(U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg's February 11,

S E C R E T STATE 014035


NOFORN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV UK
SUBJECT: (U) Deputy Secretary Steinberg's February 11,
2009 meeting with UK Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald

CLASSIFIED BY EUR ASSISTANT SECRETARY DANIEL FRIED, FOR
REASONS 1.4 (D)


1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Deputy Secretary Steinberg and UK
Ambassador Sheinwald met on February 11 for 40 minutes.
On Afghanistan, the Deputy Secretary said the USG was
reviewing its policy and wanted to develop a strategy that
was sustainable. He cautioned against the UK proposal to
push back Afghan elections because of the power vacuum it
would create. The Deputy noted the recent, encouraging
statements from Tehran, but indicated the administration
was still reviewing its posture towards Iran. On the
Israeli election, the Deputy Secretary said the closeness
of the election would pose challenges to hold onto control
for whoever emerged victorious. Both the Deputy Secretary
and Sheinwald welcomed Russia's statements at the Munich
Security Conference. On bilateral issues, Sheinwald asked
the U.S. to expeditiously process Binyam Mohammed from
Guantanamo because of intense domestic pressure. He also
asked the U.S. to continue consultations with Her
Majesty's Government (HMG) on the possible prison transfer
of Pan Am Bomber Megrahi. Finally, responding to
Sheinwald's question about whether the U.S. intended to
reconsider its opposition to participation in the UN Human
Rights Council, the Deputy said the US was reviewing the
issue. END SUMMARY.

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Afghanistan
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2. (S/NF) The Deputy Secretary stated that overall
Afghanistan policy was under review and added it was
important to "get it right" and have a sustainable plan as
this administration had inherited a "strategically
confused approach." Sheinwald asked if the U.S. was
likely to increase its numbers in Afghanistan and what
level of burden-sharing was expected. Sheinwald suggested
that nations not willing to contribute more troops should
be encouraged to support training programs as they will be
vital in achieving any long-term success in the country.
The Deputy agreed, but stating that he didn't want to
prejudge the president, cautioned that while a short-term
troop increase was possible, it was too early to speculate
on long-term commitments. Furthermore, the U.S. wanted to
be certain that when it made its "asks," that there both
be a genuine need for the request, and the ability for the
donor country to deliver.


3. (S/NF) On elections, the Deputy said there were worries
about how the pending delay until August might affect
President Karzai's legitimacy. He said President Karzai
appeared to be indecisive and unprepared for other
candidates to come forward. The Deputy made clear the
U.S. was concerned about a possible UK initiative to
further delay the elections until next year.

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IRAN
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4. (S/NF) Sheinwald asked about current USG thinking on
engaging Iran, particularly in light of President
Ahmedinajad's recent comment that Iran was ready to talk
to the United States. The Deputy Secretary noted the U.S.
was receiving conflicting advice on how to proceed,
specifying that the P3 was divided on whether they
believed the U.S. should engage Iran before their June
elections. France and Germany were urging caution, while
the UK believed engagement should not wait. The Deputy
said that the administration was still reviewing its
options.

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RUSSIA
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5. (S/NF) On Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov's
speech in Munich, Sheinwald said the UK and other European
countries saw it as a positive sign that Russia was ready
to properly re-engage with the U.S. and the West. The
Deputy Secretary agreed the speech was welcomed in the
United States. He noted that Under Secretary Burns was in
Moscow now for the "first touches" and added that the
Secretary would soon meet Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

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ISRAELI ELECTIONS
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6. (S/NF) Sheinwald probed for early USG reaction to the
Israeli election and what effect it could have on peace
initiatives. The Deputy said the closeness of the results
could lead to uncertainty as whoever emerges will
immediately be vulnerable. It was important for Israel to
get a government in place since the opportunity of Special
Envoy Mitchell's role might be undermined. The Deputy
held that it was better to have a "difficult partner" than
to have no partner. When asked if Israeli PM Olmert was
likely to undertake any last-minute initiatives, the
Deputy said such moves would be unlikely to have much
impact and could be counterproductive as Olmert had little
political or moral standing in the country.

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Guantanamo/Binyam Mohammed
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7. (S/NF) Turning to bilateral matters, Sheinwald pleaded
for expeditious handling of the Binyam Mohammed case, as
it was drawing a lot of attention in the UK. Sheinwald
explained that Mohammed was on the verge of release to the
UK under the previous administration, but now his case was
under review along with all others. "We can help you get
him out," he said, adding that swift handling of this
detainee release would likely be favorably viewed by
European governments weighing decisions on detainee
resettlement. The Deputy confirmed he would take this on-
board, noting the formal detainee review process was still
ongoing, but in an encouraging word said that if the
previous administration had been on the verge of allowing
it, it was difficult to imagine it would be harder now.

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LIBYAN PRISONER TRANSFER
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8. (S/NF) Sheinwald asked that the U.S. continue to
consult with the UK in the possible transfer of ailing Pan
Am bomber Abdel-Basset al-Megrahi from the UK to Libya.
Specifically, he said HMG supported the discussions this
week between UK and U.S. officials to define a common
strategy. Sheinwald cited concern that the Pan Am
victims' families were asking for direct U.S. intervention
to stop the transfer. He asked that the United States
delay "for a few days" any intervention with the Scottish
authorities, who ultimately will decide on the transfer.
The Deputy said the UK government needed to understand the
sensitivities in this case, and noted he was acutely aware
of concerns of the Lockerbie victims' groups from his
previous time in government.

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U.S./UK Defense Treaty
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9. (S/NF) Sheinwald inquired about the status of the
Defense Trade treaty's passage, as he understood there was
support for it in the previous administration, but that it
had died in the last Senate session because of other
priorities taking precedence and pre-election
politicization. The Deputy assured that in principle, the
State Department supported the treaty and wanted it to go
forward at the appropriate time.

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UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
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10. (S/NF) Sheinwald inquired whether the U.S. was ready
to join the UN Human Rights Council. The United Kingdom
was aware of the flaws of the Council, he asserted, but
have determined it is more useful to be engaged rather
than outside the system. The Deputy responded that the
USG was committed to reaching a decision soon, but needed
to lay the groundwork so that any decision would be
sustainable. Sheinwald noted UK Minister of State Mark
Malloch-Brown had spoken to USUN Permanent Representative
Susan Rice on this issue.

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UPCOMING MEETINGS, VISITS
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11. (C) The Deputy asked for close consultation on the
April London Economic Summit, and said the U.S. hoped for
early guidance on participation. Sheinwald also confirmed
the UK had asked for a PM Brown-POTUS meeting in
Washington, but had not received an affirmative response
yet. On the possibility of a Foreign Minister and/or
Defense Minister meeting ahead of the NATO summit, the two
agreed the UK and U.S. should remain in close contact.
However, Sheinwald did mention the French had expressed
their opposition to an ISAF ministers meeting in
Strasbourg.


12. (U) Participants:

United States
Deputy Secretary Steinberg
EUR - Pamela Spratlen
EUR/WE - Zia Syed (notetaker)
D Staff - Mary Sue Conaway

United Kingdom

13. (U) MINIMIZE CONSIDERED.

Ambassador Nigel Sheinwald
Simon Shercliff, UK Embassy First Secretary


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