SECRETARY RICE'S SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 BREAKFAST WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PARTO 091701 (Note: the unique message record number (MRN) has been modified. The original MRN was 08 PARTO000001, which duplicates a previous PARTO telegram number.) SIPDIS NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2018 TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA PREL PGOV ECON EI KV RU EUN, GG, PO SUBJECT: SECRETARY RICE'S SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 BREAKFAST WITH PORTUGUESE FM AMADO ¶1. (U) Classified by Paul Wohlers, Deputy Executive Secretary, S/ES, Department of State. Reason 1.4 (d) ¶2. (U) September 5, 2008, 0900, Lisbon, Portugal. ¶3. (U) Participants: U.S. The Secretary Ambassador Thomas Stephenson Assistant Secretary Dan Fried Legal Advisor John Bellinger Lt Gen William Fraser Gary Applegarth, notetaker Portugal Foreign Minister Luis Amado MFA Political Director Nuno Brito MFA Chief of Cabinet Francisco Menezes MFA Political Advisor Paulo Lourenco MFA Press Advisor Paula Mascarenhas ¶4. (C/NF) SUMMARY: In a 70-minute breakfast meeting Friday, September 5, the Secretary and Foreign Minister Amado continued discussion of a number of topics from the Secretary's meeting with the Prime Minister the previous night (septel) and from an informal dinner at the Residence that evening that included the Secretary, the Foreign Minister, Assistant Secretary Fried, and the Ambassador. The Secretary and Minister agreed that the U.S. and EU must remain unified to deal effectively with Russia, and FM Amado suggested EU membership for Ukraine could be an effective step, easier than NATO membership, to forestall any future Russian designs on that country. FM Amado confirmed that Portugal would recognize Kosovo soon, and the Secretary thanked him for Portugal's support in Afghanistan. Regarding the Secretary's impending visit to Libya, FM Amado stressed Qadhafi's role in countering terror in the Maghreb. The Secretary said modest progress is being made in Middle East talks, and Amado pointed to Turkey as a test case for dealing with the nuances of the Islamic world. The Secretary conceded the U.S. needed help with Guantanamo, but FM Amado said that accepting detainees would be difficult. FM Amado said he was confident Ireland would not forever stand in the way of EU adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. The Secretary said the United States may not be doing a good job publicizing AFRICOM's development mission. Finally, the Secretary and Ambassador Stephenson complimented FM Amado's strategic insights into the workings of the EU but cautioned him not to anticipate significant changes in U.S. foreign policy based on upcoming U.S. elections. End Summary. Russia: Unity is Key -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) Following a partly social dinner the evening before, the Secretary held a 70-minute breakfast meeting Friday, September 5, with Foreign Minister Luis Amado. The Secretary began the meeting with comments on Russia and Georgia, emphasizing that the United States and EU had significant leverage and that the key was to stay together, be firm, and show no gaps in the relationship that Russia could exploit. The Secretary and Minister Amado agreed there was no need to push for sanctions at this time, but rather the United States and EU should stand firm and allow Russia to continue its course of self-destruction - Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia had done much to diminish its position as the provoked party. Amado commented that Russia's recognition had "blown out of the water" any continued argument by Russia against the recognition of Kosovo. ¶6. (C/NF) Discussion also touched on prudent next steps to counter any similar Russian designs on Ukraine, and Minister Amado said he thought EU membership would be an effective move, and would be quicker, easier, and less provocative to Russia than moving to admit Ukraine into NATO. Guantanamo - U.S. Needs Help -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) The Secretary reiterated U.S. interest in securing EU help in closing Guantanamo, noting FM Amado?s past interest in this issue. Legal Advisor Bellinger observed that Europeans now seemed to understand that the existing criminal and international humanitarian law frameworks were not well-suited to deal with the threat of international terrorism. Bellinger emphasized the particular difficulties the United States has faced in resettling Uighur detainees and the challenge of dealing with a large number of Yemenis; he asked for EU assistance in resettlements, either in Europe or in other countries. Ambassador Stephenson added that Europe has focused only on the symbolism of Guantanamo as representative of all that is wrong about our conduct of the War on Terror and has ignored the necessity of a facility somewhere to hold dangerous terrorists. FM Amado responded that Portugal wanted to help