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