GERMANY REACTION MIXED ON U.S. PROPOSALS FOR THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000729 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2018 TAGS: EUN PGOV PREL PHUM GM SUBJECT: GERMANY REACTION MIXED ON U.S. PROPOSALS FOR THE U.S.-EU SUMMIT DECLARATION REF: STATE 57696 Classified By: DEPUTY POLITICAL SECTION HEAD STAN OTTO. REASONS: 1.4 (B ) AND (D). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Pol-Mil/External Unit Chief met June 3 with Weert Boerner, desk officer in the MFA North American Office, to press for adding explicit references to Cuba, Venezuela, the FARC, the U.S.-Columbia FTA and missile defense to the 2008 U.S.-EU Summit Declaration now under negotiation. Boerner was already very familiar with most of the U.S. proposals and claimed that the German position on many of them had already been reviewed and decided by MFA State Secretary Reinhard Silberberg. While taking a hard line against U.S. proposals regarding CUBA and Venezuela, Boerner said Germany supported adding the U.S.-suggested references to the FARC and the U.S.-Columbia FTA. He said Germany did not yet have a firm position on adding a reference to missile defense. END SUMMARY. Cuba -------------- ¶2. (C) Boerner said that Germany could accept a direct reference to CUBA along the lines of last year's U.S.-EU Declaration, but thought the new U.S. language -- especially the first sentence ("We affirm our support for democratic transition and reconciliation in Cuba...") -- was too provocative and could stimulate a negative reaction in Havana. Germany did not want to do anything that could reverse progress made in recent months. Pol-Mil/External Chief pointed out that last year's language did not acknowledge Cuba's signature of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or its need to ratify it and demonstrate its commitment to it by releasing political prisoners. Boerner took the point, but insisted that this was one of the issues that had been reviewed personally by Silberberg and where the German position was firm. Venezuela -------------- ¶3. (C) Boerner also objected to the U.S. proposal to make an explicit reference to Venezuela in the sentence regarding support for democratic values and an active civil society. Once again, he argued that such explicit "naming" was counterproductive. He said that Germany in general did not like to single out individual countries in these kinds of declarations. He claimed this was another issue that had been personally reviewed and decided by Silberberg. FARC and U.S.-Columbia FTA -------------- ¶4. (C) While hard-line on references to CUBA and Venezuela, Boerner indicated that Germany would have no problem with the U.S.-proposed reference to the FARC. Boerner said he was not familiar with the U.S.-suggested language on the U.S.-Columbia FTA, but he thought that this would also not be a problem. Boerner noted that Germany strongly backed the FTA, so much so that Chancellor Merkel, following her recent trip to Latin America, had written a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, encouraging her to support ratification of the accord. Missile Defense -------------- ¶5. (C) Boerner said he had no clear instructions yet on the U.S. proposal to add an explicit reference to missile defense in the declaration. Boerner said he would check with his authorities and get back to us. In the meantime, Post will follow up with the MFA NATO Desk to solicit its support for the proposed U.S. reference to missile defense. TIMKEN JR