SPAIN/GLOBAL INITIATIVE: SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000657

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR U/S ROOD AND GLOBAL INITIATIVE DELEGATION

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/09/2018
TAGS: PARM PREL PTER KGIC KNNP SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN/GLOBAL INITIATIVE: SCENESETTER FOR THE VISIT
OF U/S ROOD (16-18 JUNE)

MADRID 00000657 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: CDA James Dudley for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Embassy Madrid warmly welcomes your visit
to Spain. Although your relatively short time in Madrid will
be taken up with events surrounding the fourth plenary
session of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism,
it will provide a key opportunity to highlight the importance
we place on the U.S.-Spain relationship in the field of
nonproliferation and counterterrorism. Spain is an important
friend and ally of the U.S., and we value its cooperation.
Spain is a member in good standing of all major
nonproliferation organizations and regimes and understands
the importance of international cooperation in our joint
efforts. The fight against terrorism, narcotics, and human
trafficking forms the cornerstone of our bilateral
relationship, and Spanish troops are carrying out important
missions in countries such as Afghanistan and Lebanon. Spain
has long fought a domestic terrorist threat from the Basque
terrorist group ETA and suffered tragically from Islamic
extremist terrorism in the 2004 Madrid train bombings. We
have a great deal in common when it comes to counterterrorism
and law enforcement, and we need to be innovative in finding
new and improved avenues for bilateral cooperation with a
trusted multilateral ally against the common threats we face.
Spain is a great believer in the Global Initiative and has
eagerly awaited the chance to demonstrate its commitment by
hosting this plenary session. We believe you will find
Secretary of State Angel Lossada (Deputy Foreign Minister)
and his MFA nonproliferation and arms control team eager to
hear your thoughts on ways we can further broaden and deepen
our bilateral cooperation. END SUMMARY.

//COUNTERTERRORISM//


2. (C) Spain is an al-Qaeda target and a critical player in
U.S.-EU counterterrorism efforts due to its proximity to the
Maghreb and a population that includes more than one million
Muslims, mostly immigrants. Senior Al-Qaeda leaders often
call for attacks to recapture the medieval "Al Andalus," and
the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco are a
fixation for some extremists. On March 11, 2004, Madrid
suffered bloody train bombings perpetrated by Islamic
extremists. The Spanish government considers the threat from
Islamic terrorism to be one of its top national security
priorities and has identified numerous Islamic extremist
groups operating within its borders. The Spanish are
actively pursuing Islamic extremism terrorism-related
investigations and have scores of suspects in jail. Public
opinion polling shows nearly three quarters of Spaniards are
worried about the threat of Islamic fundamentalism, more than
in the U.S. or Europe as a whole.


3. (C) Bilateral cooperation is strong. Spain pursues an
aggressive agenda in law enforcement, judicial, and
information-sharing efforts, at least with us. One example
is the HSPD-6 agreement we signed in 2007 to facilitate the
sharing of information between our national counterterrorism
authorities. Spain participates in the Container Security
Initiative (in the ports of Algeciras, Barcelona, and
Valencia) and the Megaports Initiative to detect radioactive
cargo (in the port of Algeciras with anticipated expansion to
Barcelona and Valencia next year). Spain also is a founding
member of the Proliferation Security Initiative and has
participated actively during its five-year existence. Spain
is a great believer in the Global Initiative and has been at
the forefront of efforts to expand membership.

//POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CLIMATE//


4. (C) President Zapatero's center-left Spanish Socialist
Workers' Party (PSOE) was the victor in the March 9 general
election. Zapatero's new cabinet includes Spain's first-ever
female Minister of Defense, Carme Chacon. Miguel Angel
Moratinos remains in place as Minister of Foreign Affairs,
and his former DG for Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Arms
Control, Angel Lossada, has moved up to the number two slot.
Although Lossada does not agree with every aspect of U.S. CT
policy, he has shown himself in the past to be a reliable
interlocutor for this Embassy and has emphasized the role of
international cooperation in the fight against violent
extremism. Lossada worked hard to ensure Spain played a key
role in international nonproliferation regimes and his office

MADRID 00000657 002.2 OF 002


did a great deal to support U.S. actions on Iran and within
the Global Initiative. He speaks decent English and has been
willing in the past to organize MFA roundtables on CT for
high-level USG visitors such as S/CT Coordinator Dell Dailey.
He met on June 10 with visiting USAFRICOM Commander General
Ward. In his new position as Deputy Foreign Minister,
Lossada will be the only career diplomat among the four key
advisors on FM Moratinos' leadership team. The principal
opposition party remains the center right Popular Party (PP),
but it is going through a leadership crisis. The Spanish
public is skeptical of U.S. foreign policy but supportive of
good bilateral relations.


5. (SBU) Spain has enjoyed one of the fastest growing
economies in Europe, but growth is slowing significantly. A
housing boom that had contributed greatly to growth for
several years ended abruptly last year, and prices are
stagnating, construction slowing, and unemployment and
inflation rising. U.S. investment has long been important to
the economy (more so than bilateral trade),but the tables
have turned. In 2007, Spain was the fourth largest foreign
investor in the U.S., with particular emphasis in banking,
construction, and renewable energy.

//GENERAL MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC COOPERATION//


6. (C) Spanish military cooperation is important to the U.S.
The southern Spanish bases of Rota and Moron are strategic
hubs, midway between the U.S. and theaters of operation in
Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. planes and ships account for over
4,000 flights and 250 port calls a year in Spain. Although
the Zapatero government has imposed a ceiling of 3,000 on
troop deployments, Spain has troops in Lebanon (soon to be
more than 1,100),Afghanistan (750),Kosovo (500),Bosnia
(260),and a smattering of others in various UN & EU observer
missions. Elsewhere on the diplomatic front, Spain in recent
years has more often been a follower than a leader, looking
to stay within EU consensus on issues such as Iran and
missile defense. Spain has yet to recognize Kosovo and is so
far refusing to train or fund Kosovar security forces.
Nonetheless, its commitment to KFOR remains firm. Spain is
supportive of U.S. efforts towards Middle East peace. Driven
by the twin threats of terrorism and illegal immigration,
Spain is also increasing its engagement with the countries of
North and Western Africa. Spain invests heavily in Latin
America and wields significant influence there. Like the
U.S., Spain wants strong democratic and free market
institutions in the region. We have sharply differing views
on Cuba. Spain believes it can encourage change via
engagement. We take every opportunity to remind the Spanish
that the Cuban regime is only interested in survival and that
Cuban dissidents need and deserve the active and visible
support of democracies everywhere. On Venezuela, the
Socialist government's early efforts at constructive
engagement with Chavez have gone sour. Nevertheless, Spain
appears to be going ahead with the sale of four ocean-going
patrol ships and four Coast Guard-type high seas patrol ships
(plans to sell aircraft to Venezuela were scuttled when the
U.S. objected to the transfer of U.S. technology in the
aircraft).

//CONCLUSION//


7. (U) Again, we are looking forward to your visit. As the
second Zapatero government gets underway, we need to set the
stage for ever-improving cooperation in the fight against
terrorism and WMD proliferation. We face common threats; the
Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, law enforcement and
military services are capable, and Spain sits in a strategic
location. There is much we can do together.
Dudley