AMBASSADOR'S FIRST MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000557

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM AF TU SW
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FIRST MEETING WITH FOREIGN MINISTER
CARL BILDT

Classified By: Amb. Matthew Barzun for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Ambassador paid his first call on Swedish
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt August 28. The tone of the
meeting was very positive, yet casual, as they exchanged
anecdotes about their common experiences in the world of
information technology. Highlights of the meeting included:


--On Guantanamo closure, Bildt said he knew the issue was
important, but merely repeated the official line that UNHCR
involvement was important and that he could not interfere
with the Swedish independent agency tasked with refugee
decisions.

--On Turkey, Bildt reiterated Swedish hopes to open one or
two accession chapters before the end of their EU Presidency
in December and lamented the slow pace of Turkish
decision-making.

--On Afghanistan, Bildt noted his recent conversations with
Amb. Holbrooke and stressed the importance of unity in the
international community. He expressed concern over the
deteriorating security situation in the country and the
possibility of rising tensions between Pashtuns and other
tribes. End Summary.

Guantanamo Closure
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2. (C) The Ambassador asked for Bildt's guidance on
Guantanamo. Bildt reiterated the Government line that
Ministers cannot decide such an issue and the independent
Swedish Migration Board must determine who enters Sweden as a
refugee. He stated that "UNHCR requests are normally taken,"
but "whether or not a UNHCR request is enough for Sweden is
unknown." Bildt added that "it's a tricky issue, but
important. We are very much aware of it."

Turkey
--------------


3. (C) On Turkey's EU accession, Bildt said the Swedes hope
that one to two chapters will be opened during their
Presidency, but such would depend on both the Cypriots and
the Turks. "The Turks need to make decisions and it doesn't
help that their parliament is on an extended vacation."
Bildt continued that the Kurdish issue is "highly significant
and sensitive and consumes Turkey's efforts now." He said
that it is good that both the U.S. and Sweden support the
Kurds, adding that the Kurds know that having Turkey as an EU
member will be good for them even while Turkish nationalists
would be unhappy with membership.

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


4. (C) Asked how things were going in Afghanistan, Bildt
simply answered "very badly." He said over the past six
months, conditions have worsened. The election results are
very complicated and require careful management by the
international community. Bildt said that he recently met
Amb. Holbrooke, Peter Galbraith, and Barnett Rubin in
Istanbul. Their discussion covered all possible scenarios in
Afghanistan and each was profoundly difficult. Bildt said
that if the international community does not influence
Afghanistan in the right way, the Afghan political system
will fracture and the outcome will be worse than under the
Taliban system. Bildt opined that the Taliban will never
conquer the country--even if the international community
pulls out--but could significantly disrupt and destroy
Afghanistan. If the Pashtuns fall out with the others and
start fighting the Northern Alliance over election results,
then the situation will seriously worsen. Bildt said that
the situation in Afghanistan is unlike the situation in the
Balkans or Caucasus because all of the Afghan actors are
fighting for power in Kabul and lack secessionist desires.
All international actors need to unite and insist that "we
won't play games."


5. (C) Bildt said that involving the Turks and Iranians in
Afghanistan is a good thing because they have the true
knowledge of the country. He cited examples, including that
the Pashtun language is nearly the same as Persian and all
books sold in Kabul are printed in Tehran. He also said that
in his last trip to Mazar-e Sharif, he spent 45 minutes
talking with the Turkish Consul-General, who knew
"everything." Bildt argued that the international community
needs to make use of the people who really know Afghanistan.

Comment

STOCKHOLM 00000557 002 OF 002


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6. (C) The shared experiences of the Ambassador and FM Bildt
in the field of information technology quickly established
rapport. Bildt was excited over their numerous shared IT
contacts and appreciated the opportunity to exchange stories
with a peer about the industry. IT is one of Bildt's
passions--next to sailing and European history. He lamented
that Sweden's MFA is behind the technological wave:
Blackberries are a "sensitive subject" at the MFA, he said,
adding that "Sweden can make a substantive contribution to an
IT museum."
BARZUN