SECRETARY CLINTON'S MEETING WITH DANISH FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 027305

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2019
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM NATO AF PB RS DA
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CLINTON'S MEETING WITH DANISH FOREIGN
MINISTER PER STIG MOLLER, MARCH 13, 2009, 1:00 P.M.,
WASHINGTON, D.C.


1. (U) Classified by EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel
Fried for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


2. (U) March 13, 2009, 1:00 - 1:30, Washington, D.C.


3. (U) Participants:

U.S.
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The Secretary
EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried
Acting Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid
NSC Director Maria Germano
EUR/NB Desk Officer Stephen Wheeler (Notetaker)


Denmark
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Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller,
Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen
U/S of State Michael Zilmer-Johns
Political Director Anders Carsten Damsgaard,
Chief of Staff Lars Gert Lose
Dept. Head Jens-Otto Horslund
Minister Counselor Jesper Sorensen
Political Officer Peter Lehmann Nielsen


4. (C) Summary: The Secretary's March 13 meeting with FM
Moller covered Afghanistan, Pakistan, climate change,
NATO, the Middle East, and the Durban Review Conference.
Moller praised the U.S. for staying open to NATO
enlargement and urged that Georgia and Ukraine remain on
the NATO agenda. He welcomed U.S. plans to send more
troops to Afghanistan, suggesting that Europe also be
asked to do more. Moller was pleased that the United
States is open to including Syria in the discussion on
peace in the Middle East. The Secretary noted Danish
contributions in Afghanistan, and assured Moller we will
work closely with Denmark during the run-up to the
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in
Copenhagen. The Secretary noted the appointment of
Assistant Secretary Fried as Special Envoy on Guantanamo
as a sign of U.S. seriousness on closing the facility,
and said that after a careful review, we see no chance
for joining Durban II. Moller also called on Special
Representative Holbrooke, with whom he discussed
Afghanistan and Pakistan. End Summary.

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Afghanistan/Pakistan
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5. (C) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its many
contributions in Afghanistan and called the bilateral
relationship "one of our best partnerships." She
welcomed Denmark's input on our Afghanistan/Pakistan
strategy review, adding that it will lay out specific
requests -- both military and civilian -- of Allies and
citing the need for a regional approach to find
solutions. She asked Denmark to send a representative to
the April 17th Pakistan Donor's Conference in Tokyo.
Moller said the EU was late in engaging "the most
dangerous country in the world(Pakistan)."


6. (C) Moller noted that Denmark had doubled its
financial assistance to Afghanistan last year -- in
contrast to the EU, which had delivered only half of 400
promised police trainers. "If I were the United States,
I would tell Europe to do more," he stated flatly. The
Secretary replied that everyone can do more. Moller
said Denmark would participate in the April 5 Informal
US-EU Summit in Prague, but added that it would be
difficult for Denmark to do more in Afghanistan given
its already generous contributions and casualties
suffered (the most per capita deaths of any ISAF
country). Denmark's experience in Helmand province had
shown, Moller said, that "by throwing the Taliban out,
stability can be achieved, schools for girls made
viable, and small businesses can thrive." The Secretary
cited Denmark's effective military-civilian integration
as key to its successful efforts.


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NATO Summit and Russia
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7. (C) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its innovative
ideas on NATO, including support for Headquarters
reform, NATO Response Force reorganization, and moving
forward with the Peacetime Establishment Review. U.S.
priorities include French reintegration, reassuring
Eastern Europe on Russia and bringing Albania and
Croatia into the Alliance. She dismissed the notion of
"spheres of influence" in Europe, noting that nothing
should prevent "independent action by sovereign
nations."


8. (C) Commenting on her recent dinner with Russian FM
Lavrov, the Secretary said she sensed a new openness to
cooperation. However, she added, the United States has
no illusions that Russia has had a change of heart,
"only a change of circumstances." Moller agreed that
Russia is not the country it was six months ago. Fiscal
crisis and collapsing energy prices mean that "Russia
needs peace with you." Moller was glad to hear the
Secretary remark on the need for NATO to remain open to
Georgia and Ukraine; it is important to keep both
countries on the NATO agenda, he said. Moller commented
that during his own February 25 visit to Moscow, the
Russians expressed fear of two possible events: either
Medvedev removing Putin and making him a scapegoat for
Russia's troubles, or the reverse. None of his
interlocutors would predict who might win in such a
struggle, he added.

