This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

091040Z Dec 04

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 004638 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: N/A 
TAGS: AMGT ECON ETRD EINV PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: VIRTUAL PRESENCE PROGRAM (VPP) IN SEVILLE/ANDALUSIA INITIATED 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Embassy Madrid has decided to initiate Virtual 
Presence Programs (VPP) for Andalusia and the Basque country on 
a one year trial basis.  Charge initiated the Andalusia VPP 
concept while visiting Seville November 30 - December 1.  He 
hosted a well attended reception for the U.S. Davis Cup tennis 
team and local officials.  The tennis team is captained by 
Patrick McEnroe and includes the world number two ranked player: 
Andy Roddick.  The U.S. team will compete with the Spanish team 
in the Davis Cup final in Seville December 3-5.  Charge's visit 
generated extensive press coverage - he got the message out that 
while we have differences, Spain and the U.S. continue to work 
together on important issues, including security matters. 
Charge met with Autonomous Community of Andalusia President 
Manuel Chavez Gonzalez, a nationally influential PSOE stalwart. 
(Note: In Spain "Autonomous Communities" are roughly equivalent 
to states in the U.S., although Spain is formally still a 
unitary country.)  Chavez reiterated the PSOE position that 
Spain wants to be "useful", for instance in the Middle East, to 
the U.S., although he prefaced his remarks by saying he does not 
speak for the GOS.  Charge also met with a representative for 
the Mayor of Seville.  Both Chavez and the Mayor's 
representative welcomed the prospect of a continuing dialogue 
with the U.S. Embassy through the Virtual Presence Program. End 
Summary 
 
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WHY VIRTUAL PRESENCE IN ANDALUSIA? 
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¶2. (U) We closed our Consulate General in Seville fifteen years 
ago, but we still maintain a two person Consular Agency in 
Seville. There are numerous reasons to make an effort to 
maintain an ongoing dialogue with the regional and city 
governments.  Andalusia is big with seven million out of Spain's 
40 million inhabitants.  The PSOE leadership is nationally 
influential.  Andalusia is home to many American retirees and 
hosts many tourists.  We have two important military bases 
there.  See para. 3 for a non-exhaustive list of our ongoing 
interests and activities in Andalusia.  Our idea is to use this 
list as a basis for developing additional programs and 
activities serving Mission Program Plan (MPP) goals.  Trade 
Policy Officer Carl Schonander is the Embassy's Andalusia 
Virtual Program Coordinator.  He will be liaising on an ongoing 
basis with regional and city officials regarding ways we might 
expand activities in and with Andalusia. 
 
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UNITED STATES PRESENCE/ACTIVITIES IN SEVILLE AND ANDALUSIA 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
 
¶3. (U) 
 
--  Consular Agency to remain. 
 
--  Rota and Moron bases. 
 
--  Container Security Initiative in Algeciras. 
 
--  U.S.-Spain Council 10nth Annual Meeting probably in 
February, 2005 (chaired by Senator 
    Chris Dodd and Antonio Garrigues). 
 
--  U.S. Embassy to support Seville June 2005 conference on 
academic exchanges called 
    "Building Bridges"; sponsor speakers for Universidad de Jaen 
Spring 2005 Spanish 
    Association of American Studies biannual program; assist 
Malaga Centro de Arte 
    Contemporaneo put together an exhibit by American artist 
Alex Katz in February-June 
    ¶2005. 
 
--  Researchers from Andalusia have received Fulbright 
scholarships; some U.S. Fulbright 
    scholars perform research in Andalusia. 
 
--  International Visitor Program: Intensified effort to find 
qualified candidates from 
    Andalusia. 
 
--  United States Commercial Service (USCS)/Confederacion 
Empresarios Andaluses (CEA) 
    seminar in 2005. 
 
--  U.S. Embassy Environment, Science and Technology Officer to 
explore possibility of 
    greater Science & Technology cooperation with Andalusia, as 
well as greater Andalusian 
    presence in the Fulbright grant process. 
 
--  Annual visit by American Consul General. 
 
