Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07STATE138761
2007-10-02 17:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Secretary of State
Cable title:
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRIED'S SEPTEMBER 25 MEETING
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C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 138761
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ENRG HU SR MD RU MK AL PL RO
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRIED'S SEPTEMBER 25 MEETING
WITH ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CIOROIANU, UN HEADQUARTERS
Classified By: EUR Acting A/S Kurt Volker, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 138761
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ENRG HU SR MD RU MK AL PL RO
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRIED'S SEPTEMBER 25 MEETING
WITH ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CIOROIANU, UN HEADQUARTERS
Classified By: EUR Acting A/S Kurt Volker, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)
1. (U) Participants:
U.S.
--------------
EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried
Notetaker Aaron Jensen
Romania
--------------
Foreign Minister Adrian Mihai Cioroianu
U.N. Permanent Representative Mihnea Motoc
Charge Daniela Gitman
Political Director Stefan Tinca
Chief of Cabinet Gabriel Sopanda
2. (C) SUMMARY. In a September 25 meeting, Assistant
Secretary Fried and Foreign Minister Cioroianu covered
SIPDIS
several issues of mutual interest. A/S Fried stressed
Romania should focus on hosting a successful NATO Summit and
Cioroianu assured him the GOR was working hard to prepare.
On the Summit agenda, Cioroianu maintained that all three
candidate countries (Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania) should
receive invitations to join NATO. A/S Fried encouraged
Romania to make this proposal at NATO. Cioroianu expressed
serious concern that Russia would upstage the NATO summit
with a hostile act prior to the summit. On Kosovo, A/S Fried
explained the U.S. would recognize Kosovo following a
unilateral declaration of independence, and asked for Romania
to help Serbia find its way back to Europe rather than acting
irredentist. Both A/S Fried and FM Cioroianu agreed that
Europe must get serious on energy diversification. The
Romanians pressed for PM Tariceanu to meet with Vice
President Cheney. A/S Fried said he wo
uld look into it. END SUMMARY.
--------------
NATO Summit
--------------
3. (C) A/S Fried opened by cautioning Cioroianu that hosting
the NATO summit would be a huge job. The U.S. supported
Romania as a host because Romania's NATO membership
symbolizes President Bush's goal of enshrining the concept of
a larger Europe, and enlargement from the Baltic to the Black
Sea. The Bucharest Summit will be key to President Bush's
legacy, bringing NATO into the 21st century. Hosting the
summit would be challenging, but would provide an opportunity
for Romania to showcase its achievements. Cioroianu thanked
A/S Fried for his support, promised that preparations were
well under way for the largest event ever organized by the
GOR.
4. (C) Cioroianu said it was in Romania's interest to see all
three aspirant countries - Croatia, Macedonia and Albania -
invited to join the Alliance at Bucharest. A/S Fried asked
about Romanian relations with Greece, explaining that Greek
FM Bakoyannis told him that Greece needed the Macedonians to
move on the "name issue." A/S Fried added the USG had not
decided on the candidates' accession, though he had sympathy
for all three. He encouraged the GOR to make its position on
enlargement known in Brussels.
5. (C) Both the U.S. and Romania were in favor of a
Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Georgia, while the Germans
and French are hesitant. A/S Fried said it would be harmful
to give the Georgians and Russians the impression that
Georgia is outside the European family. Saakashvili and his
people have their flaws, but Georgia is one of a few former
Soviet states moving in the right direction. A/S Fried hoped
Romania would support Georgia, adding that we need to give
the Georgians hope. A/S Fried posited that the Russians
might recognize Abkhazia after Kosovo independence, and said
they should pay a heavy diplomatic price should they do so.
Cioroianu said Bezhuashvili promised to appeal directly to
the French, and continue pushing for MAP.
