SLOVENIA IN ADVANCE OF JUNE 16-17 GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LJUBLJANA 000255 NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/NCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2018 TAGS: PREL EUN PGOV PHUM ZL ZK IR IZ IS SY LE CU SU, CD, CT, SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA IN ADVANCE OF JUNE 16-17 GAERC REF: STATE 62450 Classified By: Ambassador Yousif B. Ghafari, Reasons 1.4 (b,d) Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On June 12, Pol/Econ Chief delivered the June 16-17 GAERC points to European Correspondent Aljaz Arih. Arih said the GAERC, which had a very long agenda, would issue conclusions on Cuba, the Western Balkans, Somalia, Sudan, DRoC, and Central Asia (without a discussion). The FMs would send a strong message from Luxembourg to Khartoum. He noted that Iraq, Chad/CAR, and Belarus were not on the agenda. The FMs would also discuss preparations for the European Council, Burma, Zimbabwe, piracy off of Somalia, and the Great Lakes. The next 18-month trio Presidency would also make a presentation. End Summary. Iran -------------- ¶2. (C) Arih explained that High Representative Solana would report to the GAERC about his June 13-15 visit to Tehran and suggest a way forward. The FMs might discuss sanctions. The member states still could not agree on whether to go beyond UNSCR 1803, and thus the EU was very unlikely to adopt a package of new measures during Slovenia's presidency. He commented that it was possible that the Presidency could put the issue of designating entities and individuals on the June 23 Agriculture agenda; otherwise France would have to work on this. Middle East -------------- ¶3. (C) Arih stated that he did not expect anything dramatic or new on Israeli-Palestinian peace. In preparation for the Association Council with Israel the evening of June 16, the EU is currently discussing the question of whether to upgrade relations with Israel. If the June 12 COREPER meeting were unable to deal with this, then the FMs might have to discuss it. Arih noted that there would be strong EU support for the Berlin Conference in support of Palestinian Civil Police and Rule of Law. He said that under the Middle East agenda item, the GAERC would also discuss the political situation in Lebanon after the elections, as well as Israel-Syria peace talks under Turkey's mediation. Sudan/Darfur -------------- ¶4. (C) Arih commented that Sudan/Darfur was quite an important item on the agenda because Special Prosecutor for Sudan Campo would host this GAERC. Campo would give insights on his recent report to the UNSC on Sudan's cooperation with the ICC. Arih predicted that the FMs would discuss how to deal with Sudan and consider the possibility of sanctions. The GAERC conclusions would include a strong demand for Sudan to cooperate with the ICC, despite signals that Khartoum is not yet ready to do so. The EU would also express its readiness to consider possible measures against some individuals in the government responsible for the lack of cooperation. Cuba -------------- ¶5. (C) Arih said that the EU has had extensive, intensive discussions about lifting the restrictive measures, but there is still no agreement. He noted that the majority of member states believe the EU should have a political dialogue with Cuba to promote the values of democracy and human rights. The proposal under consideration would be to lift the LJUBLJANA 00000255 002 OF 002 sanctions and open a dialogue for one year, at the conclusion of which the EU would review the dialogue. Arih predicted there would be a difficult discussion at today's COREPER, and the FMs might have to make a final decision on June 16. Western Balkans -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) Arih noted that he did not expect a discussion on the Western Balkans as a separate agenda item, but that the GAERC would adopt Conclusions that would include Macedonia, Bosnia, and a roadmap for visa liberalization of the region. He added that the FMs would likely discuss Macedonia under the item of preparation for the European Council (EC). The EU is drafting the EC's conclusions, which would include a paragraph on Macedonia. He explained that the Slovenian Presidency is "very reluctant" to accede to Greece's demand to include the name issue in that paragraph. He predicted a difficult discussion on this. He added that the EU political directors would discuss Kosovo during their lunch on June 16, but the FMs decided to wait until more was known from New York. They plan to discuss Kosovo during their June 19 dinner when they hope to have a clearer picture, which would make it easier to decide on next steps. Central Asia -------------- ¶7. (C) Arih said that the FMs would not discuss Central Asia, but that there would be short conclusions on implementing the EU's Central Asia strategy. He added that the European Council conclusions would also include a reference to this. Georgia -------------- ¶8. (C) According to Arih, it was still unclear whether the FMs would discuss Georgia. Solana might want to report to the Council on his recent visit and his views on the EU's role on a solution to the conflict. Other Issues -------------- ¶9. (C) Arih noted that the FMs would also discuss preparations for the European Council and the Council conclusions. France, the Czech Republic and Sweden would present on the next 18-month trio Presidency. There would be a short exchange of views on the political situation in Burma. The FMs would discuss Zimbabwe before the second round of elections, sharing ideas on how to support international observers. Piracy off of the coast of Somalia would be a short agenda item; two member states want to express their views of the recent UNSCR. The main point of the conclusion would be to task the Secretariat and the Commission to find ways the EU could support the UNSCR on fighting piracy. Arih expressed the hope that there would not be a discussion on WTO/DDA, but they would see after the June 12 COREPER meeting. Over lunch, the FMs would exchange views on the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, which would be informed by today's referendum in Ireland. There would also be a short discussion on Tibet and negotiations between Beijing and the Dalai Lama. Belgium also requested to brief on the Great Lakes and DRoC. Lastly, FM Rupel would brief the GAERC on relations between the EU and the U.S. and report back on the Summit. GHAFARI