VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHMOA #3073 3561346
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221346Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
MOSCOW POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L MOSCOW 013073 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV IR LE GE RS
SUBJECT: GERMAN FM STEINMEIER'S MOSCOW VISIT: MIDDLE EAST, 
IRAN, AND RUSSIA-EU 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES DANIEL A. RUSSELL. 
REASONS:  1.4(B/D). 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER FRANK-WALTER 
 
 
 
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STEINMEIER MET WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN, FIRST DEPUTY PRIME 
MINISTER MEDVEDEV, AND FM LAVROV IN MOSCOW ON DECEMBER 21. 
ACCORDING TO A READOUT FROM GERMAN AMBASSADOR WALTER SCHMIDT, 
WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETINGS, PUTIN CLAIMED THAT RUSSIA'S 
DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIA WAS AIMED AT ENCOURAGING 
DAMASCUS TO ACT RESPONSIBLY IN LEBANON, IRAQ AND THE BROADER 
MIDDLE EAST.  AFTER MEETING PRESIDENT ASAD AND PM SINIORA, 
PUTIN SAID THAT HE BELIEVED THE LATTER WAS WILLING TO SEEK A 
COMPROMISE THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE OPPOSITION.  TURNING TO 
IRAN, PUTIN SAID RUSSIA WOULD TRY TO JOIN CONSENSUS ON THE 
DRAFT UNSCR, BUT STEINMEIER WAS UNABLE TO PIN FM LAVROV DOWN 
IN A SEPARATE MEETING ON RUSSIA'S POSITION ON THE DRAFT TEXT. 
 PUTIN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BAD PRESS RUSSIA WAS GETTING IN 
THE WEST AND POLAND'S ATTEMPTS TO BLOCK NEGOTIATIONS ON A NEW 
RUSSIA-EU PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (PCA). 
STEINMEIER INDICATED TO THE RUSSIANS THAT GERMANY WAS WILLING 
TO BE FLEXIBLE ON THE ENERGY PROVISIONS OF A NEW PCA.  END 
SUMMARY. 
. 
MIDDLE EAST 
 
 
 
PAGE 03 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
----------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  SCHMIDT SAID STEINMEIER MET WITH PUTIN FOR A ONE 
HOUR ONE-ON-ONE, AND THEN FOR ANOTHER HOUR IN AN EXPANDED 
FORMAT WITH LAVROV AND PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION FOREIGN 
POLICY ASSISTANT SERGEY PRIKHODKO.  WHILE STEINMEIER WAS IN 
MOSCOW OSTENSIBLY TO PROVIDE A PREVIEW OF GERMANY'S G-8 
PRESIDENCY, SCHMIDT'S READOUT FOCUSED ON THE MIDDLE EAST, 
IRAN, AND RUSSIA-EU RELATIONS.  PUTIN REVIEWED HIS RECENT 
MEETINGS WITH PRESIDENT ASAD AND PM SINIORA, NOTING THAT HE 
APPROACHED THESE MEETINGS WITH A HIGH DEGREE OF SKEPTICISM, 
BUT THAT RUSSIA WAS COMMITTED TO PREVENTING CIVIL WAR IN 
LEBANON, WHICH WOULD BE A DISASTER FOR THE REGION.  IN 
RESPONSE TO STEINMEIER'S QUESTIONING ABOUT RUSSIA WEAPONS 
SALES TO SYRIA, PUTIN SAID THAT ASAD HAD REASSURED HIM THAT 
SYRIA HAD DONE NOTHING TO VIOLATE BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH 
RUSSIA (E.G., END-USER AGREEMENTS RESTRICTING TRANSFERS TO 
THIRD PARTIES).  ASAD ALSO TOLD PUTIN THAT SYRIA WAS ENGAGING 
WITH THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT TO TAKE MEASURES TO STABILIZE THE 
BORDER SITUATION.  PUTIN STRESSED THAT RUSSIA WAS PRESSING 
 
 
 
PAGE 04 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
SYRIA NOT ONLY TO ACT RESPONSIBLY IN IRAQ, BUT IN THE BROADER 
MIDDLE EAST.  (SCHMIDT HAD FEW DETAILS TO REPORT ABOUT THE 
ONE-ON-ONE OTHER THAN TO NOTE THAT PUTIN AND STEINMEIER HAD A 
LONG DISCUSSION ABOUT THE BAKER-HAMILTON REPORT.) 
 
