Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STATE20757
2009-03-05 19:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Secretary of State
Cable title:  

(U) Secretary Clinton's February 24, 2009

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 020757 


C O R R E C T E D C O P Y -- ADDING ADDEES

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2019
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY RODHAM KDRG ENRG EUN
IZ, AF, XF, KV, SP
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's February 24, 2009
Meeting with Spanish FM Moratinos

STATE 00020757 001.2 OF 003


C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 020757


C O R R E C T E D C O P Y -- ADDING ADDEES

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/24/2019
TAGS: OVIP CLINTON HILLARY RODHAM KDRG ENRG EUN
IZ, AF, XF, KV, SP
SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's February 24, 2009
Meeting with Spanish FM Moratinos

STATE 00020757 001.2 OF 003



1. (U) Classified by EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel
Fried. Reason: 1.4 (d)


2. (U) February 24, 2009; 9:45 a.m., Washington.


3. (U) Participants:

U.S.
The Secretary
EUR Acting DAS Pamela Spratlen
PA Robert Wood
S Staff
NSC Tobin Bradley
EUR/WE Elaine Samson (EUR Notetaker)

SPAIN
FM Moratinos
Deputy FM Angel Lossada
DG for North America Fernandez de la Pena
FM Chief of Staff Augustin Santos
Ambassador Jorge Dezcallar
DCM Jose-Pascual Marco


4. (C) SUMMARY: In her first meeting with Spanish FM
Moratinos, Secretary Clinton told FM Moratinos that
President Obama valued the leadership role that Spain
can play. Moratinos commended the new atmosphere
between our two countries. Secretary Clinton asked
Spain to send police trainers to the NATO Training
Mission in Iraq, to take detainees from Guantanamo, to
contribute more troops in Afghanistan, and to work with
us on clean energy and energy security. FM Moratinos
conveyed Spain's full support and commitment to working
as partners on a number of issues: the global financial
crisis, Latin America, Middle East issues, North Africa,
and Spain's 2010 EU Presidency. The FM agreed that
Spain would take some Guantanamo detainees, subject to
information about their legal status, that he would
present the request for police trainers for Iraq to
President Zapatero with a positive recommendation; and
that Spain would step forward to do its share in
Afghanistan when the strategy review was done.
Moratinos noted that, because of strained relations over
the past several years, Spain sometimes had not been
able to contribute even in areas where it possessed a
natural "value added." Secretary Clinton welcomed his
pledge to work with the U.S.. END SUMMARY.

--------------
NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I)
--------------


5. (C) Noting the respected reputation of the Spanish

police forces, especially their performance and
professionalism after the 2004 Madrid train bombings,
the Secretary asked if Spain would be willing to support
the NATO Training Mission in Iraq by contributing
Spanish police trainers. NTM-I was transitioning to
concentrate on civilian support systems. The Iraqi
police needed help and training to carry out their
duties. Noting that Spain had continued contributing
funds to Iraq through NATO and was the fourth or fifth
largest donor, Moratinos explained that he would have to
report this request to President Zapatero, but that his
initial reaction was positive. Iraq was moving into a
post-crisis situation, and it was time to "turn the
page" on policy differences on Iraq.

--------------
Afghanistan
--------------


6. (C) The Secretary noted that within the NATO context
we were conducting a thorough policy review on
Afghanistan. A successful resolution to the situtation

STATE 00020757 002.3 OF 003

SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Clinton's February 24, 2009
Meeting with Spanish FM Moratin
in Afghanistan was a test for NATO, not just the United
States. Moratinos said Spain awaited the results of the
strategy review, but reassured that Spain was
"absolutely committed," even though other countries may
have a larger military presence. Moratinos
characterized Afghanistan as NATO's challenge: if NATO
failed in Afghanistan, it would call into question the
future of NATO. The FM commented that he questioned how
some policies and programs had been implemented in
Afghanistan, noting the deteriorating security situation
was affecting the ability to conduct humanitarian and
development programs.


7. (C) The Secretary remarked that the strategy review
provided an opportunity for shared contributions. The
United States was making a significant increase in the
number of troops it was contributing, and we hoped we
could ask our allies for more support. Moratinos gave
assurances that Spain would "step forward" to contribute
more, saying that if for domestic reasons Spain could
not increase the number of troops deployed, the GOS
would tell us directly and contribute more in another
way.


8. (C) Secretary Clinton noted that delegations from
Pakistan and Afghanistan were visiting Washington to
discuss the way forward, and that the U.S. approach was
to work with both countries in consultation and
respectful partnerships, not to impose U.S. decisions.
This kind of approach would lead to more sustainable
progress. The Secretary said any views from Spain would
be valued and appreciated.

