CYPRIOT POSITIONS FOR FEBRUARY GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NICOSIA 000141 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE AND EUR/ERA E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV ZL AF SU GZ YI BK KO HR MK CY SUBJECT: CYPRIOT POSITIONS FOR FEBRUARY GAERC REF: POINTS FOR FEBRUARY 23-24 GAERC FROM INTELLIPEDIA Classified By: DCM Jonathan Cohen, Reasons 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) On February 19, Poloff delivered reftel points to MFA European Union desk officer Nikos Panayiotou. Turning first to Afghanistan, Panayiotou stated that the GOC is in broad agreement with the USG points raised and appreciates the need for a regional approach, particularly one that takes into account the role of Pakistan. Panayiotou noted that fully staffing EUPOL has been a challenge, as the pay is really no higher to go to Afghanistan than other places, and people are reluctant to go there because of security concerns; he could not estimate when it would reach full staffing levels. Regarding any role the EU would play in the upcoming Afghani presidential elections, Panayiotou stated that the issue is still being looked at and he could not say at the moment what form, if any, such support would take; however, he indicated the EU would likely contribute to electoral monitoring. ¶2. (C) Panayiotou stated that it is still up in the air whether Sudan would stay on the agenda for next week's GAERC. Much would depend on whether an arrest warrant for President Bashir is issued before then. Panayiotou remained non-committal about the GOC stance on the possibility of a deferral for such a warrant. Panayiotou also said that the GOC believes that mediator Balosse is doing good work; it welcomes last Tuesday's goodwill agreement and hopes that the number of rebel groups signing on to it grows. ¶3. (C) Panayiotou expressed his government's agreement with almost all points on Gaza; however, on a Hamas-Fatah "technocratic government," Panayiotou said that the GOC would judge such a government on "actions rather than words." Panayiotou also stated that the GOC has serious concerns regarding GOI adherence to the Quartet Principles, especially regarding its settlement policy. ¶4. (C) On the Western Balkans, Panayiotou stressed that not all member states (i.e. Cyprus) have recognized the International Civilian Office (ICO) nor the International Civilian Representative (ICR) and, therefore, ideas about the ICO "filling the space as UNMIK winds down" are problematic for the GOC. However, Panayiotou expressed GOC understanding of the importance of EULEX reaching full operational capacity, which he believes is "on schedule." The GOC also understands that there is a need for formal institutionalized coordination on the ground between the many actors in Kosovo, such as EULEX, KFOR and the OSCE. Panayiotou requested USG advice regarding how such coordination could be accomplished. On Serbia, Panayiotou noted that the GOC has made a concerted effort to engage Belgrade and fully supports the Stabilisation and Association Agreement process. Strengthening President Tadic is a priority for the GOC, Panayiotou said, as he "has taken a significant risk" by cooperating with Western actors. ¶5. (C) Panayiotou was non-committal on a replacement for Bosnia High Representative/EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak and said that the GOC "would examine all the candidates before making a decision." On the outstanding "5 2" objectives, Panayiotou said the GOC is "more optimistic" than the USG and thinks that all closure objectives will be fulfilled before the OHR is closed. On Macedonia, Panayiotou stressed that Cyprus would like to see Macedonia do more to resolve the name issue and show "more positive actions towards its neighbors." Panayiotou said that Macedonia's June 2008 elections were likely flawed and hoped that the world would see a fair, free election next month. As with any potential EU member state, the GOC would support membership for the GOM, should all criteria be fulfilled. Panayiotou added that while the GOC recognizes that the USG has put pressure on PM Gruevski regarding the name issue, it would like to see even more done in the future. Panayiotou said that the GOC fully supports the USG points on Albania. Panayiotou expressed concern over Croatia's border dispute with Slovenia, but added that, should all criteria be fulfilled, the GOC would support Croatia's accession to the EU. ¶6. (C) Panayiotou said that the GOC does not see the Eastern NICOSIA 00000141 002 OF 002 Partnership (EaP) as a track to EU accession for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine. As an initiative, the GOC broadly supports the EaP, pending a determination of final modalities. Regarding Belarus's inclusion in the EaP, Panayiotou said the GOB would need to fulfill all conditions, as would any partner; the GOC is hopeful this will be the case. Urbancic