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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLI #2134/01 2691550
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 261550Z SEP 06 ZDK
FM AMEMBASSY LISBON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5190
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0038
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0057
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 0035
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0034
RUEHLU/AMEMBASSY LUANDA 0535
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO 0496
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 0056
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0027

C O N F I D E N T I A L LISBON 002134 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2016 
TAGS: MARR MOPS PGOV PHUM PINR PINS PREL PTER AF
RS, IR, IZ, VE, CU, PO 
SUBJECT: PORTUGUESE POLITICAL DIRECTOR EXPOUNDS ON RUSSIA, 
IRAN, EU, AND MORE 
 
Classified By: POL CHIEF TROY FITRELL, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  The Portuguese MFA's Director General for 
Foreign Policy expounded on several issues to us recently, 
including Russia, Iran, Latin America, Iraq, Afghanistan, the 
NATO Summit, and the EU Presidency.  The consonance between 
his views and ours speaks clearly to Portugal's reliability 
as an ally and partner.  End summary. 
 
¶2. (U) At a September 25 luncheon hosted by Ambassador 
Hoffman at his residence, Portuguese Ministry for Foreign 
Affairs Director General for Foreign Policy Manuel Tomas 
Fernandes Pereira explained GOP views on a number of foreign 
policy issues, including regional organizations, Venezuela, 
Cuba, Iran, Russia, and the upcoming United Nations Security 
Council election. 
 
Russia, Iran (and the EU Presidency) 
 
------------------------------------ 
¶3. (U) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with 
Portuguese Foreign Minister Amado in Lisbon September 18 
before both Russian and Portuguese delegations went to New 
York for the U.N. General Assembly.  Lavrov's public 
statements noted that Russia was interested in improving 
policy coordination between Russia and the EU.  As Portugal 
will hold the European Union Presidency in the second half of 
2007, it was important to meet with Portuguese officials well 
in advance. 
 
¶4. (C) Fernandes Pereira said the meeting was much more 
relaxed than was the case with many of Lavrov's predecessors. 
 The meeting, he said, was conducted entirely in English and 
consisted entirely of conversation; no prepared statements 
were made by either party.  Lavrov, according to Fernandes 
Pereira, was concerned about mounting tensions in Georgia, 
specifically in South Ossetia.  Fernandes Pereira noted that 
Portugal -- and by extension the EU -- depends on Russia to 
pressure Iran, which means a nuanced policy in nearby Georgia 
is critical.  Fernandes Pereira opined that Russia is far 
more amenable to such pressure on Iran than is China, noting 
that at least Russia is willing "to say the right things," if 
not necessarily to do them. 
 
¶5. (C) Warming to the subject of Iran, Fernandes Pereira 
noted that Portuguese policy is to engage Iran, but that Iran 
must provide concrete examples of cooperation.  Fernandes 
Pereira noted that the EU has given Iran the opportunity to 
negotiate, but now the Iranians must do so or suffer the 
consequences.  He cautioned that Portugal would be reluctant 
to proceed with sanctions at this point, noting that 
sanctions have been imposed in other circumstances with 
little impact.  He continued that any future sanctions on 
Iran must be carefully designed to produce a desired outcome, 
but this would be no easy task.  Fernandes Pereira noted that 
they stressed the same firm line on Iran to the Syrian 
Information Minister Mohsen Bilal, who visited August 24 and 
who Fernandes Pereira characterized as surprised by 
Portugal's stance. 
 
Latin America 
------------- 
¶6. (C) Regarding Venezuela, Fernandes Pereira noted that 
there are half a million Portuguese nationals and dual 
nationals in Venezuela, which constrains the public actions 
that Portugal can take in response to the antics of 
Venezuela's President Chavez.  Fernandes Pereira suggested 
that Chavez's actions are far less problematic than his 
rhetoric, but agreed that Chavez's rhetoric was itself 
damaging to the conduct of diplomacy in the region. 
 
¶7. (C) Fernandes Pereira underscored the importance of 
Western nations coordinating efforts to ensure a peaceful 
transition in Cuba following Castro's death.  Top priorities, 
he said, must be to ensure selection of a successor through 
democratic elections and continued provision of social 
services to the Cuban people to avoid any negative impact on 
the transition to democratic rule. 
 
¶8. (U) Fernandes Pereira lauded his meeting with WHA A/S Tom 
Shannon on the margins of last May's Bilateral Commission 
meeting in Washington, emphasizing their discussion of Cuba 
as particularly useful.  Noting Portugal's interest in a 
 
range of Western Hemisphere issues, he characterized it as, 
"the best meeting I had." 
 
¶9. (C) Fernandes Pereira reiterated that Portugal intends to 
support Guatemala's bid for a rotating seat on the United 
Nations Security Council instead of the Venezuelan candidacy, 
and had stated this policy to Portugal's Lusophone colleagues 
in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Nations (CPLP). 
 
Iraq and Afghanistan 
-------------------- 
¶10. (C) Fernandes Pereira noted that he had visited Iraq in 
February 2004, before sectarian violence had reached its 
zenith.  The situation was, he opined, much worse now than 
during his visit.  Fernandes Pereira qualified his comments 
somewhat by suggesting that the sectarian violence was not 
merely a result of ethnic tensions, but was actively fomented 
by outside sources. 
 
¶11. (C) Fernandes Pereira made specific mention of Portuguese 
forces serving in Afghanistan.  Although they are few in 
number, Fernandes Pereira noted that they serve "without 
caveat," and are available for whatever duty is required of 
them.  He noted that the Portuguese company currently in 
Afghanistan is headed to Kandahar.  Fernandes Pereira then 
criticized "those nations" that send troops but destroy their 
utility by caveats that they can only serve in specific zones 
or in specific roles.  Fernandes Pereira also noted that 
Portugal believes that ultimately, the best solution to 
Afghanistan's drug trade might prove to be a UN program to 
buy all of Afghanistan's poppy production. 
 
2008 NATO and Lusophone Summits (and the EU Presidency) 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
¶12. (C) Fernandes Pereira confirmed that Portugal would be a 
candidate to host the 2008 NATO Summit, dedicated to the 
topic of enlargement, and that this is a top priority of the 
Prime Minister.  He noted surprise that the 2009 Summit had 
already been awarded to Germany; in commemoration of the 60th 
anniversary of the Washington Treaty Fernandes Pereira had 
expected it to be held in Washington.  Fernandes Pereira also 
noted that in the same year Portugal will host the CPLP 
Summit. 
 
WHO Vote, Americans in the MFA 
------------------------------ 
¶13. (C) Fernandes Pereira noted that in the upcoming vote for 
the Director-General of the World Health Organization, 
Portugal was bound to vote for a candidate from the CPLP, at 
least in the first round.  Fernandes Pereira suggested that 
they would likely support the Mozambican candidate at first, 
but may switch to the Spanish or Mexican candidate should the 
Mozambican falter.  Fernandes Pereira also noted that the MFA 
would welcome the assignment of an American in the MFA,s EU 
Presidency Office either during the preparations for the EU 
Presidency or during the Presidency itself, as part of the 
USG-GOP diplomat exchange program. 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶14. (U) While Fernandes Pereira clearly knew who his audience 
was at this meeting, his statements accurately reflect 
Portuguese foreign policy priorities.  The many examples of 
consonance between his statements and U.S. foreign policy 
priorities reflect the amity between our governments and the 
reliability of Portugal as an ally and partner. 
Hoffman