but that the issues had to be dealt with on a multilateral basis because of bilateral sensitivities in so many EU countries. He noted that the ongoing dialogue on the applicable framework had been helpful to narrow differences. He said he had written to the Slovenian EU Presidency to urge them to deal with the Guantanamo issue, and that he would also raise the issue of Guantanamo and the legal framework with the French Presidency. He suggested that we ought to be able to move faster on these issues in transatlantic discussions. The Secretary welcomed these ideas. Kosovo Recognition Appreciated - Whenever It Happens -------------- -------------- ¶8. (C/NF) Ambassador Stephenson alluded to the previous night's discussion of Kosovo recognition and asked why, if the decision had been made to recognize, the recognition could not be made prior to the UN General Assembly meeting. FM Amado replied that, while the decision to recognize had been made, the Prime Minister was uncomfortable taking the step until he had spoken again with President Cavaco Silva. The Secretary expressed gratitude that Portugal would be recognizing Kosovo and, although recognition prior to the upcoming UN General Assembly would be helpful, she said she understood if internal considerations precluded that timing. Afghanistan - Help Appreciated -------------- ¶9. (C/NF) The Secretary reiterated U.S. appreciation for Portugal's help with operations in Afghanistan. General Fraser echoed that appreciation, citing Portugal's current contingent of a C-130 aircraft and an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT),and urging that the promised second OMLT be deployed as soon as possible. Minister Amado did not respond. Libya - Helpful Counter to Terror -------------- ¶10. (C/NF) Regarding the Secretary's visit to Libya, FM Amado stressed the important role Libya and the Maghreb are playing in counterterrorism, and that Col. Qadhafi helped raise recognition of the seriousness of the terrorist threat to the region. Amado pointed out the importance of Sunni support for the war on terror, given the Shi'a leadership in Iraq. FM Amado and the Secretary concurred in their concern over reported strengthening of Al Qaeda in the Maghreb, and agreed that the United States and EU needed the support of Qadhafi to counter this threat. The Middle East - Progress and the Turkish Model -------------- --- ¶11. (C/NF) The discussion turned to the Middle East, and FM Amado asked for the Secretary's opinion on the progress of ongoing talks. The Secretary replied that progress had been made both in terms of process and substance, and expressed pleasure that both sides continued to communicate directly with each other rather than attempting to negotiate through the press. The Secretary added that politics could never be separated from this process, and that the politics of Israel were particularly complicated now, given the uncertainty regarding the survivability of the current government. The Foreign Minister suggested the Secretary sounded optimistic and she responded that, while one was never optimistic about the Middle East, she was not pessimistic. Modest progress was being made upon which the next U.S. administration could build. ¶12. (C/NF) Minister Amado suggested the United States and EU should look at Turkey as an important model for dealing with the complicated nature of the Islamic world, and how events there serve as an educational test case for Sunni-Shi'a relations and other nuances. U.S.-EU Relationship -------------- ¶13. (C/NF) The Secretary asked Minister Amado about the status of the Treaty of Lisbon since Ireland's rejection. Amado replied that it would take time, but that he expected Ireland to come around and adopt the treaty, possibly after some minor adjustments were made to satisfy Irish concerns. He added that no one believed Ireland alone will stand in the way of eventual EU adoption of the Treaty of Lisbon. ¶14. (C/NF) FM Amado asked about the status of AFRICOM, and the Secretary replied that there continued to be some misperception in Africa about the nature of the new command. She admitted that the USG had not done an adequate job of explaining to Africa that AFRICOM was about furthering democracy, and was not a structure for military deployment. ¶15. (C/NF) The Secretary and Ambassador both complimented FM Amado for his strategic insights into the workings of the EU, but cautioned the Minister not to anticipate major changes in U.S.-EU relations based on the upcoming U.S. elections. While some U.S. positions--such as trade policy--could substantially change with a new U.S. administration and have a near-term impact on the relationship, U.S. foreign policy was like an aircraft carrier, and required significant time and effort to "come about" to a new heading. The Ambassador and the Secretary did suggest Europe should worry about possible isolationist trade policies under an administration and congress controlled by the Democratic Party. RICE