OSCE: FRANCE'S LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NOVEMBER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 004514

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017
TAGS: OSCE FR
SUBJECT: OSCE: FRANCE'S LOW EXPECTATIONS FOR THE NOVEMBER
29-30 MADRID MINISTERIAL


Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR JOSIAH ROSENBLATT FOR REASO
NS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: French MFA officials told us on November 13
that France is not optimistic that there will be significant
developments at the November 29-30 OSCE Madrid Ministerial.
Due to Russian intransigence on so many issues, even a
Ministerial declaration appears increasingly unlikely, the
French noted. The GOF sees only minor differences with the
U.S. on the Charter question; French interest in discussing a
Charter is based on the hope that it will help towards
adoption of the Convention on Legal Personality, but also the
belief that a charter discussion could end in giving more
power to the Secretary-General -- a positive for the
long-term preservation of the OSCE's principles. On
Afghanistan French diplomats said the GOF was not prepared to
agree to border security personnel training inside
Afghanistan nor to the expansion of the mandate to tackle
drug trafficking. The Kazakh 2009 bid for Chairman-in-Office
(CiO) appears to be moving towards 2010 or 2011, the French
told us. The GOF generally favors a Kazakh Chairmanship in

2011. FM Kouchner will negotiate France's final position at
the Ministerial. While the French believe a Kosovo mandate
extension is unlikely on the margins of the Ministerial, they
will push for a 6-12 month extension on November 29. On
other matters, French officials judge the presence of an
ODIHR team in Russia for the DUMA elections to be vital, and
are pushing forward to get visas for French members of the
team. French parliamentarians were also invited to observe
by Moscow; the GOF reminded us that they do not speak for the
Sarkozy government. END SUMMARY

CHARTER TALKS: A ROUTE TO A STRONGER SYG AND A STRONGER
INSTITUTION
--------------


2. (C) The GOF understands the U.S.' opposition to charter
discussions for the OSCE, and is generally sympathetic
because the French also believe Russian intransigence on the
issue is unlikely to yield any positive changes for the
organization. That said, the French told us they do not
fully oppose further discussion of a charter since they judge
the organization in need of reform in order to protect the
it's key principles. A stronger Secretary-General at the
OSCE would help to avoid damage to the institution that could
be done by Russia and other "less than fully democratic"
member-states who are lobbying hard for the
Chairman-in-Office (CiO). The French hoped that a Legal
Personality Convention could be adopted at Madrid. In order
for the Russians to agree, of course, some effort might be
needed towards discussing charter options for Helsinki 2008.
The French agreed they want to avoid duplicating the work of
the High-Level Group of Experts, and affirmed that the GOF
would not agree in any instance to decreasing the autonomy of
ODIHR.

AFGHANISTAN
--------------


3. (C) While French officials support an OSCE mission for
Afghanistan, they do not support U.S. proposals to expand the
mission to include the fight against drug trafficking, nor
training for border security personnel inside Afghanistan (on
the border) where they believe the security situation is not
conducive to training exercises. French diplomats claim that
the OSCE itself is not adequately prepared to conduct
operations safely in the security environment offered by
Afghanistan's border areas. Additionally, the French believe
that the OSCE's expertise in drug trafficking is not
sufficient to undertake a serious project in Afghanistan.

KAZAKH CiO?
--------------


4. (C) France's position on Kazakhstan's bid for the 2009 CiO
has not solidified according to French officials. The GOF
understands that Kazakhstan is prepared to postpone its bid
until 2010 or 2011, but only if it is agreed that they do not
have to fulfill any further conditions beforehand (i.e. make
it a done deal now). At the moment France favors the option
of 2011 without pre-conditions. France, however, would not
necessarily strongly oppose the CiO for Kazakhstan in 2010
since it would put the Kazakh Chairmanship between the
Chairmanships of two more democratic states (Greece and
Lithuania). Kazakhstan could therefore draw on the
democratic influences of strong nations as part of the Troika
process. Ultimately, however, the GOF hopes to strengthen
the OSCE's Secretary-General, while diminishing the powers of
the CiO (perhaps before 2011, but the French admitted this is
unlikely). With so many "less-than-democratic" countries
seeking the Chairmanship the OSCE must change to ensure its
relevance, argue French officials. The issue of the

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Chairmanship will need to be settled by the Minister at the
Madrid Ministerial.

KOSOVO MANDATE
--------------


5. (C) French officials told us that France supports an
effort to extend the OSCE's Kosovo Mission's mandate beyond
its current December 2007 expiration date for at least six
months on the margins of the Madrid Ministerial, but said
they are not optimistic the Russians will agree. The GOF
does not believe a month-to-month renewal (as proposed by the
Russians) is feasible as OSCE Mission employees will seek to
leave a Mission with such an uncertain future. Already, many
of the French employees at the Kosovo Mission have asked the
MFA to assist them in finding alternative employment. Since
it is likely that Russia will refuse to renew the Kosovo
Mission mandate, the GOF is considering what other
organizations might be able to fill the substantial gap left
behind once the OSCE Mission is forced to close its doors.

ELECTION MONITORING IN RUSSIA
--------------


6. (C) France continues to support an ODIHR Mission to Russia
to observe upcoming DUMA elections in spite of the current
restraints put on the team. France is sending three
observers as part of the ODIHR effort, none of whom has yet
received a visa. French officials said they expect Moscow
would keep to its stated intention of not allowing the team
to enter before November 25. Unless the in-country
restrictions on OSCE personnel are untenably restrictive, the
French would prefer that ODIHR make an effort to observe the
elections. Without ODIHR on the scene it will be difficult
for Western governments to credibly critique the process.


7. (C) In addition to French monitors who are set to take
part in the OSCE team, some French parliamentarians (from the
Council of Europe) have been invited by Moscow to observe the
elections. The GOF has tried, to little avail, to discourage
any participation outside of OSCE's mission. The
parliamentarians, French officials reminded us, do not speak
for the Sarkozy government.

U.S. & FRANCE AT THE OSCE
--------------


8. (C) Officials characterized U.S./France relations at the
OSCE as extremely good. While there are small differences on
certain efforts (such as Afghanistan),the two missions, the
French said, have excellent communication and appear to
support each other's initiatives. As the Ministerial moves
forward, the French underlined the importance they place on
the appearance of Franco-U.S. unity in the face of serious
Russian pressure.

FRENCH PARTICIPATION AT MADRID
--------------


9. (SBU) The MFA confirmed that FM Kouchner will attend the
Madrid Ministerial along with Deputy Political Director
Bujon-Barre and Assistant Secretary-equivalent for Strategic
Affairs, Philippe Carre.

Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm


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