--------------
Guantanamo
--------------


9. (U) The Secretary stated that Guantanamo was a very
important issue for the new U.S. Administration, and we
needed help from other countries in taking detainees.
She noted that she had spoken recently to EU
Commissioner Javier Solana about closing Guantanamo and
a solution for the detainees and that the EU was
interested in working with us. She asked for Spain's
help in building an EU consensus on Guantanamo
detainees. The FM confirmed that he had said publicly
that Spain would help. He added that Spain would need
information on the legal status of Guantanamo and the
individual detainees proposed for Spain to accept.

--------------
Middle East
--------------


10. (C) The Secretary said that the United States
needed help and international coordination for a durable
ceasefire. She noted the need to return to emphasizing
a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, which would provide an impetus to restarting
negotiations with the new Israeli government. Moratinos
described the frustration he had heard from his contacts
over making so much progress over the past year toward a
final deal but missing the opportunity to close the
deal. Moratinos put himself at the Secretary's "full
disposal" to help on Middle East issues, but conveyed
the need to move forward -- the quicker, the better.
Moratinos commented on new Israeli PM Netanyahu as a
hard, but good, serious negotiator. Moratinos said
Hamas must be defeated, describing the past month in
Gaza as a disaster, with Syria and Iran helping Hamas.
The Palestinians needed the support of the international
community, not just support from Hamas.


11. (C) Moratinos predicted that Netanyahu was likely
to move quickly on Syria and would need the United
States. Moratinos commented that it was a mistake to
try to isolate Syria. Syria played the "spoiler;" it
wants to be engaged. More than anything Syria wanted
normalization of relations with the United States. But
it wanted complete normalization, not just bits and
pieces, and could not be coaxed along a step-by-step
route.

--------------
2010 EU Presidency

STATE 00020757 003.2 OF 003



12. (U) Moratinos urged that Spain and the United
States start preparing now for Spain's 2010 EU
Presidency, and stated that the US-EU Summit offered an
opportunity for President Obama to visit Spain.
Recalling that during Spain's EU Presidency in 1995 the
EU had adopted the first Transatlantic Agenda, Moratinos
commented that the United States and the EU needed a new
transatlantic relationship for the 21st century. Spain
expected the Lisbon Treaty to be adopted by 2010. Spain
therefore would hold the first EU Presidency under the
new EU institutional arrangements. The Secretary agreed
that a renewed, strong Transatlantic relationship was a
priority for the USG. She commended Spain for the
progress and economic growth it had achieved over the
past decade, as well as the institutional reforms it had
made. Because of this record and its participation in
multilateral institutions, Spain could stand as an
example for other countries.

--------------
Kosovo
--------------


13. (C) The Secretary noted that policy differences on
Kosovo had created some irritants in the bilateral
relationship. She said that the United States
understood the sensitivity of the Kosovo issue
domestically in Spain, but we needed to find a way to
work through our differences. She would look to Spain
for ideas on Kosovo. Moratinos protested that there was
a misunderstanding on Kosovo. Despite internal factors
in Spain affecting its policy, he asserted, Spain had
been very supportive. He argued that he had personally
worked to develop a new, moderate, democratic government
in Serbia, and that in the long run these efforts would
help Serbia come to terms with reality.

--------------
Global Financial Crisis
--------------


14. (U) Moratinos expressed satisfaction that Spain was
now included as a member of the "enlarged G-20" and that
the United States accepted it. Despite having grown
from a medium-sized economy to the world's eighth
largest economy, Spain was not a member of the P-5, the
G-8, or the G-20 and was left out of many fora where it
could and should contribute. He cited a similar example
when Spain had to fight to attend the November 2007
Annapolis Conference, even with Spain's history (and FM
Moratinos' long personal experience) of involvement in
the Middle East peace process. Since the Washington
Summit on the Global Financial Crisis, however, Spain
was more integrated into the groupings where it could
make a contribution. Moratinos expressed hope that
Spain would have U.S. support to continue to be invited
to these meetings.

--------------
Clean Energy and Energy Security
--------------


15. (U) Secretary Clinton noted Spain's leading
position in the clean energy sector, recounting a visit
during the election campaign to a Spanish wind power
project in Pennsylvania, and expressed U.S. desire to
work with Spain and the EU on clean energy and energy
security. After the disruption of Russian natural gas
supplies to Europe, it was clear that diversifying
energy sources was critical to ensuring energy security
for Europe and that clean energy sources were a key
component.
CLINTON