SWEDISH POLITICAL DIRECTOR DISCUSSES UPCOMING EU

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000483 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM UNSC EUN SUBJECT: SWEDISH POLITICAL DIRECTOR DISCUSSES UPCOMING EU PRESIDENCY WITH AMBASSADOR RICE ¶1. (SBU) Swedish Political Director Bjorn Lyrvall told Ambassador Rice on May 6 that Sweden's priority during its upcoming EU presidency would be to prepare to address EU institutional issues under the assumption that the Lisbon Treaty would be fully ratified by the end of the year. Lyrvall thought there were still hurdles to overcome with Ireland, the Czech Republic and Germany, but he believed the EU needed to prepare for implementation. Lyrvall said progress in negotiations over Cyprus reunification would be an important factor in the EUs consideration in December 2009 on opening up additional chapters in Turkey's EU accession process. Ambassador Rice said the U.S. was looking forward to close transatlantic cooperation during Sweden's presidency and emphasized the need for the international community to maintain leverage with the government of Sudan. Rice also said the U.S. was considering how to help strengthen governments in Zimbabwe and Somalia, and that she hopes a Security Council trip to Liberia would spur France and the U.K. to take another look at whether now is the right time to downsize the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL). END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Swedish Director-General for Political Affairs, Bjorn Lyrvall, told Ambassador Rice on May 6 that the main priority of the upcoming Swedish EU Presidency (July through December 2009) would be to prepare the EU institutionally for implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. Lyrvall acknowledged that it was not certain whether Ireland, the Czech Republic and Germany would all ratify the Lisbon Treaty before the end of the year, but that Sweden needed to plan as if it would happen. ¶3. (SBU) Lyrvall identified the Cyprus reunification talks as a key foreign policy issue for Sweden's presidency, since progress between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides would also impact the EU's negotiations with Turkey over its EU accession. Sweden believed that the talks were progressing at an appropriate pace, but that Special Advisor Alexander Downer would need to become more engaged during the upcoming give-and-take phase. During the final stages of negotiations, the EU would prepare to lift trade and travel restrictions on the northern part of the island. Lyrvall said that if the Cyprus negotiations were to succeed, then the EU's December progress review of Turkey's acquis would go well, but he added, "If Cyprus fails, there is a real risk that Turkey will fail." ¶4. (SBU) Lyrvall asked Rice how the EU could be helpful on African issues. In Sudan particularly, Rice said, the international community needs to find the right measure of pressures and incentives to spur the government in a different direction on Darfur to implement the CPA. Otherwise, it would continue to act with impunity. Rice was hopeful that an arrangement elicited in April from the Sudanese by the President's Special Envoy, Scott Gration, would provide at least partial relief from adverse humanitarian impacts of the NGO expulsions. Under the arrangement, some NGOs that been expelled had been permitted to return by reregistering under different names. The UN was filling some of the remaining gaps in humanitarian assistance, but they had not been able to mitigate all of the damage. Rice commented that NGOs are beholden to the government under the current arrangements, making it difficult for the international community to exert leverage. ¶5. (SBU) Rice said she hoped that a Security Council stop in Liberia during its upcoming visit to Africa would convince France and the United Kingdom to reconsider whether now is the appropriate time to downsize the UN Mission in Liberia. In Zimbabwe, she said the U.S. is considering how it will approach the unity government, and may consider trying to strengthen the role of the social ministries controlled by opposition leader Tsvangirai. Rice also said that piracy off the coast of Somalia continued to be a concern. Lyrvall said that the EU naval mission would continue, and that the EU had made an effort to generate funds to assist the government at the April 23 donors conference, but Lyrvall and Rice agreed that more needed to be done to stabilize the government. Rice