READ-OUT OF U.S.-EU TASK FORCE MEETING, DECEMBER 8,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 BRUSSELS 001873 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL ECON ETRD EUN SUBJECT: READ-OUT OF U.S.-EU TASK FORCE MEETING, DECEMBER 8, BRUSSELS ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The U.S.-EU Task Force covered a range of top priority political, economic, and other bilateral issues during a December 8 meeting in Brussels. The U.S. team was led by EUR/PDAS Marcie Ries and USEU Charge Christopher Murray, and included NSC Director for Europe Kristina Kvien and other Department and USEU attendees. The EU team was led by the French Presidency, with Elisabeth Beton-Delegue, Director for the Americas at the French Foreign Ministry, Marek Grela, Americas Director for the General Secretariat of the Council, and Alan Seatter, North Americas Director for the European Commission (EC). Representatives of the incoming Czech presidency also attended. ¶2. (SBU) On Kosovo, both sides focused on EULEX with broad agreement as to its significance. All agreed on the scale of the challenge in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the need to improve governance, with the EU side wishing for more public backing for its engagement in Afghanistan. The Georgia discussion focused on incidences of violence, modalities for EU assistance, and the need to keep pressure on Russia. Discussion of Congo was minimal because of parallel GAERC discussions. All agreed on the importance of ongoing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, with the EC emphasizing the humanitarian difficulties in Gaza. On Iran, the EU emphasized its approach of talking to Iran while maintaining sanctions. The EU said it has "zero" influence on Burma, and we should engage India and China. On economic issues, both sides expressed support for the Transatlantic Economic Council (TEC); discussed the importance of addressing, under the rubric of terrorist finance, the problem of charitable groups; and briefly touched on aid to industrial sectors, including the automobile industry. The EU asked for close cooperation on climate issues if China and India were to be brought along. The Task Force also addressed the Visa Waiver Program, with the EU expressing hope that all EU members would eventually be eligible; discussed the benefits of the Air Transport Agreement; exchanged concerns about the 100% scanning initiative to improve container security; and expressed hope that the three remaining EU member states would soon ratify the U.S.-EU Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Agreements. END SUMMARY. -------------- KOSOVO -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Marek Grela, Council Director for Transatlantic Relations, noting that EULEX would officially take to the field the following day under a UN umbrella, said that there were still some problems to be worked out with the UN regarding transfer of assets. EULEX's approach, he said, would be to make practical decisions so as to avoid provocations and to make progress on the ground. PDAS Ries reiterated that it was important that EULEX deploy throughout Kosovo, and welcomed U.S. participation in the mission, citing that 61 Americans had already transitioned to EULEX, with 19 more to do so on December 9. -------------- AFGHANISTAN/PAKISTAN -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Noting that Afghanistan is desperately impoverished after 25 years of war, PDAS Ries asked that the EU think generously of Afghanistan when formulating its 2010-2013 aid package. Ries said the U.S. appreciated the increase in the EUPOL contingent, adding that rule-of-law missions are vital in post-conflict countries. She encouraged EUPOL deployment to extend to the district level. ¶5. (SBU) Elisabeth Beton-Delegue, the French Presidency chair and MFA Americas Director, said that one-half of EUPOL would deploy to the regional and provincial levels. (Note: The other half would presumably be in Kabul; there was no mention of district-level deployment.) Anything that could be done to improve governance and the ability of the GOA to provide basic services would create "positive evolution." The solution to Afghanistan, she added, is not military, and she proposed identifying moderate Taliban who might constitute a legitimate political force. ¶6. (SBU) Alan Seatter, the Commission's RELEX Director for North America, said it was hard to win public support in Europe for the EU's investments in Afghanistan. Therefore, the Commission's emphasis is on effectiveness rather than quantity, which can best be achieved in the justice and police sector, given the importance of governance. The Commission would provide 15-25m Euros for the 2009 elections, to be spent primarily on civic education and voter outreach programs. EU election observation would also be funded; however, fielding observers would depend on the security situation. ¶7. (SBU) There is much that can be done in Pakistan, and PDAS Ries challenged the U.S. and EU to "get it right." Post-Mumbai, terrorist