G8 POLITICAL DIRECTORS MEETINGS IN TOKYO, JUNE 10,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 TOKYO 001642

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER UK IT GM RS CA SI AF PK
IR, BM, ZI, JA
SUBJECT: G8 POLITICAL DIRECTORS MEETINGS IN TOKYO, JUNE 10,
2008

Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer, reasons 1.4(b),(d).


1. (C) Summary: Under Secretary Bill Burns participated in
the June 9-10, 2008 Tokyo meetings of the G8 Political
Directors, hosted by Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister for
Political Affairs Kenichiro Sasae. Discussion topics included
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Zimbabwe and a review of the
plans for the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting June 26-27. At an
informal PD,s dinner on June 9, U/S Burns briefed on Middle
East issues and Japanese DFM Sasae led a discussion on DPRK
and the Six Party Talks. End Summary.


2. (U) Participants:

U.S.: Bill Burns
Japan: Kenichiro Sasae (host)
UK: Mark Lyall Grant
France: Gerard Araud
Italy: Giulio Terzi di Sant'Agata
Germany: Volker Stanzel
Russia: Sergei Kislyak
Canada: Colleen Swords
Slovenia (EU Presidency): Matjaz Sinkovec
EU Council Secretariat: Robert Cooper
EU Commission: Karel Kovanda

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AFGHANISTAN
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3. (C) The Political Directors reviewed the draft text of the
"Statement on Afghanistan" to be approved by G8 Foreign
Ministers at their June 26 meeting in Kyoto. Participants
stressed the need to sharpen the text, focus on deliverables
from the Paris Conference, recognize the International
Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) role in creating a stabile
security environment, and examine ways foster Afghan and
Pakistani cooperation in the border region. U/S Burns
emphasized the need to strengthen support for UN
Secretary-General Kai Eide and the role of the UN Assistance
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).


4. (C) Russian PD Kislyak expressed concern that the
statement was too positive and noted that problems of
instability caused by terrorism and narco-trafficking were
not sufficiently addressed. Sasae undertook to incorporate
edits proposed and other edits based on comments by PDs and
circulate a revised draft by the end of the week.


5. (C) DFM Sasae also highlighted changes to the draft text
of the "Coordination Arrangement for the G8
Afghanistan-Pakistan Initiative," noting that the draft text
did not mandate creation of any new institutions.


6. (C) German PD Stanzel reiterated his proposal to invite
the Pakistani and Afghan Foreign Ministers to Kyoto in order
to help obtain and solidify Kabul's and Islamabad's
commitment and buy-in to stated goals, and to endorse of the
over 150 projects that have been proposed since the last
Foreign Ministerial. The UK's Lyall Grant replied that while
Afghan and Pakistani participation might be useful, it was
not essential. Canada offered strong objections, arguing
that participation would lead to watering down the draft text
and the late inclusion of the ministers would not be helpful.
After private consultations with the parties, Sasae
announced that the Afghan and Pakistani foreign ministers
would be not be invited this year with the understanding that
Italy would invite them next year. Italian PD Terzi committed
to reporting the proposal to his foreign minister.

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PAKISTAN

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7. (C) Sasae said it was important for G8 members to support
Pakistan's efforts on the path to democracy and in opposition
to terrorism. The UK, along with others, highlighted the
fragile nature of developments in the country, while noting
that the army appeared to be backing away from the political
process. G8 support efforts must not interfere with the
internal dynamics. Noting that the presence of Afghan Al
Qaeda, Afghan Taliban, and Pakistani Taliban groups along the
border complicated the security picture, Lyall Grant said it
was important the Pakistani Army not take actions detrimental
to the interests of Afghan authorities, especially with
regard to Afghan Taliban forces. Canada opined that, with
its fragile political situation and nuclear capability,
Pakistan would present serious concerns even if it did not
border Afghanistan. U/S Burns urged the G8 to make long-term
commitments to Pakistan and welcomed collective efforts to
support security and economic development.

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Foreign Ministers, Agenda
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8. (C) Russian PD Kislyak opposed the inclusion of Tibet as
a separate agenda item and suggested it be discussed under
"Any Other Business (AOB)". Specifying Tibet as an agenda
item would not be helpful to the G8's interactions with
China, he said, contending that Tibet is an "internal matter"
for China. This assertion was challenged by others, who
pointed out that many of the issues the G8 address can be
seen as "internal" and that the Ministers have the right to
raise any issue they choose.