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Climate
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9. (C) The Secretary said the United States would do all
it can to advance climate change, as we had "too long
ignored" the issue; we want to work closely with Denmark
leading up to the COP-15 conference, she added. Moller
cited the need for binding targets on technology
transfer, as China or Brazil could ruin the process if
denied access to technology. The Secretary said that
progress would require careful coordination and a range
of measures for differing needs. Moller asked for U.S.
views on China's seriousness to engage on climate
change. The Secretary said that while China is sincere
and dedicated to green technology, it is wary of
inhibiting growth. We must ensure that climate measures
don't undermine its standard of living or the
development of its middle class, she added. We need to
encourage greater use of wind, solar, and geothermal
power by China and the U.S. is willing to work with it
on intellectual property transfer.

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Israel/Palestine and Syria
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10. (C) The Secretary thanked Moller for hosting the
February 4-5 Copenhagen meeting on Gaza arms
interdiction. She said the United States will not
finance a unity government in which Hamas does not
adhere to core principles. Moller welcomed the United
States "opening up" to Syria, and was more optimistic
about comprehensive peace prospects when approaches
start "outside Israel." The Secretary said that Special
Envoy Mitchell would return to the region once there is
a new Israeli government.

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Guantanamo (GTMO)
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11. (C) The Secretary asked for help promoting an EU
framework for accepting detainees, noting the recent
appointment of EUR Assistant Secretary Fried as Special
Envoy on GTMO as a sign of our seriousness and
determination. A/S Fried said that while countries will
decide on an individual basis whether to accept
detainees for resettlement, an EU-wide framework could
provide a useful political backdrop for countries to
make those decisions. Moller said that while Denmark
would not block the creation of a framework, Danish law
prevented the acceptance of any detainees.

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Arctic

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12. (C) The Secretary noted deep U.S. interest in the
Arctic and our commitment to doing more in cooperation
with Denmark and others. Moller mused that new shipping
routes and natural resource discoveries would eventually
place the region at the center of world politics. He
noted that the United States was the only country not to
send a minister-level representative to last year's
Ilulissat meetings and hoped that the Secretary would
visit Greenland, perhaps for an Arctic Council meeting
during Denmark's 2009-2011 chairmanship. The Secretary
asked for a date as early as possible to include on her
calendar.

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Piracy
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13. (SBU) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its efforts
on piracy, noting the "excellent" response from Europe
and Asia.

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Durban Review Conference
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14. (C) Moller asked if the United States would
participate in the Durban Review Conference. The
Secretary replied that while combating racism was of
great importance to all countries, the process has been
distorted, focusing on Israel and the "defamation of
religion." She added that we had sent a delegation to
Geneva to negotiate the draft statement, but had been
forced to conclude that the document was not salvageable
and that therefore we would not participate. Freedom of
expression, the Secretary noted, is deeply ingrained in
U.S. culture, and we could not participate in something
that violated this principle. Moller said that he was
coming to a similar conclusion, but had not given up
hope; Denmark would attend an EU review of the issue.

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Meeting with S/R Holbrooke
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15. (C) Moller briefly met with Special Representative
Holbrooke, who said that we would roll out our
Afghanistan/Pakistan before the March 31 meeting at The
Hague. Holbrooke noted the strategic inseparability of
the two countries; in Afghanistan, the U.S. would focus
on the south and east while asking others (and
requesting the Germans, Italians and Japanese to do much
more) to help out in the north and west and opening U.S.
Consulates in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. S/R Holbrooke
said that pending Senate legislation would significantly
increase U.S. financial assistance, and urged Denmark to
attend the April 17 Pakistan Donors Conference.
CLINTON