camps need to be shut down. Looking ahead to the Friends of Pakistan experts' meeting in January, she said we hoped to have EU support for the proposed Frontier Trust Fund, and for a Border Minister to manage it. Ries recalled A/S Boucher's recent visit to Brussels to promote the donors' conference, noting that the IMF identified a USD 4 billion funding shortfall. ¶8. (SBU)Beton-Delegue said the EU was hopeful India could play a constructive role. Seatter said that the European Commission has increased funding of rural development and education in the border provinces of Pakistan, which could carry over into the border region BRUSSELS 00001873 002 OF 006 of Afghanistan, analogous to what the World Bank is doing. The EC is also working in counter-terrorism (CT),supporting the EU'S CT envoy Gilles de Kerchove and improvements in judicial authority and media. The Commission strongly backs the Friends of Pakistan. Seatter made the point that monitoring and accounting for funding was a preoccupation he shared with the U.S. -------------- GEORGIA/RUSSIA -------------- ¶9. (SBU) On Georgia, violent incidents and accountability were the major preoccupations. Beton-Delegue said the EU was worried about the increase in incidents. The European Monitoring Mission (EUMM) in Georgia, she continued, is encouraging the parties to reduce tension, avoid provocations, and increase stability; however, difficult communication with the Russians was a complicating factor. She said she hoped, nonetheless, that the Geneva talks will provide for an agreed mechanism for dealing with, and reducing the number of, incidents. The French presidency chair also alluded to a pending EU-Georgia MOU (note: likely on the provision of aid, with an EU-desired clause waiving the application of Georgia's newly-enacted legislation criminalizing aid to Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the case of EU humanitarian assistance). Beton-Delegue said she hoped the U.S. would support the inquiry into the genesis of the conflict and Talia Vini, who is conducting it. She said the EU was working toward a free trade agreement with Georgia. She characterized the resumed Cooperation Agreement talks with Russia as the best way to promote Europe's own interests, adding that the talks provided a forum for reminding Russia of Georgia's territorial integrity. Beton-Delegue said, too, that it was a forum to make points about Iran. ¶10. (SBU) Alan Seatter put emphasis on the EU's efforts to ensure Georgia's proper use of the funds pledged at the successful donors' conference (held in October),a point Beton-Delegue previewed in her remarks. Seatter expressed doubts about rule of law in Georgia and the "democratic nature" of the government. The Commission was also concerned about the high level of defense expenditures in Georgia, he said. Seatter said free trade would be prominent, certainly in the new Eastern Partnership Initiative, but also as a result of the extraordinary European Council meeting on Georgia of September 1. Georgia had to be coached so that it would be prepared for an FTA, however, and the EC would help. In that vein, the Commission was looking at Georgia's "GSP-plus" request, Seatter said, and would respond by the end of the year. ¶11. (SBU) PDAS Ries expressed concern about the increased number of violent incidents, as reported by the EUMM around Abkhazia. She also noted the lack of humanitarian aid getting into Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and drew attention to the plight of IDPs in winter. In the context of Russia's failure to fulfill its cease-fire commitments, Ries said it was important to renew the mandate of OSCE monitors. Underscoring the U.S. commitment to Georgia's recovery, Ries said USD 850m of our one billion-dollar pledge would be obligated this year. She added that it continued to be critical to remind the Russians of the importance of fulfilling all their commitments. ¶12. (SBU) Speaking for the Council, Marek Grela said that, despite Russia's lack of cooperation and its veto in the OSCE and UN, it was important to use Geneva and the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) talks. Building confidence in this way, he said, was the best way to control violent incidents. He mentioned discussions with the UN SYG about the role of the EU in Abkhazia. Ries agreed that Geneva constituted an important venue for addressing the matter of increased incidents. -------------- DR CONGO -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Congo being a significant subject of discussion among EU foreign ministers at the GAERC that same day, there was not much latitude for discussion at the Task Force. "We are not ambitious today," is how Marek Grela put it. PDAS Ries said the U.S. appreciated EU, and especially French, cooperation at the Security Council to increase MONUC's troop level. She added that the EU's envoy for the Great Lakes region, Roeland van de Geer, was dedicated to finding a diplomatic solution in North Kivu. She mentioned A/S Jendayi Frazer's visits to the