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OO RUEHAG RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ
RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVI #1419/01 1351535
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 151535Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3498
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE  PRIORITY
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0137
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ PRIORITY 0098
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0010

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001419 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ERA, WHA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL ECIN ETRD PGOV PHUM CU BL VE EUN AU
SUBJECT: EU-LATIN AMERICA SUMMIT: SLOW PROGRESS TOWARD 
CLOSER COOPERATION 
 
 
THIS MESSAGE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: At the May 11-12 EU-LAC (Latin 
America/Caribbean) Summit, the two regions sought 
strategies for closer cooperation.  A striking lack of 
unity among LAC countries hampered the effort.  The 
meeting produced a "Declaration of Vienna" enumerating 
common goals, among them the continued pursuit of EU 
association agreements with LAC countries.  Bolivian 
nationalization projects were a key topic of press 
briefings during the Summit, at which EU representatives 
stressed the importance of legal guarantees to maintain 
investor confidence.  On the margins of the official 
summit, left-wing NGOs, trade unions and church 
organizations held an "alternative summit" attacking "neo- 
liberal" free trade agendas.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (U) Under the theme "strengthening the bi/lateral 
regional strategic association," EU and LAC leaders 
discussed the importance of regional integration to 
promote economic growth.  In the face of disarray among 
the regional groupings of the Andean countries and 
Mercosur, EU representatives appealed to their Latin 
American partners to work toward integration. 
 
VIENNA DECLARATION 
------------------ 
 
¶3.  (U) The Summit produced a "Declaration of Vienna" 
stating common goals for the EU and LAC.  One of the 
declaration's focal points was continuing the movement 
toward inter-regional association agreements.  It also 
defined common positions of EU and LAC vis-a-vis U.S. 
policies: in the fight against terrorism, it stressed the 
importance of respect for human rights and international 
law.  It appealed to all countries to sign the Kyoto 
Protocol and expressed full support for the International 
Criminal Court.  Full text: 
http://www.eu2006.at/includes/images/EULAC/EU - 
LACViennaDeclarationEN.pdf 
 
LEFTIST STARS MORALES AND CHAVEZ 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (U) The controversial presidents of Bolivia and 
Venezuela, Evo Morales and Hugo Chavez, drew the most 
media attention during the summit.  In discussing 
Bolivia's recent nationalization moves, EU and Austrian 
representatives stressed the need for legal guarantees to 
maintain investor confidence.  At a My 12 press 
briefing, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgan Schuessel went 
further, underscoring that free arkets were superior to 
closed, fragmented ones. Schuessel pointed to the 
enormous amount of invetment needed to exploit oil and 
gas resources, nting hat even countries such as Russia 
and the iddle Eastern states sought international 
investent. 
 
¶5.  (U) Chavez and Morales also addressed he 
"alternative summit," a parallel event organizd by 
leftwing NGOs, trade unions and church orgaizations 
staged on May 10-13.  The gneral thrust of the speeches 
was to exhort governments to abandon the "neo-liberal" 
free trade agenda. 
 
COMMITTEE FOR DEMOCRACY IN CUBA APPEAL 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) On the eve of the summit, the International 
Committee for Democracy in Cuba (ICDC) - a gathering of 
prominent international statesmen and intellectuals 
founded by former Czech President Vaclav Havel in 
September 2003 to promote democratic change in Cuba - 
called on summit participants adopt a united, critical 
attitude to Fidel Castro's Communist regime.  Czech 
Senator Karel Schwarzenberg and German MP Arnold Vaatz 
presented a declaration that demanded EU member states 
toughen their approach toward Cuba.  They also requested 
that EU-LAC and UN members make Cuba's new membership in 
the UN Human Rights Council conditional on observing 
human rights and freedoms.  Most speakers, however, 
raised doubts about the effectiveness of economic 
 
VIENNA 00001419  002 OF 002 
 
 
sanctions in bringing democracy to Cuba, noting that 
economic isolation had not effected democratic change. 
The Czech Embassy also opened of a photo exhibition of 
family members of imprisoned Cuban dissidents.  About 20- 
25 young people with Cuban flags and posters of Che 
Guevara protested vigorously outside the event venue. 
 
EU AND CENTRAL AMERICA AGREE TO START FREE TRADE TALKS 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶7.  (U) At a May 13 subregional meeting between the EU 
and Central America following the EU-LAC Summit, parties 
reached agreement on starting negotiations on an EU- 
Central America Association Agreement.  Chancellor 
Schuessel concluded that this was "a good example for the 
other countries in this region."  Panamanian Vice- 
President Samuel Lewis Navarro described the development 
as an "historic event" that had significance far beyond 
the economic sector.  "This is a strategic agreement 
which will be very positive for the people of our 
countries.  Central America has already made important 
adjustments.  We will need some time for the 
negotiations, but we are working on improving our 
relations," Navarro said.  European Commission President 
Jose Manuel Barroso stressed that Europe and Central 
America would pursue the common goal of democratization 
through the trade agreement. 
 
MCCAW