6. (C) A/S Fried mentioned NATO PermRep Nuland's trip to
Bucharest to discuss the Summit. Cioroianu said Summit
Coordinator Victor Micula had been very active, traveling to
Brussels and Washington, and planned to meet soon with the
French and Germans. A/S Fried asked if Micula had spoken to
Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra on the Prague
Summit experience, and Cioroianu responded yes. Romania's
main concern was Russia's position on CFE, and whether Russia
would cast a shadow over the Summit by taking some action
immediately prior to spoil the meeting. A/S Fried said he
hoped that any aggressive or mischievous act on Russia's part
would consolidate Alliance support.
7. (C) A/S Fried noted there were multiple issues at the
summit that would impact Russia: CFE, MD, MAP for Georgia,
energy security, cyber security and NATO enlargement.
Cioroianu said Romania desired a good dialogue with the
Russians and wanted them at the summit. A/S Fried said he
would come to Bucharest before the summit, probably early
next year.
--------------
Russia is back
--------------
8. (C) A/S Fried predicted Russia would suspend its
participation in the CFE treaty even though the Russians had
not yet rejected the U.S. parallel action proposal. The
Russians were showing some room for compromise on Georgia,
and would consider a fact-finding mission to the base at
Gudauta. On Transnistria, however, they rejected an
international peacekeeping force without a political
settlement. Russian DFM Kislyak said the government of
Moldova accepted the Russian position. Fried argued that the
GOM wanted Russian troops out. A/S Fried asked that Romania
attend and actively participate in the October 1-2 CFE
meeting in Germany.
9. (C) A/S Fried noted the U.S. had talked with the Russians
about the training facilities in Romania and Bulgaria and
explained they are within CFE restrictions, according to NATO
treaty obligations. He maintained that CFE restrictions are
good for Russia, and if they depart from the treaty they will
lose the benefits of the treaty's transparency requirements.
The Russian response was that Putin wanted out and gave
little room to negotiate.
--------------
Kosovo
--------------
10. (C) A/S Fried said the U.S. would recognize Kosovo after
December 10, following a unilateral declaration of
independence, but did not expect Romania to be the first
European state to follow the U.S. lead. Romania should play
its historical role as Serbia's friend in the region, and
help lead Serbia back to Europe. The U.S. would try to help
Serbia, but Serbia may not want to engage with the U.S. after
we recognize Kosovo. Cioroianu agreed. He cautioned that
Serbian leaders would use an imposed solution to their
political advantage. Fried emphasized the hard choice Serbia
would have to make: become irredentist or find its way back
to Europe.
11. (C) Cioroianu said Romania would not block European
consensus, emphasizing the need to encourage discussion
between the Serbs and Kosovars. He was concerned the Kosovo
Albanians just expect to become independent on December 11
without discussion, and that the concept of a greater Albania
would not be positive for the region. A/S Fried said Albania
would either be satisfied and move into Europe or enter an
expansionist phase, which was the best argument to bring
Albania into NATO, and against turning Kosovo into a
frustrated state.
12. (C) Fried reminded Cioroianu that the concessions to the
Serbs in Kosovo were extensive, and that no one expected the
same privileged treatment of the Hungarian population in
Romania. Cioroianu remarked that when Romania spoke of
precedent, it was not referring to Romanian Hungarians.
Rather, Romania was concerned about setting a precedent in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Transnistria.
13. (C) Cioroianu voiced concern with the legal basis for
recognizing Kosovo, as Romania had expected a U.N.
resolution. A/S Fried told Cioroianu the U.S. was working
quietly on a legal justification for action on Kosovo without
a new resolution, based on UNSCR 1244.
--------------
Energy
--------------
14. A/S Fried told Cioroianu that the Nabucco pipeline
project now had a great deal of momentum, as the government
of Hungary was now committed. After the recent Nabucco
conference in Budapest, the Hungarians understood the need
for Nabucco and the importance of energy diversity. Fried
emphasized the U.S. takes energy security seriously. The
U.S. wants to work with Europe to ensure our Allies are not
increasingly dependent on Russian gas. A/S Fried said he
agreed with the Poles on the Baltic pipeline, but the
Polish-German squabbling was not helpful. Cioroianu said the
GOR is serious about energy and was glad the Nabucco project
was still alive.
