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 --- ¶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 --- ¶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 COPENHAGEN 00000103 003 OF 003 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