ROMANIA: U.S.-EU SUMMIT DECLARATION'S FOCUS ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUCHAREST 000435 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/NCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018 TAGS: EUN PREL PHUM CU RO SUBJECT: ROMANIA: U.S.-EU SUMMIT DECLARATION'S FOCUS ON LATIN AMERICA/MISSILE DEFENSE REF: STATE 57696 Classified By: POLCONS Ted Tanoue; Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) POLOFF delivered Reftel points on May 30 to MFA Director General for European Affairs Stefan Tinca and Director for U.S. and Canada Eugen Mihut. Tinca said that the next MFA coordination meeting would be held June 3, and he did not see any problems with supporting the U.S. on its Latin American points. He did note that there may be those in the interagency coordination meeting who are sensitive to the more parochial concerns held by other EU member states, especially in regards to Cuba and the proposal for a unique EU statement welcoming the Colombia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement following the EU's Latin American rounds. He also said the Missile Defense paragraph would probably generate some resistance in the EU since it is so closely linked to trying to insert a NATO project into EU deliberations. Nonetheless, Tinca said that he took full note of the U.S. demarche, and would present it to the MFA's coordination committee. ¶2. (C) Mihut noted that while these points were important to the U.S., there would be "some Romanian points" that are also important as a matter of principle. Tinca said that Romania would like to introduce language refering to the EU Neighborhood Policy, specifically on the Black Sea. TAUBMAN