PORTUGUESE INITIATIVE: EU-US-RUSSIA TRILATERAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 000629

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/13/2017
TAGS: PREL RS
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE INITIATIVE: EU-US-RUSSIA TRILATERAL

Classified By: Ambassador William J. Burns: 1.4 (b, d).


1. (C) During a February 13 conversation with the
Ambassador, Portuguese Ambassador Curto previewed a
Portuguese initiative, as incoming President of the European
Union in July 2007, to organize a trilateral EU-US-Russian
summit. Curto explained that the Portuguese government was
interested in resurrecting the trilateral format, which he
said had been used during a previous Portuguese EU Presidency
in 2000. The EU-Russian Summit is scheduled for October
25-26 and it would be "natural" for a trilateral to follow;
while the GOP was flexible on the timing of the gathering,
Curto stressed that the government placed a high priority on
it taking place in Portugal, during Portugal's EU Presidency.


2. (C) Curto explained that the Portuguese broached the
idea informally with FM Lavrov during his fall 2006 visit to
Lisbon, who took it under consideration and with the
knowledge that the U.S. had not yet been approached. The GOR
subsequently endorsed the summit "in principle," and
suggested that an agenda might include: nuclear
nonproliferation/civilian nuclear energy, Iran, Middle East
peace process, energy (writ large),civil society and
people-to-people contacts, and infectious diseases. Curto
stressed that the GOP viewed the proposed trilateral as a
useful arena to "anchor" Russia as it enters its political
transition, and to reinforce common US-EU concerns. Curto
did not indicate the level of buy-in to the proposal, but
asserted that Chancellor MERKEL was supportive.


3. (C) Curto flagged that the GOP would soon approach
Embassy Lisbon and the Department seeking a formal U.S.
reaction.
BURNS