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

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 003570 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL TBIO PGOV EAGR SP
SUBJECT: U/S DOBRIANSKY'S MEETINGS IN MADRID 
 
REF: A. A) MADRID 3492 
     ¶B. B) 3447 
 
¶1. Summary.  During her September 27 visit to Madrid to meet 
with FM Miguel Angel Moratinos (REF A), Under Secretary for 
Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky also met with 
Director General for International Organizations and 
Multilateral Affairs Arturo Laclaustra to discuss USG 
initiatives to monitor and respond to avian influenza and 
Spain's position on Magen David Adom, as well as with DG for 
the Middle East and Africa Alvaro Iranzo, Special Envoy for 
the Alliance of Civilizations Maximo Cajal, and Sub Director 
General for North American Affairs Manuel de la Camara.  U/S 
Dobriansky met separately with a small group of think tank 
representatives.  End Summary. 
 
//AVIAN FLU, MAGEN DAVID ADOM// 
 
¶2. In her meeting with MFA DG for International Organizations 
and Multilateral Affairs Laclaustra, U/S Dobriansky discussed 
the USG's support for a diplomatic conference to discuss the 
Third Protocol and the inclusion of Magen David Adom in the 
International Red Cross, as well as the USG's growing concern 
regarding the possibility of a global pandemic related to the 
H5N1 strain of avian influenza.  On Magen David Adom, 
Laclaustra said the MFA was "100 percent" behind the 
assessment that this is a humanitarian not political issue. 
Noting that the two societies were meeting at the time of his 
meeting with the Under Secretary, he was encouraged that 
civil society on both the Israeli and Palestinian side seemed 
to be working towards a resolution.  He acknowledged that 
Switzerland was playing a facilitating role, but stressed 
that the majority of the discussion was at the civil society 
level.  Laclaustra said that the Swiss were working on 
setting a date for a meeting to move the MDA issue forward, 
but that it would not take place by October 27.  U/S 
Dobriansky thanked Spain for its support and noted the USG's 
desire to set a date for a meeting in order to generate 
positive traction. 
 
¶3. U/S Dobriansky described the International Partnership on 
Avian and Pandemic Influenza (IPAPI) initiative, emphasizing 
its core principles of transparency and coordination among 
the various interested parties and organizations, including 
the World Health Organization (WHO) and affected countries 
such as Vietnam and Laos.  Dobriansky urged Spain's 
participation in the upcoming experts meeting in Washington, 
a meeting intended to help key actors verify whether all 
appropriate measures are in place to monitor and respond to 
avian flu outbreaks.  Laclaustra expressed appreciation for 
the USG initiative, but indicated Spain would await 
development of an EU common position on the issue at the 
September 30 meeting of the COREPER in Brussels (REF B).  U/S 
Dobriansky encouraged Spain's participation in IPAPI 
irrespective of the results of the COREPER meeting. 
 
//MEETING WITH MFA OFFICIALS// 
 
¶4. U/S Dobriansky held a separate meeting with DG for Foreign 
Policy Dezcallar, DG for the Middle East and Africa Alvaro 
Iranzo, Sub Director General for North American Affairs 
Manuel de la Camara, and Special Envoy for the Alliance of 
Civilizations Maximo Cajal to discuss democracy promotion, 
especially in the BMENA region and Latin America.  She drew 
particular attention to the value of the Community of 
Democracies process as a forum for democracies from around 
the world to exchange information.  She thanked Spain for its 
support for BMENA initiatives and reviewed her meeting with 
FM Moratinos earlier in the day, including his expressions of 
support for the Budapest International Center for Democratic 
Transitions and for the Foundation and Fund for the Future. 
 
¶5. Dezcallar and Iranzo highlighted North Africa as a region 
of strategic concern for Spain, noting the difficulties 
involved in promoting democracy and reform in Tunisia, 
Algeria, and Morocco.  Dezcallar said Spain enjoyed an 
excellent image in Morocco and in the Middle East and could 
use its credibility to support a pro-reform agenda.  He urged 
USG activism in North Africa, especially in encouraging 
improved relations between Algeria and Morocco.  U/S 
Dobriansky reviewed USG actions to keep Algeria and Morocco 
pointed in a positive direction and the USG's support for the 
UN process on Western Sahara.  Maximo Cajal returned to the 
importance of Morocco for Spanish foreign policy, saying, 
that it would be difficult for the Alliance of Civilizations 
to prosper if Spain could not develop a mutually supportive 
relationship with Morocco.  Dezcallar discussed the 
preparations for the September 29 Spain-Morocco summit, which 
included multiple cabinet level officials from both countries. 
 
//THINK TANK EVENT// 
 
¶6. U/S Dobriansky's final event in Madrid was a meeting with 
a small group of political and think tank figures, including 
Popular Party (PP) Parliamentarian Jorge Moragas, Soeren Kern 
of Madrid's premier Elcano Institute, and Jose Luis Herrero 
of the Foundation for International Relations and Dialogue. 
Moragas discussed the PP's differences with the Zapatero 
government on foreign policy issues, particularly over Cuba 
and Venezuela and the PP's view that Spain's position on both 
countries should be much closer to that of the USG.  Jose 
Luis Herrero, whose organization focuses on Middle East 
issues, described Spanish views on the Middle East Peace 
Process and discussed the Alliance of Civilizations 
initiative.  He highlighted his effort to get the Spanish 
Parliament to focus on human rights efforts, including on 
mandating the replication of the USG Human Rights Report.  He 
lamented the lack of objective facts, noting that this 
contributed to insufficient dialogue and decision making in 
the Spanish Parliament.  He also noted that the U.S. media is 
not focused on international issues, which contributes to a 
lack of understanding of such issues among the general 
American population.  Kern, a U.S. citizen and long term 
resident of Spain, described the difficulty in penetrating 
Spanish misperceptions of the U.S. political process.  U/S 
Dobriansky discussed her objectives in Spain and noted USG 
and Spanish efforts to coordinate on important initiatives 
such as the Barcelona Process and the Alliance of 
Civilizations. 
AGUIRRE