--  Political Section visits in 2005 especially oriented towards 
identifying and providing 
    counterterrorism training to members of local law 
enforcement agencies. 
 
--  Seville maintains a sister city relationship with Kansas 
City. 
 
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NOVEMBER 30 RECEPTION A SUCCESS 
------------------------------- 
 
 
¶4. (U) The first Embassy-hosted reception in Seville in four 
years proved successful with the Mayor in attendance and top 
lieutenants to the President of the Autonomous Community of 
Andalusia.  The hook of the U.S. Davis Cup tennis team's 
presence generated excitement. The Davis Cup final, a three day 
event, has attracted sold out crowds in Seville and is one of 
the most important sporting events the city has hosted.  The 
U.S. reception attracted national, regional, local, and TV 
media.  Charge's subsequent TV and press interviews also 
received widespread positive coverage. 
 
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MEETING WITH PRESIDENT OF ANDALUSIA AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY MANUEL 
CHAVEZ GONZALEZ 
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-------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Chavez is a heavyweight within the PSOE.  Had he been 
willing to leave Andalusia, he would have been a strong 
contender for the PSOE leadership.  He is nationally influential 
and travels frequently in Spain and abroad.  Chavez was 
receptive to closer contacts with the Embassy in Madrid.  He was 
very interested in the upcoming U.S.-Spain Council meeting, 
provisionally scheduled for February 2005 in Seville.  He 
reiterated the PSOE line that Spain wants to be "useful" to the 
U.S., although he prefaced his remarks by saying that he does 
not speak for the GOS.  He said that Iraq was an "accident" in 
U.S.-Spanish relations and that the two countries should return 
to "normality".  Chavez said he grew up with Americans from the 
military bases in Andalusia.  He noted that he had been selected 
twice for International Visitor programs.  The first time he 
could not go because the Franco government stopped him.  The 
second time he went in the late seventies, and he said it had 
been a good experience.  Chavez opined that Catalonia was medium- 
term a more significant problem for Spain's constitutional 
future than the Basque country despite the terrorism problem in 
the latter.  He said the Catalonia PSOE was more nationalist 
than socialist, whereas the Basque PSOE was more socialist than 
nationalist. (Comment: A fundamental problem for leaders of 
autonomous communities like Andalusia that are comfortable with 
a Spanish identity is that if Catalonia and the Basque country 
demand and receive more powers, the other communities often feel 
duty-bound to demand the same concessions from the central 
government.  There is resistance in Spain to the idea that some 
communities should effectively be more equal than others such as 
Quebec is in the Canadian Confederation and Scotland in the 
United Kingdom.)  Chavez mentioned that he is currently reading 
Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack", and that he found the book's 
description of decionmaking at the highest level of the 
USG "interesting". 
 
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MEETING WITH SEVILLE ADJUNCT PRESIDENT FOR INTERNATIONAL 
RELATIONS ALFONSO SEOANE YARZA 
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---------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Seoane mentioned that he had just returned from a trip to 
Tangiers.  He said that Spanish businesses were potentially 
interested in investing in Morocco to take advantage of the U.S.- 
Morocco FTA.  He noted that some Spanish businesses really were 
suffering from the Euro-Dollar exchange rate, and that they 
needed to do everything possible to increase competitiveness. 
Seoane reiterated that the City of Seville would like to see the 
U.S. use the Consular Agency building more often.  Charge noted 
that the building was too large for U.S. needs, and that we 
would probably return to the building to the City when our lease 
expires in February 2006, although a final USG decision has not 
been made.  Seoane was very interested in expanding student 
exchange programs.  He also mentioned that baseball was becoming 
more popular, and that he would like to try to arrange a game 
between an Andalusian team and a team from the Rota naval base. 
Seoane mentioned that Seville's top female soccer player 
(Seville plays in the A feminine league) is an American called 
Jennifer Talavera - she gets a lot of attention in the local 
press. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶7. (U) Charge's trip to Seville proved a good launching pad for 
the Virtual Presence Program in Andalusia. 
 
MANZANARES