¶3.  (C)  PUTIN TOLD STEINMEIER THAT HE BELIEVED THAT SINIORA 
WAS PREPARED TO FIND A POLITICAL COMPROMISE THAT WOULD 
INCLUDE OPPOSITION MEMBERS.  THERE WAS NO TRUST BETWEEN 
SINIORA AND ASAD, PUTIN SAID, BUT HE WAS ENCOURAGED THAT 
SYRIA AND LEBANON WERE TALKING TO EACH OTHER AND HOPEFUL THAT 
A PEACEFUL, INCLUSIVE SOLUTION COULD BE FOUND.  PUTIN 
STRESSED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF "INCLUSIVENESS" THROUGHOUT HIS 
DISCUSSION OF THE MIDDLE EAST, ARGUING THAT HAMAS MUST BE 
INTEGRATED INTO ANY PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENT AND MUST NOT BE 
FORCED BACK UNDERGROUND, AND THAT NO SOLUTION IN THE BROADER 
 
MIDDLE EAST WAS TENABLE IF IT DID NOT INCLUDE IRAN. 
. 
IRAN 
---- 
 
 
 
 
PAGE 05 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
¶4.  (C)  PUTIN STATED THAT RUSSIA WOULD TRY TO COME TO 
AGREEMENT ON THE DRAFT UNSCR BECAUSE OF MOSCOW'S INTEREST IN 
FINDING A JOINT POSITION TO RESPOND TO TEHRAN.  IN A SEPARATE 
MEETING WITH LAVROV, THERE WAS AN EXTENSIVE DISCUSSION OF THE 
UNSCR, BUT NO CLOSURE.  SCHMIDT TOOK AWAY FROM THE MEETING 
THE IMPRESSION THAT LAVROV HAD NO AUTHORITY TO ENGAGE ON THE 
RESOLUTION AND THAT IT WAS THE SUBJECT OF WHAT SCHMIDT TERMED 
SIGNIFICANT INFIGHTING WITHIN THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT. 
ACCORDING TO LAVROV, EVEN THE POSSIBILITY OF A VETO COULD NOT 
BE EXCLUDED.  (FRENCH AMBASSADOR DE LABOULAYE NOTED TO THE 
CHARGE THAT IN A SEPARATE DECEMBER 21 DISCUSSION, SECURITY 
COUNCIL SECRETARY IGOR IVANOV HAD BEEN SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE 
PRACTICAL EFFECT OF THE RESOLUTION.  IVANOV CONCEDED THE 
IMPORTANCE OF PRESENTING A UNIFIED FRONT TO TEHRAN AND, 
SPEAKING PERSONALLY, THOUGHT RUSSIAS CHOICE ON THE UNSCR WAS 
ABSTENTION OR A POSITIVE VOTE AND THAT AN ABSTENTION GAINED 
NOTHING FOR MOSCOW.) 
. 
RUSSIA-EU 
--------- 
 
 
 
PAGE 06 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
 
¶5.  (C)  FOCUSING ON RUSSIA'S IMAGE IN THE WEST, PUTIN 
LAMENTED TO STEINMEIER ABOUT THE NEGATIVE PRESS MOSCOW WAS 
GETTING AFTER THE POLITKOVSKAYA AND LITVINENKO MURDERS AND 
THE FALLOUT FROM SAKHALIN 2, BUT OBSERVED THAT IT WAS NOTHING 
NEW, NOTING WESTERN PRESS COVERAGE DURING THE SECOND CHECHEN 
 
WAR.  IN PUTIN'S VIEW, THERE WERE "FORCES" THAT DID NOT WANT 
TO SEE IMPROVEMENT IN RUSSIA'S RELATIONS WITH EUROPE.  BOTH 
MURDERS HAD BEEN TRAGIC, BUT THEY NEEDED TO BE INVESTIGATED 
AND THOSE RESPONSIBLE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.  PUTIN PRONOUNCED 
 
 
 
PAGE 02 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
HIMSELF SATISFIED BY THE COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIAN AND 
BRITISH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.  STEINMEIER RESPONDED TO 
PUTIN'S COMPLAINTS BY STRESSING THAT THERE WERE EUROPEANS 
INTERESTED IN IMPROVING THE RUSSIA-EU RELATIONSHIP, BUT THAT 
RUSSIA NEEDED TO TAKE STEPS TO HELP CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT IN 
WHICH IMPROVED COOPERATION WAS POLITICALLY FEASIBLE. 
 