region, Tripartite Plus, and the UN Secretary General's envoy Olusegun Obasanjo as useful in that regard as well. For her part, Beton-Delegue said the difficult situation in Congo would need continued U.S./EU collaboration, "even when African diplomacy takes over." The Commission was silent on this issue. -------------- Middle East -------------- ¶14. (SBU) The Presidency's Beton-Delegue opened the discussion by noting that the GAERC, meeting at the same time as the Task Force, would reaffirm the importance of the Middle East Peace Process. She BRUSSELS 00001873 003 OF 006 noted the EU does a lot to support the Palestinian Authority (PA), and believes it important the Quartet continue to support the process, including through weighing in on negotiations, supporting the PA on police, pressuring Israel to stop settlements, addressing the problems of violence and the closure of Gaza. We need, she said, to support Abbas and the Egyptian efforts at Palestinian reconciliation, and we should not let time slip away, as delay would only help the extremists. ¶15. (SBU) The Commission's Alan Seatter, took note of efforts to support PA President Abu Mazen and PM Salaam Fayed, but said the difficult situation in Gaza was undermining that support. He noted that only 2% of the needed cooking gas and 8% of chlorine needed to purify water had been let in over ten days. People were beginning to cook in mud ovens, and there was concern about the possibility of cholera and Hepatitis A outbreaks. The EC was to pay salaries that day directly to teachers and doctors, but there was no cash. This, he said, undermines the credibility of Salaam Fayed. ¶16. (SBU) PDAS Ries responded that we know the MEPP is a top priority, and reviewed some progress we have seen recently. She noted the bipartisan support in the U.S. for the Annapolis process, and noted the request by the parties that the international community respect their efforts. ¶17. (SBU) Beton-Delegue noted our close proximity of views on Lebanon, and said the EU has pressed Syria on concrete progress in opening an embassy in Beirut, demarcating the borders, and addressing the issue of Lebanese detainees. In the context of some progress, discussion on the Association Agreement with Syria would go forward. She said the EU favored direct U.S. contact with Syria; and praised the indirect Israel-Syrian talks. The EC's Seatter said that although the U.S. was wary of the EU's increased contacts with Syria on the Association Agreement, there were reformist elements, particularly on economic issues, whom the process would encourage. ¶18. (SBU) PDAS Ries said it was important that, as the EU moved forward on economic issues, it keep Syria focused also on important political matters, including compliance with IAEA agreements, stopping support for radical Palestinians, interdicting foreign fighters going to Iraq, and improving relations with and stopping interference in Lebanon. She noted that our allies in Lebanon are concerned that EU engagement with Syria signaled wavering support for an independent Lebanon. In response to Ries' question about impressions in the EU about Syria based on recent discussions, the Council Secretariat's Marek Grela said there appeared to be some 'space' for influencing reform, while Seatter said it was clear there is a moderate element that can be influenced. He said the EC makes it clear there can be progress on the Association Agreement only if there is progress on political issues, but the response depends on the interlocutor. -------------- Iran -------------- ¶19. (SBU) On Iran, the Council's Grela said "there is no good news," noting the list of problems of enrichment, hostile rhetoric, and support for extremists. He reiterated the EU approach of talking to Iran while imposing sanctions. He noted that, with the growing economic crisis and drop in oil prices, Iran would feel the impact of sanctions more than before. Beton-Delegue said the EU would continue to be ready to negotiate, while doing the necessary on sanctions. Ries responded that, for the U.S., the emphasis remains the same, with a focus on multi-lateral diplomacy. She expressed appreciation for the EU adopting regulations implementing UNSCR 1803, and asked the EU to adopt complementary measures. She noted Iran was using evasion tactics to get around some sanctions. She urged that the EU keep up the pressure on Iran and give the sanctions time to work. -------------- Burma -------------- ¶20. (SBU) PDAS Ries stressed the importance of maintaining a united front on Burma. The U.S. view is that there should only be a Ban Ki Moon visit if there is something positive from the regime. She asked, as the EU restructured its target list of names and entities subject to sanctions, that it take care that the changes not be portrayed as a weakening or lessening of pressure. Beton-Delegue admitted Burma was a "complicated" issue in the EU, and that it was difficult to reach consensus, especially on sanctions. It was hard, furthermore, to convince China that it would be in its interest to