Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09COPENHAGEN238
2009-05-22 07:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Copenhagen
Cable title:  

SCENESETTER FOR MAJORITY LEADER HOYER'S VISIT TO

Tags:  PGOV PREL ECON NATO PTER DA 
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VZCZCXRO0653
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHCP #0238/01 1420755
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 220755Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4968
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COPENHAGEN 000238 

SIPDIS

FOR H, EUR, AND EUR/NB
H PLEASE PASS TO MAJORITY LEADER HOYER
FOR MAJORITY LEADER HOYER FROM CHARGE D'AFFAIRES TERENCE P.
MCCULLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON NATO PTER DA
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR MAJORITY LEADER HOYER'S VISIT TO
COPENHAGEN

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Terence P. McCulley, reasons 1.4b
,d

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COPENHAGEN 000238

SIPDIS

FOR H, EUR, AND EUR/NB
H PLEASE PASS TO MAJORITY LEADER HOYER
FOR MAJORITY LEADER HOYER FROM CHARGE D'AFFAIRES TERENCE P.
MCCULLEY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON NATO PTER DA
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR MAJORITY LEADER HOYER'S VISIT TO
COPENHAGEN

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Terence P. McCulley, reasons 1.4b
,d


1. (SBU) Mr. Majority Leader, welcome back to Copenhagen.
Your return here is much anticipated and appreciated by the
Danes, who are eager to reaffirm close U.S.-Danish ties both
with the new administration and with the senior leadership of
the new congress. Denmark remains one of our closest allies,
and your meetings with Danish parliamentary counterparts and
government leaders will reinforce the U.S.-Danish partnership
as we work together to confront global threats to peace,
freedom, and prosperity. Your meetings with Denmark's new
prime minister and long-serving foreign minister will provide
an opportunity to thank Denmark for its unflinching
engagement in global hotspots such as Afghanistan, the
Balkans, and the Horn of Africa. Denmark's popular and
ambitious climate minister, along with your parliamentary
hosts, will be keen to hear your assessment of the prospects
for U.S. climate legislation that could set the negotiating
parameters for the United States in December's UN Climate
(COP-15) Summit, which the Danes will host in Copenhagen.
And, finally, all of your interlocutors will be interested in
your views on how the U.S. and Europe can work together to
encourage global economic recovery. As you know, the Danes
are absolutely committed to sustained, active engagement to
meet these challenges in cooperation with us.

A Steady Partner in the Wider World
--------------


2. (SBU) Denmark's commitment can be seen in its many
overseas deployments, from its naval vessels on patrol off
the Horn of Africa, to its peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and
its battle-hardened troops engaging the Taliban in
Afghanistan's southern Helmand province. Danish intelligence
and security services work hand in hand with ours in
combating al-Qaeda at home and abroad. A world leader in
alternative energy technology, Danish firms are at the

forefront of developments in wind power and biofuels,
strengthening Denmark's "green" credentials as it prepares to
host the UN Climate Summit (COP-15) in December 2009. Denmark
contributes 0.8 percent of its GDP in development and
humanitarian aid, mostly to Africa but also to Afghanistan,
Iraq, and the Palestinian territories.


3. (SBU) Having just taken office in April following former
Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen's selection as NATO's
next secretary general, new Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke
Rasmussen presides over a thin majority but with a commanding
position against a subdued center-left opposition. Although
the Danish economy experienced a healthy expansion in recent
years, it, too, now is feeling the effects of the global
economic crisis -- unemployment is up, exports are down, and
the Danes also debate policy options among themselves and
with EU partners as they work to provide policy and financial
assistance to ailing neighbors like Iceland and Latvia. And
while the international financial crisis draws most of the
government's attention at home, Denmark is not without other
domestic problems -- among them the challenges of a
multicultural society. Strained relations with its
200,000-strong Muslim immigrant population were highlighted
during the 2006 cartoon crisis and again last year when some
of those drawings were reprinted here.