9. (C) U/S Burns noted that the Secretary considers Tibet a
very important issue and that the G8 Ministers need to have
enough time to discuss it and that this discussion ought to
be reflected in a brief, measured reference in the Chair's
statement. Germany and the UK said the G8 should be free to
discuss any issue and that the Chair's statement should
reflect all issues discussed. While noting the resistance by
some to Russia's argument, Sasae decided to remove Tibet as a
separate agenda item, committing to raising it in the AOB
session and to summarizing the discussion in the Chairman's
statement.


10. (C) French PD Araud proposed removing the Western Balkans
from the agenda, replacing it with a discussion on the
Caucasus, and, more specifically, Georgia. This would show
Georgian authorities that the international community cares
and is ready to be involved in fostering direct negotiations
with the Abkhaz. U/S Burns and most of the other
participants agreed with the proposal, noting that the
Western Balkans had been discussed extensively in previous
meetings. Kislyak registered Russia's disagreement with this
proposal, arguing that the ministers should discuss items
where progress was possible. "The G8 will not be able to
constructively contribute to the situation in Georgia, he
asserted, while the Western Balkans problems are far from
resolved and will remain on the international agenda for
generations. In its role as President of the G8, Japan noted
the disagreement and said it would consider the proposal.


11. (C) Later in the day, in the working lunch, Lyall Grant
again asked Kislyak for his views on the situation in the
Caucasus. Kislyak responded that it is "less than
encouraging" and said that meetings held so far have been
inconclusive. Georgia, he said, must withdrawal forces that
it "illegally" introduced into the border areas, and said
there are signs that Georgia continues to prepare for
military operations by pre-positioning forces and equipment.
"We remain always mindful of the threat," he said.

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Accordingly, Russia has reinforced its peacekeepers under the
agreed upon limits, and is working to restore rail lines in
the area. Proposals for economic and commercial cooperation
have all failed and it is too early, he said, to say if
things are more positive now than they were before. In
response to questions about whether the work on the rail
lines are a military operation, Kislyak said that the work is
being done by a military railway battalion, but that these
are simply engineers, not combat troops, and that they were
selected to do the work because they have capabilities to
move more quickly in difficult areas than civilian engineers.
U/S Burns asked him why the Russians did not consult with
the Georgians before deploying the railway battalion, but
Kislyak simply replied that the project has been in progress
for some time, that it is humanitarian in nature, and that it
will ultimately prove beneficial to the Georgians.

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COUNTERTERRORISM STATEMENT
--------------


12. (C) Japan said the Leaders' Statement would include
nonproliferation, peace building and transnational organized
crime, along with economic issues, while the Chairman's
Statement would cover regional issues. U/S Burns said the
United States strongly believes in the need for a stand alone
G8 Leaders Statement on counterterrorism (CT),noting the
global interest in this important issue. While the United
States is ready to further refine the draft language, keeping
text on the terrorists' use of charitable financial
institutions is a priority. Russia, while joining the
consensus supporting a stand alone CT statement, proposed
time be set aside for the Foreign Ministers to review the CT
statement prior to it being sent to the G8 leaders. All the
other PDs also supported the U.S. argument for a stand alone
CT statement. Japan said it would defer to the preference of
the G8 members for a stand alone statement, while stating
that experts like the Lyon-Roma Group need to review the
substantive issues raised in the statement. Japan will
redraft and circulate the statement to the Political
Directors and to the Lyon-Roma Group.

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IRAN
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13. (C) French PD Araud led the discussion on Iran
highlighting EU's Javier Solana upcoming visit to Tehran,
where he and several European PDs will present Iran with an
updated version of the 2006 offer of cooperation in exchange
for Iran giving up its nuclear program. To date, Iran as
shown no interest in negotiating and has been adamant in
refusing to abide by rules set by the international
community. The only hint of a break from this is that the
wording Iran used in its counter offer of a cooperation
package includes language similar to that used in the 2006
offer. Commenting on the situation on the ground, Araud said
Iran seems to have set in place new cascades, marking a
continuation of a chaotic nuclear program that Iran's leaders
recognize does not work well but continue to pursue for
political reasons. Iran also has shown no intention of
answering the IAEA's questions on alleged connection between
its military and its nuclear program.


14. (C) Russia, which joined France as lead on this topic,
noted that while Iran has much to gain from accepting the
2006 P-5 plus one offer, Tehran never even looked at it. In
relative terms, that was a more likely time for progress as
there were splits in Tehran on the path forward. On the
other hand, now there is no apparent discussion in Iran on
the trade-offs of cooperating with the international
community. The best that can be hoped for from the visit by

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Solana next week is that it will spark internal debate in
Iran.


