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 004026 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EB/IP (JURBAN); EUR/PPD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KIPR KPAO SCUL SP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S NOVEMBER 10 MEETING WITH CULTURE 
MINISTER CARMEN CALVO 
 
REF: REF (A) MADRID 3785 (B) MADRID 3566 (C) SECSTATE 
 
     36633 
 
¶1. Summary: Ambassador's courtesy call was characterized by 
good atmospherics but little indication that the GOS will 
move significantly on the issues of concern to us.  Minister 
Calvo started by enthusiatically describing U.S.- Spain 
cultural cooperation hightlights, especially the upcoming 
Picasso exhibit. The Minister agreed with the Ambassador on 
the need to fight Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) 
violations but did not indicate that the GOS would put more 
energy into implementing its own excellent anti-piracy plan. 
Calvo said that the U.S. firm, Odyssey Exploration Ltd., 
could look for HMS Sussex if it provided a work plan to the 
regional government in Andalucia, although work plans have 
been delivered in the past.  Calvo said that the GOS believed 
it was more appropriate for the Thyssen Foundation to respond 
to Ambassador O'Donnell's letter to her regarding the 
Pissarro painting claimed by Claude Cassirer, although the 
GOS is on the Foundation board and has a lot of influence 
over what the board does.  End Summary 
 
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Participants 
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¶2. International Cooperation and Cultural Communication 
Director General Carlos Alberdi Alonso accompanied the 
Minister.  Economic Officer accompanied the Ambassador. 
 
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U.S.- Spain Cultural/Educational Cooperation 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. Minister Calvo mentioned the upcoming 2006 Prado Picasso 
exhibit, which will include loaned works from several 
American institutions.  The Embassy's Public Affairs section 
is working to facilitate these loans with a number of U.S. 
institutions.  Calvo also mentioned that prior to her 
political career (she was Andalucia's equivalent of Minister 
of Culture before President Zapatero invited her to assume 
the national cultural portfolio) she was a professor at the 
University of Cordoba.  She said that she had worked on the 
PRESHCO (Oberlin College, Smith College, The College of 
Wooster, Trinity College, Wellesley College, and Wheaton) 
Hispanic Studies Program with the University of Cordoba which 
was enormously successful.  The Minister also mentioned she 
was a Bruce Springsteen fan. 
 
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IPR Protection Important 
------------------------ 
 
¶4. The Ambassador said the September 28 (ref A) IPR 
Roundtable had been a successful instance of U.S.-Spain 
cooperation.  The Minister agreed and said that the police 
had told her that IPR violators made more money than drug 
traffickers.  She added that IPR violations were a "big 
problem" in Spain.  Local industry groups have been making 
the GOS aware of the extent of the IPR problem. 
 
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Cassirer Claim 
-------------- 
 
¶5. Ambassador mentioned that Ambassador O'Donnell had not 
received a response to his June 27, 2005 letter to Minister 
Calvo re:the Cassirer claim.  Calvo acknowledged that she had 
not responded.  She also said that Foreign Minister Moratinos 
had raised the issue with her.  Calvo said that because the 
Pisarro painting claimed by Cassirer belonged to the Thyssen 
Foundation (of which the GOS is a board member), it would be 
more appropriate for the Foundation to respond to Ambassador 
O'Donnell's letter.  She added that while the GOS "presides 
over the patrimony" of the Foundation, the GOS cannot 
"unilaterally" decide what to do.  She asked her staffer, 
Alberdi Alonso, to follow up with Economic Officer on this 
matter.  (Note: Economic Officer discussed the Cassirer claim 
with Alberdi Alonso.  He noted that Spanish Cultural 
Counselor Sobredo had recently discussed the claim with 
Ambassador O'Donnell.  Alberdi Alonso said that Ambassador 
O'Donnell had conveyed "disappointment" to Sobredo re: this 
matter.  Alberdi Alonso committed to following up. Embassy 
will continue to press the GOS on the desirability of the 
Foundation meeting directly with the family to resolve the 
claim.) 
 
------------------------------------- 
Odyssey and the Search for HMS Sussex 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. Ambassador mentioned that the Regional Authority of 
Andalucia had still not responded to Odyssey's request to 
name an observer to accompany the Odyssey in its search for 
HMS Sussex.  (Note: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
authorized in an August 18, 2005 diplomatic note to the 
Embassy the Odyssey to search for the Sussex as long as the 
Odyssey contacted the regional authorities to get a 
representative to accompany the Odyssey.  The authorities 
have, however, never responded to Odyssey's inquiries re; the 
topic. See refs B and C.)  Calvo said she was intimately 
acquainted with this subject and said that the Odyssey had 
never provided the regional authorities with a work plan as 
had been requested.  She suggested that once a work plan was 
provided, the issue could be resolved. (Note: Emboffs remain 
in regular contact with Odyssey officials in the U.S. and 
Odyssey's attorneys in Madrid.  The Minister was disingenuous 
in her response to the Ambassador because Odyssey has 
provided voluminous information to both GOS and Andalucian 
authorities.) 
 
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Comment 
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¶7. The atmospherics of the meeting were good.  Calvo clearly 
has religion like the rest of her cabinet colleagues on the 
need have good relations with the U.S.  However, with respect 
to the three big issues we have with her Ministry, her 
ability/willingness to deliver is questionable.  On IPR 
matters there is philosophical agreement between the U.S. and 
Spain on most issues, but so far her Ministry has not 
implemented its otherwise excellent anti-piracy plan 
vigorously.  On the Cassirer claim, the GOS could get the 
Foundation to, at a minimum, provide an interim response to 
Ambassador O'Donnell's letter without paying a discernible 
price.  The Odyssey is a six year saga with Minister Calvo on 
record in the past as saying that the Odyssey would only 
search for HMS Sussex "over her dead body".  The American 
company is likely to commence the search for the Sussex in 
the coming weeks and take the risk of having a Civil Guard 
boat boarding the vessel.  The U.S. company is in a legally 
strong position given the MFA diplomatic note authorizing the 
search.  Minister Calvo's staffer, Carlos Alberdi Alonso, 
said the MFA had mistakenly provided the authorization as 
compentency lies with the regional authorities, but given the 
MFA note and the overwhelming weight of international law 
favoring the U.S. firm, the risk of boarding may well be 
worth taking for the Odyssey.                . 
 
 
AGUIRRE