4. (SBU) However, even amid the global financial turmoil, the
Danes have managed to maintain focus and domestic consensus
on a broader foreign policy agenda that includes Afghanistan,
the future of European security, Mid-East peace, and emerging
threats as diverse as terrorism, piracy, and climate change.
In the Danes you will find committed Atlanticists, convinced
of the primacy of NATO (while looking to eliminate Denmark's
EU "opt-outs" on defense, justice and the euro as soon as
possible) but concerned about the Alliance's ability to meet
new and ongoing challenges. Although they continue to
distinguish themselves through their engagement in critical
missions, the Danes have allowed their investments in defense
to flag (now below 1.3 percent of GDP),with little public
support for reversing that trend. Denmark will this fall
choose a replacement for its current F-16 fleet, with either
Lockheed Martin's JSF or the Boeing F-18 Super Hornet widely
expected to best Sweden's Gripen fighter.


5. (C) The Danish deployment in Afghanistan enjoys broad
parliamentary backing and public support, but the Danes
remain troubled by the difficulties of securing greater --
and more flexible -- contributions from Allies and what this
means for the future of NATO. The foreign minister and prime

COPENHAGEN 00000238 002 OF 002


minister will no doubt brief you on their desire to encourage
greater "solidarity" among Alliance members in Afghanistan.
FM Moller visited Afghanistan in late November of last year,
highlighting his skepticism of political engagement with
Taliban leaders and predicting publicly that Danish forces
will be present there for another 4-5 years. In the
meantime, the Danes, like everyone else, watch with alarm
developments in Pakistan, and have offered modest financial
and other assistance to Islamabad.


6. (C) Denmark itself is on the front lines of the battle
against extremism and terror in Europe, and the Danes are
working closely with us to disrupt nascent terror cells and
promote better integration of immigrant communities. Danish
authorities have made a number of high-profile arrests in the
past two years, including one with direct links to al-Qaeda
and on which we cooperated closely. Denmark has a mixed
record on prosecutions and we are now providing them with
assistance in this area as well. Although the
cartoons/freedom of expression issue remains something of a
blind spot for the Danes, there are signs of an evolution in
public opinion here; a 2008 poll showed majorities approving
of the cartoon's original publication but disapproving of
their re-publication.

Eager to Look Ahead
--------------


7. (SBU) Naturally, your Danish interlocutors are keenly
interested in our new administration and congress and will
welcome your insights into high-priority agenda items for us
over the next year. The Danes will certainly highlight their
hosting of the UN COP-15 meeting here next December, which
they hope will approve a new global climate change treaty and
solidify Danish credentials as a leader in renewable energy.
Danish Climate Minister Connie Hedegaard was recently named
one of Time magazine's 100 most influential global leaders
for her active and ambitious engagement on climate issues.
Hedegaard has made numerous trips to Washington over the past
two years to begin setting the agenda for COP-15 and to press
for aggressive U.S. action in reaching a new post-Kyoto
agreement. She has also hosted a significant number of your
House and Senate colleagues (including Speaker Pelosi) in
Greenland for climate policy-related visits.


8. (SBU) In addition to expressing appreciation for all
Denmark has done -- especially in Afghanistan -- your
meetings are an excellent opportunity to reassure the Danes
that the new administration and congress are committed to
working closely with European partners, particularly those
such as Denmark who remain dedicated to active engagement on
global challenges. Long among the most pro-American allies
in Europe, the Danes approach the new U.S. administration
with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, hopeful about
new opportunities and a freshening of the relationship, but
also concerned about maintaining a privileged position
despite their relatively small size. Ultimately, such
concerns will be addressed in time, but your visit offers an
important opportunity to reaffirm in strong terms the
enduring affection and strategic partnership between our two
nations.


9. (SBU) Mr. Majority Leader, I look forward to welcoming you
here next week. Sincerely, Terry McCulley.
MCCULLEY