SLOVENIA CONCERNED ABOUT U.S.-EU SUMMIT DECLARATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000237 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ERA; NSC FOR CATIPON E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2018 TAGS: EUN PGOV PHUM PREL CU SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA CONCERNED ABOUT U.S.-EU SUMMIT DECLARATION REF: STATE 57696 Classified By: Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) On May 30, EmbOff delivered reftel points to Barbara Susnik, MFA U.S. Desk Officer and COTRA National delegate, and informed her of the USG positions regarding U.S.-EU Summit Declaration text on issues relating to Latin America and Missile Defense. An anxious Susnik worried that it would not be possible to come to a final agreement before June 10. Latin American Issues -------------- ¶2. (C) Susnik, who is heavily involved in the ongoing negotiations on Declaration language, was happy to hear that there may be some room for compromise on Cuba. She noted, however, that certain EU members have adopted a very hard line and she is not certain that including specific reference to Cuba in the Declaration will be possible. She reiterated that there is still no consensus within the EU regarding the EU's Cuba policy. She took note of our position on the other Latin American issues, but could not provide a prognosis regarding which way the EU will go on Venezuela, the FARC, and the US-Colombia FTA. She did offer that there is a lack of understanding on the EU side as to why the Declaration should contain a reference to EU support for the US-Colombia FTA. Missile Defense -------------- ¶3. (C) Regarding Missile Defense, Susnik was even more pessimistic. She thought that Ambassador Roman Kirn, MFA Division for the Americas Director and COTRA Chair, had made it very clear during the most recent Declaration DVC that the current EU offer on Missile Defense language was as far as the EU is willing to go. She predicted it would be impossible to get the EU side to move any further toward the USG proposal in the time remaining before the Summit. GHAFARI