GAERC: LITHUANIA WANTS TO BUILD CONSENSUS TO DELAY

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000923 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/31/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV ETRD EUN RS GG AF LH SUBJECT: GAERC: LITHUANIA WANTS TO BUILD CONSENSUS TO DELAY POST-PCA RESUMPTION REF: A. STATE 115017 ¶B. VILNIUS 903 Classified By: Charge Damian R. Leader for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Post discussed ref a points October 30 with MFA Head of the Common Foreign and Security Policy Division Egidijus Navikas in anticipation of the November 3 Gymnich and the November 10-11 GAERC. The most pressing issues to the Lithuanians for these two meetings are the resolution of the Georgia situation and whether or not the EU should resume post-PCA negotiations with the Russians, something the Lithuanians are dead set against (ref b). ¶2. (C) Navikas pointed out that resuming these negotiations with Russia will be done by consensus, rather than by voting, therefore using a singular 'veto' is not applicable. He said the best case scenario for the Lithuanians is to build an alternative consensus to delay the resumption. Navikas said the Foreign Ministers from EU member states who agree on pursuing this alternative -- the other Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden and to a lesser extent the UK -- have agreed to meet on the margins of the Gymnich to strategize. Note: The Lithuanians have multiple tracks to achieve this delay. MFA Undersecretary Zygimantis Pavilionis, who has the actual lead on this issue for the GOL, traveled to Washington October 30 to directly present the Lithuanian case and enlist our help in prodding the reluctant British to also advocate delaying the resumption of negotiations. End note. ¶3. (C) Navikas also addressed the Medvedev proposals, saying the Lithuanians see them as a Russian attempt to undermine NATO. He said the main Lithuanian goal of the Transatlantic Relations issue (ref a) -- the main topic of conversation for the Gymnich -- is to have a U.S.-EU cooperation level that would make a future "Georgia" impossible. ¶4. (C) On other GAERC points, Navikas said the Lithuanians are open to increased EU funding for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Western Pakistan (though they are not in a position to fund),and additional EU sanctions on Iran. Though the Lithuanians are not really focused on Doha, Navikas did say he would look into their positions on overall EU trade with the producer countries -- Brazil, China, and India. LEADER