FRENCH EXPECTATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER GYMNICH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 001207 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2019 TAGS: PREL EUN PREL IS GZ WE SY IR AF PK TU EG FR SUBJECT: FRENCH EXPECTATIONS FOR SEPTEMBER GYMNICH REF: A. 8/28/09 EUR/ERA GYMNICH EMAIL ¶B. VIENNA 413 Classified By: Political Minister-Counselor Kathy Allegrone for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA Acting Chief of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Mathieu Carmona previewed on September 3 French expectations and priorities for the September 4-5 Gymnich. Discussions of all subjects, which will include Middle East peace, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Turkey and Armenia, will remain broad, though French priorities include: pushing for a summit on the peace process in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean, overcoming Dutch opposition to an Association Agreement with Syria, maintaining EU solidarity on French citizens facing trial in Iran, stiffening member states' resolve to move forward with new sanctions against Iran, and making progress on clarifying the EU's future role in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Separately, GOF sources have told us France may bring up at the Gymnich the issue of Egypt's planned Middle East Safeguards resolution at the IAEA. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Middle East Peace Process: Carmona asked for a progress report of U.S. efforts to bring the Palestinians and Israelis together, noting both that there was some concern that the effort was flagging and that the EU wants to do what it can to support the Obama administration and the Quartet. He said Swedish FM Carl Bildt still plans to visit the region soon to increase EU visibility in the effort, and added that Mahmoud Abbas was currently in Paris, meeting on September 3 with FM Kouchner and on September 4 with President Sarkozy. Carmona said France is in full agreement with the substance of the U.S. non-paper (ref A),but cautioned that, while rightly focusing on Israeli and Palestinian responsibilities in the West Bank, the international community cannot lose sight of continuing chaos in Gaza. Specifically, the Israeli blockade is continuing the misery upon which radicals in Gaza feed. ¶3. (C) Carmona said FM Kouchner has two Middle East priorities at the Gymnich: first, he will present President Sarkozy's plan to host a Middle East peace summit in the context of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM),assuming that the Israelis have committed to freezing settlement activity and there is a clear pledge by the parties to resume negotiations. Carmona said while he does not expect opposition to the plan per se at the Gymnich, he does expect questions from member states regarding the appropriateness of the UfM as a forum for such a summit. Acknowledging that the UfM was originally designed to be non-political and focus on concrete projects, he suggested the UfM has become an established venue to bring all the relevant parties to the table, and is thus the best option for hosting a summit on the peace process. ¶4. (C) Syria: The second French priority in the Middle East is to overcome remaining resistance - primarily Dutch - to signing an EU Association Agreement with Syria. Carmona said France would like to make progress on this issue at the September GAERC meeting, and thus wants to pave the way by gaining consensus at the Gymnich. When asked if France thought it was appropriate to move ahead with an Association Agreement given the recent critical IAEA report and Syria's continued lack of progress on human rights, Carmona said France believes that the agreement would help to separate Syria from Iran by offering tangible benefits to constructively engaging the West. ¶5. (C) Iran: Ministers will discuss all aspects of the situation in Iran, though France hopes to reaffirm EU solidarity regarding non-official French citizens who are currently facing trial in Iran. Carmona noted that the Swedish presidency had been helpful by saying that Iran's actions were not against individual persons or countries, but against the EU as a whole. Carmona acknowledged our request for EU support in dealing with the issue of detained and missing U.S. citizens. France also wants to use the Gymnich as an opportunity to push reluctant member states (Carmona specifically mentioned Italy) to design a sanctions package targeting not just proliferation-related entities, but also the energy sector, banks, and insurance companies. Carmona said Sarkozy takes this issue very seriously, and has publicly given a deadline of the end of September for a constructive Iranian response to the U.S. offer of dialogue. In this context, all EU member states must start preparing for sanctions without further delay. ¶6. (C) Afghanistan/Pakistan: Carmona said the GAERC had asked the European Commission in June to prepare a new strategy to increase the effectiveness and visibility of the EU's activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and said that PARIS 00001207 002 OF 002 ministers would discuss the Commission's draft at the Gymnich. Carmona did not expect any significant conclusions, but said the main effort would be to establish priorities based on suggestions contained in the draft. Specifically, France was concerned by the difficulty in distributing EU aid, saying that while "the money is there," the EU does not have a mechanism to get it to the intended recipients in an effective manner. Relying on the UN has been unsatisfactory, since there is very little accountability for how the funds are disbursed, and "much of it seems to get lost." Ministers will also discuss the Afghan plan to embed European experts in Afghan ministries. He agreed it was a good plan, but said member states needed to determine how it could be implemented. Finally, there will be a wide ranging discussion of the Afghan elections, focusing on how to take advantage of a new Afghan administration to refocus EU long-term support. ¶7. (C) Turkey/Armenia: Carmona said that at a lunch on September 5, Turkey would present details of its rapprochement with Armenia. The EU would be "in listening mode," and this would be an opportunity for Turkey to lead an EU discussion. ¶8. (C) Separately, post discussed the EU's role in addressing Egyptian attempts to introduce an unhelpful Middle East Safeguards (MES) resolution focusing on Israel at the IAEA (ref B) during a September 1 meeting with Kouchner's Strategic Affairs Advisor Philippe Bertoux. Bertoux agreed that France would try to influence other EU member states who might be considering separate negotiations with Egypt. He said France understood the importance of this issue and suggested that this Gymnich might be a good opportunity for the GOF to highlight the need for unified EU opposition to the MES resolution. RIVKIN