--------------
Tariceanu Visit
--------------
15. (C) In closing, Charge Gitman mentioned Prime Minister
Tariceanu's desire to visit Washington to meet with Vice
President Cheney. A/S Fried said he would look into it.
RICE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR ENRG HU SR MD RU MK AL PL RO
SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARY FRIED'S SEPTEMBER 25 MEETING
WITH ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER CIOROIANU, UN HEADQUARTERS
Classified By: EUR Acting A/S Kurt Volker, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D)
1. (U) Participants:
U.S.
--------------
EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried
Notetaker Aaron Jensen
Romania
--------------
Foreign Minister Adrian Mihai Cioroianu
U.N. Permanent Representative Mihnea Motoc
Charge Daniela Gitman
Political Director Stefan Tinca
Chief of Cabinet Gabriel Sopanda
2. (C) SUMMARY. In a September 25 meeting, Assistant
Secretary Fried and Foreign Minister Cioroianu covered
SIPDIS
several issues of mutual interest. A/S Fried stressed
Romania should focus on hosting a successful NATO Summit and
Cioroianu assured him the GOR was working hard to prepare.
On the Summit agenda, Cioroianu maintained that all three
candidate countries (Croatia, Macedonia, and Albania) should
receive invitations to join NATO. A/S Fried encouraged
Romania to make this proposal at NATO. Cioroianu expressed
serious concern that Russia would upstage the NATO summit
with a hostile act prior to the summit. On Kosovo, A/S Fried
explained the U.S. would recognize Kosovo following a
unilateral declaration of independence, and asked for Romania
to help Serbia find its way back to Europe rather than acting
irredentist. Both A/S Fried and FM Cioroianu agreed that
Europe must get serious on energy diversification. The
Romanians pressed for PM Tariceanu to meet with Vice
President Cheney. A/S Fried said he wo
uld look into it. END SUMMARY.
--------------
NATO Summit
--------------
3. (C) A/S Fried opened by cautioning Cioroianu that hosting
the NATO summit would be a huge job. The U.S. supported
Romania as a host because Romania's NATO membership
symbolizes President Bush's goal of enshrining the concept of
a larger Europe, and enlargement from the Baltic to the Black
Sea. The Bucharest Summit will be key to President Bush's
legacy, bringing NATO into the 21st century. Hosting the
summit would be challenging, but would provide an opportunity
for Romania to showcase its achievements. Cioroianu thanked
A/S Fried for his support, promised that preparations were
well under way for the largest event ever organized by the
GOR.
4. (C) Cioroianu said it was in Romania's interest to see all
three aspirant countries - Croatia, Macedonia and Albania -
invited to join the Alliance at Bucharest. A/S Fried asked
about Romanian relations with Greece, explaining that Greek
FM Bakoyannis told him that Greece needed the Macedonians to
move on the "name issue." A/S Fried added the USG had not
decided on the candidates' accession, though he had sympathy
for all three. He encouraged the GOR to make its position on
enlargement known in Brussels.
5. (C) Both the U.S. and Romania were in favor of a
Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Georgia, while the Germans
and French are hesitant. A/S Fried said it would be harmful
to give the Georgians and Russians the impression that
Georgia is outside the European family. Saakashvili and his
people have their flaws, but Georgia is one of a few former
Soviet states moving in the right direction. A/S Fried hoped
Romania would support Georgia, adding that we need to give
the Georgians hope. A/S Fried posited that the Russians
might recognize Abkhazia after Kosovo independence, and said
they should pay a heavy diplomatic price should they do so.
Cioroianu said Bezhuashvili promised to appeal directly to
the French, and continue pushing for MAP.
6. (C) A/S Fried mentioned NATO PermRep Nuland's trip to
Bucharest to discuss the Summit. Cioroianu said Summit
Coordinator Victor Micula had been very active, traveling to
Brussels and Washington, and planned to meet soon with the
French and Germans. A/S Fried asked if Micula had spoken to
Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vondra on the Prague
Summit experience, and Cioroianu responded yes. Romania's
main concern was Russia's position on CFE, and whether Russia
would cast a shadow over the Summit by taking some action
immediately prior to spoil the meeting. A/S Fried said he
hoped that any aggressive or mischievous act on Russia's part
would consolidate Alliance support.
