PORTUGAL TO SEEK EU POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 LISBON 000042 NOFORN E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2019 TAGS: PGOV PTER PO SUBJECT: PORTUGAL TO SEEK EU POLITICAL ENDORSEMENT OF DETAINEE RESETTLEMENT REF: 08 LISBON 2769 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES, A.I. DAVID BALLARD, FOR 1.4 B AND D. ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See para 5. ¶2. (C/NF) SUMMARY. Portuguese MFA Deputy Political Director Rui Macieira told DCM January 20 that Portugal will seek during the January 26 GAERC to obtain clear EU "political endorsement" to allow willing member states to accept Guantanamo detainees. The Portuguese proposal is that the EU, including the Commission and Secretariat, provide a political blessing that allows each member state interested in accepting detainees to work bilaterally with the U.S. to do so. Macieira also asked for U.S. assistance in encouraging the Czechs to ensure that this subject is on the agenda for the ministers-only lunch, where Portuguese FM Luis Amado intends to raise it. Finally, Macieira laid out a set of "conditions" under which Portugal would itself accept detainees, including a list of nationalities that Portugal would not/not accept for a variety of reasons. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (C/NF) In a short meeting on January 20, MFA Deputy Political Director Rui Maciera told DCM that he had been instructed by Political Director Nuno Brito and FM Luis Amado to inform us that Portugal intended to use the January 26 GAERC to raise the issue of EU member states accepting Guantanamo detainees and to seek clear, formal "political endorsement" from the EU, including the Commission and Secretariat, for the proposal. Similar to the EU's blanket cover regarding Kosovo recognition that emerged during Portugal's presidency in the second half of 2007, Portugal's goal is an EU "blessing" that allows each willing member state to work out the details of detainee resettlement with the United States. (Note, in the wake of FM Amado's December 10 letter to the other EU Foreign Ministers, reftel, Portuguese contacts told us Amado had not fully articulated his strategy on detainees, but notionally envisioned developing an EU "framework" for accepting them. Clearly, Portuguese thinking is now more advanced, and they are looking for a mere EU blessing that allows bilateral agreements to take place without drama). ¶4. (C/NF) Macieira said that FM Amado hoped to be able to bring up the issue during the ministers-only lunch, mainly because of the presence of Steinmeier and Kouchner, who were known to be more favorable to accepting detainees than others in their governments. He said Portugal thought it also had Italian support, but it was not solid. ¶5. (C/NF) Action request: Macieira asked us to encourage the Czechs to ensure that this issue would be on the agenda for the lunch and to allow Minister Amado sufficient time to raise and discuss it. Post recommends that we approach the Czechs through appropriate channels and urge them to make sure this issue is on the ministers' lunch agenda, with sufficient time and attention for Amado to lay out his proposal. PRE-ORDER NOW TO GET THE BEST DEAL -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) Macieira also presented a set of conditions under which Portugal would accept detainees. Most important was the provenance of the detainee. For a variety of reasons, but mainly not to offend someone or other, Portugal will not accept detainees from: China (Uighurs),Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Detainees from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, or Tunisia would be fine. All others might be considered. Portugal will also not accept a detainee who has "been in Portugal," which Macieira explained to mean that the GOP would seek assurances that the detainee had not transited Portugal on his way to Guantanamo. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) We are gratified that the GOP and Minister Amado in particular continue to demonstrate strong leadership within the EU on the detainee issue. As we have heard from others, Macieira believes that this is a gesture that could help strengthen relations between Europe and the new U.S. administration, and one on which Europe should be helpful for humanitarian reasons, if nothing else. The GOP's eagerness to make us aware of its conditions for accepting detainees shows that it basically wants to shop before the sale officially starts and pick the "best" cases. It would be surprising if other willing European governments do not start doing the same. BALLARD