SPANISH VIEWS ON SEPTEMBER GYMNICH

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 000971 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL SP USEU SUBJECT: SPANISH VIEWS ON SEPTEMBER GYMNICH REF: STATE 93264 Classified By: DCM Arnold Chacon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel to Spanish MFA Deputy Political Director Ricardo Lopez Aranda on September 2. Lopez stated that due to the nature of the GYMNICH -- i.e., an informal discussion amongst foreign ministers aimed at promoting creative solutions in the development of EU policy -- no agenda could be confirmed with certainty. He did, however, share the following GOS views. //MEPP// ¶2. (C) Lopez said that Spain's views coincided with the U.S. desire to support negotiation to the extent possible without jeopardizing the integrity of the process. He said that the Quartet principals would be key to any agreement reached. //EU SECURITY// ¶3. (C) Lopez agreed that the United States and Spain shared many of the same security threats and challenges. He predicted that the negotiations on an EU Security strategy would likely start with the existing plan. The EU would not start from scratch on this issue, he said, but rather supplement the existing plan with additional policies on climate change, energy strategy and illegal immigration. //TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS// ¶4. (C) According to Lopez, maintaining strong transatlantic relations is not only important to Spain, but to the EU as well. He added that strengthening transatlantic relations would be an important theme in Spain's 2010 EU Presidency. Aguirre