
the final draft of the report was "remarkably good" in that
it addressed the positive and negative trends in Russia's
domestic and foreign policies. EU colleagues cited as an
example that the report included clear language on Russia's
democratic backsliding, but the report also outlined areas in
which there was noticeable progress in EU-Russian relations,
and underscored that Russia remained an important EU
strategic partner.


3. (C) After a weekend of last-ditch efforts by the 25 HOMs
to convince their Polish and Lithuanian counterparts to
accept the text, and despite compromise language that met
Lithuania's one stated objection to the report, Portugal
forwarded the document to Brussels noting that "27 minus 2"
HOMs supported the assessment. EU diplomats contrasted this
failed effort at consensus to the non-controversial
production of the May 2007 report that preceded the EU-Russia
Summit in Samara.

Polish and Lithuanian Disagreements
--------------


4. (C) EU diplomats told us that the Poles' objection was
that they found the text "too soft" on Russia and that the
report did not adequately reflect Polish concerns over
Russia's embargo of Polish meat. The Polish embassy asserted
that the other EU member states were too focused on securing
a new Peace and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Russia,
arguing that EU should wait until Russia "desired a new PCA
as much as the EU does." Some EU diplomats agreed that the
report could have been tougher, but stressed that all member
states had to make some compromises to achieve consensus.
Since the Polish embassy did not offer any alternative text,
EU colleagues said it was difficult to address their
concerns, and an effort to have Poland insert dissenting text
was rejected by the Polish Embassy. Many EU diplomats
attributed the Polish embassy's position on the report to
strict instructions from Warsaw.


5. (C) Lithuania also cited last-minute objections to the
report, including that the assessment did not address crimes
against Lithuanian businessmen in Kaliningrad, which was
subsequently resolved in the final negotiating session. EU
diplomats believe Lithuania refused to sign off on the report
mainly out of solidarity with Poland. They also noted that
although Latvia and Estonia maintain strong views on Russia,
both countries' missions agrued the HOMs report was a
balanced document. EU contacts, burned by the HOMs exercise,
stressed that they tried "to take care of the Baltic states"
and, in general, prepare a report that was sensitive to the
concerns of EU member states formerly part of Russia's sphere
of influence.

Impact on the EU Foreign Ministers Meeting?
--------------


6. (C) Although the August HOM report was the first time EU
HOMs in Moscow submitted a report without full consensus,
most EU diplomats told us that the dissent from Poland and
Lithuania will not have a significant impact on the
discussions in Gymnich. EU diplomats noted that Poland's
efforts to hold the report hostage to the Polish-Russian
dispute over Polish meat revealed Poland's "unwillingness to

play by EU rules." Convinced that Poland overplayed its
hands, most EU contacts predicted that the EU foreign
ministers will agree that the HOM represents a "balanced
assessment of the situation on the ground." At a minimum,
they note, the report underscores the significant divisions
over the direction of EU's Russia policy, and the lack of
consensus on the HOM report will certainly fuel what already
promises to be an interesting discussion in Gymnich.

Burns