15. (C) Every opportunity to encourage internal Iranian
debate should be encouraged, Italy said. The P-5 plus one
must continue to pursue the dual track of offering
cooperation and showing Iran's public and leaders that the
international community is ready to engage, while also
keeping on the pressure by showing readiness to pass and
implement sanctions. The European Commission representative
speculated there is probably more debate in Tehran than we
can see, as evidenced by the contest over how much
information to give the IAEA. Germany said the package that
Iran offered as a counter package shows a unified leadership
and also allowed Iran to pass a message to the Middle East
that it is standing toe to toe with the West. The UK said it
is necessary to engage Iran but expressed pessimism about a
positive outcome and said the international community needs
to be ready to put on the pressure, including implementing UN
Resolution 1803. If those measures have no impact, then
wider measures, including those focused on specific sectors
and hydrocarbons, will need to be considered.


16. (C) Sasae closed the conversation noting all need to be
ready to step up the pressure if Solana's visit to Tehran
next week is unsuccessful. This includes the G-8 being ready
to issue a strong statement. Solving this problem will not
be easy, Sasae noted, recalling that his counterparts during
his last visit to Tehran said Iran is adamant about its right
to peaceful use of nuclear energy and that it wants to be
recognized as a major player in the region. Iran's President
Ahmadinejad showed this resolve as he engaged in a heated
debate with Prime Minister Fukuda during an hour long meeting
last week.

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BURMA
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17. (C) DFM Sasae provided a briefing on where things
currently stand in Burma, concluding that putting pressure on
the regime is not enough; they must also be given incentives
to act in a more positive manner. He noted the Regime had
gradually begun to accept disaster assistance, but had done
so selectively, choosing to work only with their "friends",
China, India and Thailand. Japan believes the more pressure
we exert on them, the more they will consider us as "enemies"
and look more exclusively to other nations not deemed as
hostile. There was discussion about whether the emphasis of
the G8 at this point should be on humanitarian assistance or
political reform, the consensus being that assistance is
paramount at this moment but that we should not lose sight of
the political situation. U/S Burns stress the importance of
pressing hard for access and a systematic needs assessment by
the UN/ASEAN team, and emphasized the need to also keep
focused on the underlying political problem in Burma.
Russian PD Kislyak said the United Nations must be the key,
the current task at hand is to provide humanitarian
assistance, and that the delivery of such assistance must be
depoliticized.


18. (C) French PD Araud was vocal in terming the regime as
"repugnant, brutal, ineffective and corrupt" and argued that
the principle of "responsibility to protect" needs to be
examined more closely in light of the Burma situation. Italy
agreed that perhaps it is time to reexamine this concept, and
Canada's Colleen Swords said that as this is a moral
principle, one shouldn't get too hung up on legalities. UK
PD Lyall Grant also concurred that maybe this concept can be
reexamined, but pointed out that currently most lawyers seem
to be in accord that it does not apply.


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ZIMBABWE
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19. (C) The short term outlook for Zimbabwe is "bloody and
difficult" predicted the UK's Lyall Grant. The run-off
election is scheduled for the same day the Ministers meet.
The immediate priority, he said, is to get as many observers
as possible into the country but reports of intimidation
paint a very bad picture. His government is not optimistic
that the second round will be held in an environment
conducive to fair and peaceful elections. Canada's Swords
said the situation is fast becoming a humanitarian crisis
caused by the actions of the Mugabe government, and also
noted there are indications that perhaps the military, not
the civilians, are now calling the shots in Harare in order
to protect their positions. Kislyak said that it would be
unhelpful for the Ministers to be issuing "empty slogans" on
the same day as the election. Lyall Grant agreed, but said
it is right that Zimbabwe is on the agenda and that the
situation must be watched closely to determine how the
Foreign Ministers should react.

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BMENA FORUM FOR THE FUTURE
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20. (C) Sasae concluded the substantive discussions by
mentioning that sub-cabinet level meetings on the BMENA Forum
for the Future were currently underway in Dubai and that the
Ministerial is due to take place in Abu Dhabi on October
18-19. He urged the G8 governments to cooperate with the
countries of the Middle East on this initiative.

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NEXT STEPS
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21. (C) Sasae noted that the last PD meeting prior to the
Ministerial will be held the evening of June 25 in Kyoto.
Japan will be working to simplify the Chair's draft statement
and to redraft the stand alone statement on Afghanistan.
Both will be circulated by the end of the week. The
Afghanistan statement will be released on the evening of June
26 to build up media coverage going into main day of G8
Foreign Ministers' meetings on June 27.
SCHIEFFER