Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09STOCKHOLM502
2009-08-12 09:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Stockholm
Cable title:
EU FEELING ITS WAY AHEAD WITH PAKISTAN
how-toVZCZCXRO0454 PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR DE RUEHSM #0502 2240902 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 120902Z AUG 09 FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4615 INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000502
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL EUN PK EU
SUBJECT: EU FEELING ITS WAY AHEAD WITH PAKISTAN
REF: STOCKHOLM 496
Classified By: CDA Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000502
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL EUN PK EU
SUBJECT: EU FEELING ITS WAY AHEAD WITH PAKISTAN
REF: STOCKHOLM 496
Classified By: CDA Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
1. (C) Summary. Nearly two months after the first EU-Pakistan
summit on June 17, the EU is still working to identify
counterterrorism and development projects that best suit the
EU's capabilities and Pakistan's needs. Swedish MFA Pakistan
Desk Officer Majeed Olerud told Poloffs August 7 that the
EU's Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, which the Swedes hope
will be approved by mid-October, would address Pakistan's own
circumstances separately from their effects on Afghanistan,
and will focus on trade facilitation and security cooperation.
--Brussels is still determining the roles that support to
courts, civil society, and the police will play in CT
cooperation with Pakistan. Islamabad has also been slow to
suggest areas for cooperation.
--EU trade policy will shift away from tariff liberalization
toward trade facilitation, for instance helping bring
Pakistani products up to EU quality standards.
--FM Carl Bildt will attend the 25 August Friends of
Democratic Pakistan ministerial in Islamabad and hopes for
high-level U.S. participation.
End Summary.
2. (C) Olerud characterized EU-Pakistan relations as being in
"hibernation" during the nondemocratic reign of President
Musharraf but said that they were now nearing maturity. The
June meeting had been an "ad hoc" summit and therefore not
part of the EU's regular annual rota of high-level meetings.
One or two additional ad hoc summits will have to be held and
engagement with Pakistan will have to continue to improve
before the relationship would be as developed as for example
the EU-South Korean one. Olerud noted that progress on the
EU-Pakistan relationship was slowed not by active resistance
from EU members, but by a lack of knowledge of how best to
proceed. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is also pushing
hard to roll out the EU's new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy
by mid-September with approval in October (reftel). The
strategy will try to apply some strategic thinking to
Pakistan not only as it affects developments in Afghanistan,
but in identifying "niche" opportunities engaging Pakistan as
a more developed country with distinct needs. EU members see
Pakistan as posing a more direct security threat to them than
Afghanistan, but cooperation can only proceed with the
engagement and approval of Islamabad.
3. (C) He pointed out that Sweden had been a driving force
behind some of the summit deliverables such as enhanced trade
access and assistance. Pakistan's standing in the EU's
General System of Preferences (GSP) for trade would be
reviewed, along with that of several other countries.
Although Olerud doubted that Islamabad would qualify for
GSP-plus status because the EU was not a critical export
market, he noted that a large portion of Pakistani exports to
the EU--such as bedlinens--were already tariff-free. Trade
assistance would instead focus on facilitating trade in new
areas--such as aquaculture--by helping Pakistan bring the
phytosanitary conditions in its fishery sector to European
standards. Details of the assistance program and next steps
toward a free trade association would be set out in the fall.
Any enhanced trade regime, however, would have to be
accompanied by Pakistani ratification of human rights
agreements.
4. (C) The EU's fledgling counterterrorism cooperation with
Islamabad represents a "shifting of gears" in EU CT policy.
Because it is still in the works, Olerud could not give
details on how much emphasis the final strategy would place
on support to courts, civil society and the lawyers'
movement, and police training, or what form this would take.
He said that Islamabad had been slow to identify areas where
it needed or would accept cooperation.
5. (C)Olerud said FM Bildt will represent the EU Presidency
at the August 25 Friends of Democratic Pakistan ministerial
in Istanbul, and hoped that the U.S. would send a high level
official, suggesting that this may prompt Pakistan to have
concrete proposals ready for the meeting.
SILVERMAN
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/2019
TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL EUN PK EU
SUBJECT: EU FEELING ITS WAY AHEAD WITH PAKISTAN
REF: STOCKHOLM 496
Classified By: CDA Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).
1. (C) Summary. Nearly two months after the first EU-Pakistan
summit on June 17, the EU is still working to identify
counterterrorism and development projects that best suit the
EU's capabilities and Pakistan's needs. Swedish MFA Pakistan
Desk Officer Majeed Olerud told Poloffs August 7 that the
EU's Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, which the Swedes hope
will be approved by mid-October, would address Pakistan's own
circumstances separately from their effects on Afghanistan,
and will focus on trade facilitation and security cooperation.
--Brussels is still determining the roles that support to
courts, civil society, and the police will play in CT
cooperation with Pakistan. Islamabad has also been slow to
suggest areas for cooperation.
--EU trade policy will shift away from tariff liberalization
toward trade facilitation, for instance helping bring
Pakistani products up to EU quality standards.
--FM Carl Bildt will attend the 25 August Friends of
Democratic Pakistan ministerial in Islamabad and hopes for
high-level U.S. participation.
End Summary.
2. (C) Olerud characterized EU-Pakistan relations as being in
"hibernation" during the nondemocratic reign of President
Musharraf but said that they were now nearing maturity. The
June meeting had been an "ad hoc" summit and therefore not
part of the EU's regular annual rota of high-level meetings.
One or two additional ad hoc summits will have to be held and
engagement with Pakistan will have to continue to improve
before the relationship would be as developed as for example
the EU-South Korean one. Olerud noted that progress on the
EU-Pakistan relationship was slowed not by active resistance
from EU members, but by a lack of knowledge of how best to
proceed. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is also pushing
hard to roll out the EU's new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy
by mid-September with approval in October (reftel). The
strategy will try to apply some strategic thinking to
Pakistan not only as it affects developments in Afghanistan,
but in identifying "niche" opportunities engaging Pakistan as
a more developed country with distinct needs. EU members see
Pakistan as posing a more direct security threat to them than
Afghanistan, but cooperation can only proceed with the
engagement and approval of Islamabad.
3. (C) He pointed out that Sweden had been a driving force
behind some of the summit deliverables such as enhanced trade
access and assistance. Pakistan's standing in the EU's
General System of Preferences (GSP) for trade would be
reviewed, along with that of several other countries.
Although Olerud doubted that Islamabad would qualify for
GSP-plus status because the EU was not a critical export
market, he noted that a large portion of Pakistani exports to
the EU--such as bedlinens--were already tariff-free. Trade
assistance would instead focus on facilitating trade in new
areas--such as aquaculture--by helping Pakistan bring the
phytosanitary conditions in its fishery sector to European
standards. Details of the assistance program and next steps
toward a free trade association would be set out in the fall.
Any enhanced trade regime, however, would have to be
accompanied by Pakistani ratification of human rights
agreements.
4. (C) The EU's fledgling counterterrorism cooperation with
Islamabad represents a "shifting of gears" in EU CT policy.
Because it is still in the works, Olerud could not give
details on how much emphasis the final strategy would place
on support to courts, civil society and the lawyers'
movement, and police training, or what form this would take.
He said that Islamabad had been slow to identify areas where
it needed or would accept cooperation.
5. (C)Olerud said FM Bildt will represent the EU Presidency
at the August 25 Friends of Democratic Pakistan ministerial
in Istanbul, and hoped that the U.S. would send a high level
official, suggesting that this may prompt Pakistan to have
concrete proposals ready for the meeting.
SILVERMAN