AUSTRIAN MFA ON RELATIONS WITH SYRIA: "CRITICAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001057

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ELA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/25/2023
TAGS: PREL PGOV SY LE EUN AU
SUBJECT: AUSTRIAN MFA ON RELATIONS WITH SYRIA: "CRITICAL
DIALOGUE"

REF: STATE 78880

Classified By: A/DCM Dean Yap. Reason: 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Austria acknowledges the problems of dealing
with Syria and the lack of concrete progress in the European
dialogue with Damascus thus far. Nonetheless, Vienna sees
multiple potential dangers to the broader Middle East should
Syria be isolated. Austria does and will continue to make
specific demands of Syria in its "critical dialogue" and
would welcome USG ideas on areas where Syria might be
especially open to pressure from Europe. End Summary.


2. (C) A/DCM met July 25 with Austrian MFA Acting Political
Director Thomas Hajnoczi and Acting Middle East Director
Christoph Meran to discuss the Austrian rationale for
engagement with Syria, plans for future steps, and to stress
the need for realistic and goal-focused engagement. Hajnoczi
began by acknowledging the difficulty of dealing with Syria,
noting that the Austrians had seen little progress and
affirming that Austrians' "critical dialogue" with the SARG
included specific demands, such as on human rights. That
said, in the Austrian view it was important to offer Damascus
a perspective for the future in order to discourage Syria
from lapsing into a purely obstructionist - or worse - mode.
Austria believes Syria could have a very negative role on a
range of issues in the broader Middle East. Moreover, Meran
noted, Austria's limited role gave it little scope to apply
negative pressure to the Syrian regime.


3. (C) Meran said that Austria's engagement with Syria was
focused on four areas: the environment, trade and investment
issues, development of democracy and civil society, and
agricultural development. Draft agreements existed in some
of these areas, for example on trade and good governance,
Hajnoczi reported, but they were on ice pending improvements
in Syrian behavior.


4. (C) Emboff stressed that, while the USG acknowledges that
Europe will continue to engage Syria, we were concerned that
Syrian action had not begun to match its rhetoric and that
intensified engagement provided concrete political benefits
to the Syrian regime at no cost. Emboff reviewed the many
points raised in reftel in which Syrian behavior was at odds
with Syrian rhetoric and western goals. Hajnoczi and Meran
acknowledged the justice of most of these points, though
Meran noted that Israeli PM Olmert had, in public at least,
praised the indirect dialogue with Syria via Turkey as a new
development worth promoting. Meran also took issue with the
idea that Syria had gained political benefits from European
engagement, arguing that Syria's influence in Arab circles
had fallen significantly in recent years and showed few signs
of recovery. Domestically, Meran said that Austrian FonMin
Plassnik had the impression from her fall 2007 visit that
Asad was hemmed in by domestic factions and had little room
for maneuver.


5. (C) Emboff reiterated the overall lack of concrete action
on Syria's part and urged that in future exchanges the
Austrians and other Europeans focus on achieving concrete
outcomes in the many areas of concern. Hajnoczi said that
this would continue to be an important part of Austria's
dialogue. In that context, the GoA would welcome any insight
the U.S. might have on specific areas where Syria would be
most vulnerable to diplomatic engagement.


6. (C) As to next steps, neither interlocutor expected new
substantive exchanges between Austria and Syria for at least
six months, while Austria's leaders are pre-occupied with
upcoming elections and subsequent negotiations on a new
governing coalition. An invitation to the Syrian Environment
and Agriculture Ministers to visit Vienna in September has
been postponed; the visit will probably not take place until
early 2009 at the earliest, after a new government is formed.
The only new "development" they foresaw in the relationship
was the dispatch of a new Austrian Ambassador to Damascus in
the fall.
Girard-diCarlo