Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BRUSSELS1930
2008-12-18 17:48:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:
BELGIUM NOTIFIED OF FRIED-ANTONOV MEETING ON CFE
how-toVZCZCXRO9945 RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHBS #1930 3531748 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 181748Z DEC 08 FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8395 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001930
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE AND EUR:A/S FRIED
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018
TAGS: KCFE PREF PARM NATO RS BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM NOTIFIED OF FRIED-ANTONOV MEETING ON CFE
REF: STATE 130577
Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b
) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 001930
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE AND EUR:A/S FRIED
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018
TAGS: KCFE PREF PARM NATO RS BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM NOTIFIED OF FRIED-ANTONOV MEETING ON CFE
REF: STATE 130577
Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b
) and (d).
1. (C) On December 15, Poloff delivered reftel notification
of the planned Fried-Antonov meeting in Geneva on December 17
to Francois De Kerchove, deputy director of the Department of
Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. De
Kerchove said that the news of the Fried-Antonov meeting was
welcome news to the Belgian government. He said that such
bilateral meetings help to make general progress on CFE,
which is needed because of the current state of paralysis of
the CFE. He said the GOB recognizes Russian proposals for a
new security pact in Europe as an effort to "sink the fish"
by creating a broad field for discussion. For Belgium, he
said, it is better to reaffirm the commitment to CFE than to
let CFE drop. Any other way of thinking is dangerous, he
added. He believes that Russian attitudes right now are
influenced by deep financial and economic problems that have
recently developed in Russia, and are calculated to distract
the population from those problems. De Kerchove deemed the
Russian proposals vague and offering only broad principles to
build upon. He sees it as necessary to engage the Russians
on their ideas, but to ensure they understand that the NATO
allies have red lines that cannot be crossed. These red
lines, he said, were defined by French President Sarkozy in
an October speech at Evian. The bottom line is that we have
to "preserve the acquis", which includes transatlantic
solidarity, the European Security and Defense Policy, CFE and
OSC.
2. (C) De Kerchove said that the GOB sees proposals to use an
OSCE summit to discuss the Russian principles as a problem.
Although Sarkozy has recognized such a summit as a good
format, it seems less than feasible in 2009, he said. In
particular, the Kazakh presidency at the OSCE raises a major
question mark. The matter will need to be discussed at the
next NATO summit in Strasbourg, he concluded.
FOX
.
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE AND EUR:A/S FRIED
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2018
TAGS: KCFE PREF PARM NATO RS BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM NOTIFIED OF FRIED-ANTONOV MEETING ON CFE
REF: STATE 130577
Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b
) and (d).
1. (C) On December 15, Poloff delivered reftel notification
of the planned Fried-Antonov meeting in Geneva on December 17
to Francois De Kerchove, deputy director of the Department of
Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. De
Kerchove said that the news of the Fried-Antonov meeting was
welcome news to the Belgian government. He said that such
bilateral meetings help to make general progress on CFE,
which is needed because of the current state of paralysis of
the CFE. He said the GOB recognizes Russian proposals for a
new security pact in Europe as an effort to "sink the fish"
by creating a broad field for discussion. For Belgium, he
said, it is better to reaffirm the commitment to CFE than to
let CFE drop. Any other way of thinking is dangerous, he
added. He believes that Russian attitudes right now are
influenced by deep financial and economic problems that have
recently developed in Russia, and are calculated to distract
the population from those problems. De Kerchove deemed the
Russian proposals vague and offering only broad principles to
build upon. He sees it as necessary to engage the Russians
on their ideas, but to ensure they understand that the NATO
allies have red lines that cannot be crossed. These red
lines, he said, were defined by French President Sarkozy in
an October speech at Evian. The bottom line is that we have
to "preserve the acquis", which includes transatlantic
solidarity, the European Security and Defense Policy, CFE and
OSC.
2. (C) De Kerchove said that the GOB sees proposals to use an
OSCE summit to discuss the Russian principles as a problem.
Although Sarkozy has recognized such a summit as a good
format, it seems less than feasible in 2009, he said. In
particular, the Kazakh presidency at the OSCE raises a major
question mark. The matter will need to be discussed at the
next NATO summit in Strasbourg, he concluded.
FOX
.