EUR DAS QUANRUD'S FEBRUARY 10-11 VISIT: FOREIGN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COPENHAGEN 000103

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NB, EUR:DAS QUANRUD, EUR/RUS, EUR/RPM
STATE FOR EAP/CM, NEA/IR, SCA/A
PARIS FOR TSAR PELLERIN
BUDAPEST PLEASE PASS TO EUR DAS QUANRUD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2020
TAGS: PREL MARR ETTC ASEC KWMN CH RU IR GL DA
SUBJECT: EUR DAS QUANRUD'S FEBRUARY 10-11 VISIT: FOREIGN
AFFAIRS, DEFENSE AND SOCIAL POLICY ISSUES

Classified By: Ambassador Laurie S. Fulton; reason 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: In meetings with visiting EUR DAS Quanrud,
Danish officials indicated solid support for new UNSC
sanctions against Iran; described Danish-Chinese relations as
barely recovered from "a major bilateral crisis" after a fall
meeting between the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister
with the Dalai Lama; and reflected on improved Danish-Russian
relations. They indicated positive movement within the GOD
on the Federal Air Marshall issue. The Danish saw a need for
a dialogue within the NATO Alliance on Arctic issues to
understand military trends, but stressed that this was
not/not a call for a NATO presence there. The role of women
in business was the focus of a dinner with representatives
from industry and government. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) EUR DAS Quanrud visited Copenhagen February 10-11.
She met with MFA, MOD, Danish Energy Agency (septel),and the
Greenland Representation. Ambassador Fulton also hosted a
dinner in her honor with senior Danish businesswomen and
government officials.

MFA
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3. (C) Ambassador Fulton hosted a working lunch for DAS
Quanrud with MFA Political Director and State Secretary for
Strategic Development Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen and MFA Legal
Adviser Thomas Winkler; Key points:

- Iran: Knudsen said Denmark is among the USG's staunchest
supporters on Iran, and that there is consensus in the EU
that we are headed for sanctions if Iran does not comply
soon. The question is: what will work? Nobody knows, he
answered, but sanctions are "the only option we have" and
they have repeatedly brought Iran to the table over the past
eight years. The Europeans now see that their passive
approach towards the green movement last summer was
unsuccessful. Winkler recommended that key players (he named
the USG, EU, Russia, and China) should agree on
interpretation of any sanctions resolution, because "if it is
too difficult, states will do nothing."

- China: Knudsen admitted Denmark had experienced "a major
bilateral crisis" with China in the Fall after the Prime
Minister and the Foreign Minister met with the Dalai Lama.
The Chinese were "subtle but tough, especially on contracts."
The matter was laid to rest when a Note Verbale was
negotiated - with broad support within the Danish parliament
- in which Denmark stated it would not support Tibetan
independence. Knudsen described this as consistent with
Denmark's "one China" policy. He added that the parliament
would debate the matter in March. Major EU countries are
starting to understand that unity is necessary when dealing
with China, because individually, no member state is big
enough to make China care. He predicted the issue of the EU
arms embargo would come back onto the table.

- Federal Air Marshals (FAMs): Winkler noted that the FAMs
issue is not a "foreign affairs matter," to which DAS Quanrud
replied that it is, in fact, crucial to the bilateral
relationship, and the Ambassador added that it is dear to the
President. Winkler assessed that the matter is "moving in
the right direction"; Transport Minister Barfoed "is quite
reasonable," and "sees the larger picture." Winkler
supported asking the Foreign Minister to speak with Barfoed.
It is important to handle the parliament properly: the
matter does not require a parliamentary decision, merely
consultation, and it must be dealt with quietly as a
counterterrorism issue. Winkler thought it probable that
Barfoed would brief the Parliament,s Transport Committee
after consulting with key political-party leaders. Knudsen
remarked that the main opposition party, the Social Democrats
(SDP),would be much more sympathetic to President Obama than
to President Bush. The Ambassador, noting that she had told
the Prime Minister's national security advisor that the White
House hopes for resolution by early April, offered to reach
out to SDP leader Helle Thorning-Schmidt at the right time;
she also reminded that there is a standing invitation for the
Danes to visit the FAMs training site in New Jersey, perhaps
more than once. Winkler took note of the offer to help with
the SDP.