7. (C) A/S Fried noted there were multiple issues at the
summit that would impact Russia: CFE, MD, MAP for Georgia,
energy security, cyber security and NATO enlargement.
Cioroianu said Romania desired a good dialogue with the
Russians and wanted them at the summit. A/S Fried said he
would come to Bucharest before the summit, probably early
next year.
--------------
Russia is back
--------------
8. (C) A/S Fried predicted Russia would suspend its
participation in the CFE treaty even though the Russians had
not yet rejected the U.S. parallel action proposal. The
Russians were showing some room for compromise on Georgia,
and would consider a fact-finding mission to the base at
Gudauta. On Transnistria, however, they rejected an
international peacekeeping force without a political
settlement. Russian DFM Kislyak said the government of
Moldova accepted the Russian position. Fried argued that the
GOM wanted Russian troops out. A/S Fried asked that Romania
attend and actively participate in the October 1-2 CFE
meeting in Germany.
9. (C) A/S Fried noted the U.S. had talked with the Russians
about the training facilities in Romania and Bulgaria and
explained they are within CFE restrictions, according to NATO
treaty obligations. He maintained that CFE restrictions are
good for Russia, and if they depart from the treaty they will
lose the benefits of the treaty's transparency requirements.
The Russian response was that Putin wanted out and gave
little room to negotiate.
--------------
Kosovo
--------------
10. (C) A/S Fried said the U.S. would recognize Kosovo after
December 10, following a unilateral declaration of
independence, but did not expect Romania to be the first
European state to follow the U.S. lead. Romania should play
its historical role as Serbia's friend in the region, and
help lead Serbia back to Europe. The U.S. would try to help
Serbia, but Serbia may not want to engage with the U.S. after
we recognize Kosovo. Cioroianu agreed. He cautioned that
Serbian leaders would use an imposed solution to their
political advantage. Fried emphasized the hard choice Serbia
would have to make: become irredentist or find its way back
to Europe.
11. (C) Cioroianu said Romania would not block European
consensus, emphasizing the need to encourage discussion
between the Serbs and Kosovars. He was concerned the Kosovo
Albanians just expect to become independent on December 11
without discussion, and that the concept of a greater Albania
would not be positive for the region. A/S Fried said Albania
would either be satisfied and move into Europe or enter an
expansionist phase, which was the best argument to bring
Albania into NATO, and against turning Kosovo into a
frustrated state.
12. (C) Fried reminded Cioroianu that the concessions to the
Serbs in Kosovo were extensive, and that no one expected the
same privileged treatment of the Hungarian population in
Romania. Cioroianu remarked that when Romania spoke of
precedent, it was not referring to Romanian Hungarians.
Rather, Romania was concerned about setting a precedent in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Transnistria.
13. (C) Cioroianu voiced concern with the legal basis for
recognizing Kosovo, as Romania had expected a U.N.
resolution. A/S Fried told Cioroianu the U.S. was working
quietly on a legal justification for action on Kosovo without
a new resolution, based on UNSCR 1244.
--------------
Energy
--------------
14. A/S Fried told Cioroianu that the Nabucco pipeline
project now had a great deal of momentum, as the government
of Hungary was now committed. After the recent Nabucco
conference in Budapest, the Hungarians understood the need
for Nabucco and the importance of energy diversity. Fried
emphasized the U.S. takes energy security seriously. The
U.S. wants to work with Europe to ensure our Allies are not
increasingly dependent on Russian gas. A/S Fried said he
agreed with the Poles on the Baltic pipeline, but the
Polish-German squabbling was not helpful. Cioroianu said the
GOR is serious about energy and was glad the Nabucco project
was still alive.
--------------
Tariceanu Visit
--------------
15. (C) In closing, Charge Gitman mentioned Prime Minister
Tariceanu's desire to visit Washington to meet with Vice
President Cheney. A/S Fried said he would look into it.
RICE