promote change. Alan Seatter stated bluntly that the EU had "zero influence" on Burma, arguing we need to mount an effort to convince India and China to look at Burma in different terms. Seatter accepted Ries' offer to talk to OFAC about sanctions implementation. *********************** * Missing Section 004 * *********************** BRUSSELS 00001873 005 OF 006 ¶26. (SBU) PDAS Ries suggested a comprehensive review of our bilateral energy cooperation to prepare for the 2009 summit. She asked about EU interest in a special statement on energy and climate as an outcome of the Summit, but noted that this would need to be decided by the new administration. Alan Seatter noted that there was a very good, ambitious statement on energy at the last U.S/EU summit, and suggested energy efficiency in buildings affords a good scope for work. On bio-fuels, he proposed picking two or three flagship projects on which to work together. He expressed appreciation for U.S. cooperation in the Caspian Sea area. All sides emphasized the importance of continued cooperation on energy security. -------------- Visa Waiver Program -------------- ¶27. (SBU) PDAS Ries commended the efforts of the newly admitted countries, noting they contributed also to raising security standards for travel. She said the ESTA program is not a visa, that judgments are based on the traveler and not the country, and will further enhance the security and convenience of travelers. She concluded that the procedure amounted to filling out an I94 form, only in advance of travel. ¶28. (SBU) (SBU) Beton-Delegue responded that the EU's goal was free and secure travel for all EU citizens, and she viewed it as positive that six EU member states were admitted to the VWP on November 17. Seatter said the Commission was extremely gratified at President Bush's personal efforts toward the ultimate goal. Noting the bilateral and multilateral approaches, Seatter said the EC was aiming for a "light agreement" via the latter on behalf of all EU citizens. -------------- Air Transport Agreement -------------- ¶29. (SBU)The Commission's Alan Seatter opened by praising the Air Transport Agreements as a good way to increase cooperation, noting they have brought an increase in 35 million passengers, USD 25 billion in revenues, and thousands more jobs. There has been an 8% increase in transatlantic traffic since the first stage took effect. He noted the EC held a forum with American unions on the agreement in recent days, showing it was not a threat to American labor rights. The EC will hold another forum in Brussels to build on that effort. The EC will give a push on the issue at the next Summit so there is a good start to the second phase. ¶30. (SBU) PDAS Ries noted that, regarding the EU's emission trading scheme, the U.S. protests the inclusion of third-country operators without the consent of their governments. It is, she said, a global matter, that needs a global solution. Seatter responded that air traffic was one of the fastest growing areas of greenhouse gases, and that we need to address the problem. The EU tried to deal with the issue within the UN but got nowhere, so it "tried to get its partners attention by taking a different route." The EC, he said, is happy to work with ICAO on the matter. -------------- Secure Trade -------------- ¶31. (SBU) PDAS Ries expressed understanding that the EU does not like the 100% scanning initiatives, but urged that the EU work with us to make the program a success because of our overlapping interest in improved container security. Beton-Delegue said the EU agrees to cooperate, but fears a U.S. unilateral decision to go forward on 100% scanning. Seatter added that the EU has a problem with the legislation because they believe it is ineffective and that there are better ways to address the problem. The EU is negotiating with Switzerland and Norway to make sure WCO controls are in place for all of Europe; and are also working with its Eastern neighbors on the issue. The EU believes a risk-based approach is better, and hopes it can get there next year. -------------- JHA-MLA Extradition Agreements And HLCG -------------- ¶32. (SBU) The Task Force touched briefly on Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) issues, with PDAS Ries noting that the Senate has approved and President Bush would soon sign the instruments of ratification for the U.S.-EU Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Agreements. She urged the EU to press the remaining EU countries to finish their national ratification procedures so the agreements could take effect. Seatter said the EC was "doing all it can" to press the three remaining states. ¶33. (SBU) PDAS Ries asked that the upcoming JHA Ministerial BRUSSELS 00001873 006 OF 006 (December 12) give added momentum to the High Level Contact Group (HLCG) as it seeks common principles in sharing personal data for law enforcement purposes. Alan Seatter echoed the wish for a strong endorsement of the HLCG at the JHA Ministerial. ¶34. (U) This message has not been cleared by PDAS Ries. Murray