COPENHAGEN 00000103 002 OF 003


- Russia: Knudsen said Denmark's relations with Russia are
now the best they have been since 2002. The PM has met with
Putin and Medvedev, and Medvedev is coming on a state visit
in April. Denmark has very strong ties with the Baltic
states, and is looking at how to persuade them to be "more
constructive" towards Russia within the EU. At the same
time, he added, "we need to get Russia away from zero-sum
thinking." DAS Quanrud noted that the USG is very pragmatic
in its approach towards Russia; since our "reset." Russia has
moved on Iran, has been helpful on Afghanistan, and more
productive in START negotiations. The Danes agreed that the
Balts would welcome the principled pragmatism of the current
U.S. approach. Knudsen added that their great fear is that
they will be sacrificed to improve relations with Russia.

- Arctic: Winkler noted that he would be accompanying the
Foreign Minister to the Ottawa meeting of the five Arctic
littoral states. Knudsen agreed that the Arctic should not
become militarized, and took on board the U.S. desire to keep
the Arctic Council at the center of discussions about the
region. He did not think NATO should play a significantly
bigger role than it does now, nor should the EU.

MOD
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4. (C) DAS Quanrud, accompanied by Ambassador Fulton, met
with MOD Permanent Secretary Lars Findsen,Deputy Permanent
Secretary of State for Defense Kristian Fischer and Jens
Oddershede, Deputy Head of Department for NATO and EU Policy.
Key points:

- Afghanistan: DAS Quanrud expressed thanks for Denmark's
outsized contributions and stressed that our commitment to
this effort must be driven by the shared threat to our own
security. The Danes agreed and said their plan for
operations this year in Helmand province should be ready in
the next few weeks. Denmark will stay the course but with
increasing emphasis on training and partnering with the
Afghan security forces. In this regard, the Danes asked for
USG help in ensuring that appropriate Afghan partners are
made available for them to work with in the field.

- Missile Defense: DAS Quanrud said we will continue
discussions in NATO on all aspects of ballistic missile
defense, and urged that the issue not be left hostage to
alliance budget woes. The phased adaptive approach uses
largely U.S. assets, but command and control as well as other
assets require NATO planning, connectivity, and rules of
engagement. Fischer noted that some Europeans may worry that
letting the U.S. into the European missile-defense-technology
market would give the American manufacturers a competitive
advantage.

- Arctic: Quanrud noted the opportunity to expand civil
cooperation (search and rescue, environmental protection,
etc.),and the potentially useful role of the Thule airbase
in Greenland in this regard. She asked what the Danes meant
when they spoke of NATO and the Arctic. Fischer explained
that Defense Minister Gade saw a need for a dialogue within
the Alliance to understand trends, but stressed that this was
not/not a call for a NATO presence in the Arctic, which
Denmark agrees should not be militarized. Fischer noted that
Denmark currently chairs the Arctic Council, with a focus on
coast-guard and search-and-rescue cooperation. He added that
Norway may be looking for more NATO visibility in the region
than Denmark is.

- Russia: The DAS asked about Danish thinking on European
security and relations with Russia, including CFE. Fischer
replied that Denmark believes in using existing instruments
and using them better. Fischer noted that Denmark agrees on
the need to engage Russia carefully and to find more
effective means than the currently dysfunctional NATO-Russia
Council. He stated that the Danish NATO Secretary General is
aligned with this thinking.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS
--------------


5. (SBU) The Ambassador hosted a dinner attended by eight
leading Danish businesswomen and two Deputy Permanent
Secretaries from the Ministry for Business and Economic

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Affairs. The discussion focused on the challenges affecting
women in leadership positions and the initiatives being taken
to address them. The rate of female participation in the
workforce is high in Denmark, but the percentage of women in
senior leadership is quite low. The state provides extensive
support (notably a full year of maternity leave to be shared
between the parents as they see fit),but that in itself
creates pressure on women to take time off from their careers
to care for their infants. The Ambassador took the
opportunity to mention in several sidebar discussions the
planned conference on the role of women in global security.


6. (U) DAS Quanrud has cleared this cable.
FULTON