¶6.  (C)  PUTIN CRITICIZED POLAND FOR BLOCKING NEGOTIATIONS 
OVER A SUCCESSOR PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION AGREEMENT (PCA). 
 HE CLAIMED RUSSIA WAS PREPARED TO COOPERATE WITH POLAND TO 
RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF MEAT IMPORTS, BUT THAT WHILE WARSAW HAD 
MADE A PUBLIC FUSS OVER THE DISPUTE, IT HAD BEEN UNWILLING TO 
SIT DOWN TO HAMMER OUT A SOLUTION.  AS PUTIN NOTED 
CAUSTICALLY, THE POLES HAD TRIED TO PASS OFF CHINESE BUFFALO 
AS POLISH VEAL. 
 
¶7.  (C)  PUTIN STRESSED TO STEINMEIER THAT IT WOULD BE 
POSSIBLE TO ADDRESS ENERGY ISSUES IN A NEW PCA IN A 
SATISFACTORY WAY.  SCHMIDT NOTED GERMAN WILLINGNESS IN 
DEVELOPING ENERGY CHAPTERS OF THE PCA TO DROP PROVISIONS FROM 
 
 
 
PAGE 03 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
THE ENERGY CHARTER TREATY REGARDING MAJORITY OWNERSHIP OF 
PIPELINES AND ENERGY FIELDS THAT RUSSIA OBJECTED TO IN ORDER 
TO COME TO CLOSURE.  STEINMEIER ALSO MET SEPARATELY 
ONE-ON-ONE WITH FIRST DFM MEDVEDEV TO DISCUSS ENERGY ISSUES, 
BUT SCHMIDT DID NOT SHARE DETAILS.  (STEINMEIER AND MEDVEDEV 
HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP DATING FROM STEINMEIER'S 
PREVIOUS POSITION AS MEDVEDEV'S COUNTERPART.) 
. 
CIVIL SOCIETY 
------------- 
 
¶8.  (C)  STEINMEIER ATTENDED TWO CIVIL SOCIETY EVENTS WHILE 
IN MOSCOW.  THE FIRST, MORE POLITICALLY FOCUSED MEETING WAS 
TO INVOLVE GARRI KASPAROV (UNITED CIVIL FRONT), GRIGORIY 
YAVLINSKIY (YABLOKO), AND INDEPENDENT DUMA DEPUTY VLADIMIR 
RYZHKOV, BUT ONLY KASPAROV ATTENDED.  WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING 
THAT SOME OF RUSSIA'S PROBLEMS COULD BE TRACED BACK TO 
DECISIONS TAKEN DURING YELTSIN'S TENURE, KASPAROV ARGUED THAT 
RUSSIANS WERE BECOMING IMPOVERISHED (!) AND TALKED UP HIS 
CHANCES OF WINNING THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CONTEST (!!). 
 
 
 
PAGE 04 RUEHMOA3073 C O N F I D E N T I A L 
MEMORIAL, TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL AND THE MOSCOW HELSINKI 
GROUP WERE AMONG THE ATTENDEES AT THE SECOND EVENT.  NGO 
LEADERS COMPLAINED ABOUT THEIR STATUS IN RUSSIA, BUT URGED 
THAT THE WEST REMAIN ENGAGED.  IN RESPONSE TO STEINMEIER'S 
QUESTION ABOUT THE "OTHER RUSSIA" MOVEMENT, MOST CIVIL 
SOCIETY LEADERS WERE CRITICAL OF ITS APPROACH AND IMPACT ON 
THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY OPERATED. 
RUSSELL