VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBS #0142 0171418
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171418Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4082
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 7753

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000142 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL BE
SUBJECT: CODEL WEXLER MEETING WITH FM DE GUCHT 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: ON JANUARY 16, CONGRESSMAN ROBERT WEXLER IN 
HIS ROLE AS INCOMING HFRC EUROPEAN SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIR MET 
WITH BELGIAN FM KAREL DE GUCHT.  WEXLER AND DE GUCHT 
DISCUSSED HOW CLOSE THE U.S. AND EU ARE ON MOST FOREIGN 
POLICY ISSUES.  DE GUCHT ENCOURAGED THE U.S. TO ENGAGE ON THE 
MIDDLE EAST AND WANTS THE QUARTET REENERGIZED.  HE VIEWS 
KOSOVO AS A LOOMING PROBLEM WITH A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES, NOT 
JUST RUSSIA, WORRIED ABOUT THE PRECEDENT OF AN INDEPENDENT 
KOSOVO.  WEXLER SUPPORTED AN INDEPENDENT EU MILITARY 
CAPABILITY, BUT WARNED DE GUCHT THAT THE EUROPEANS WOULD HAVE 
TO INVEST MORE IN DEFENSE TO HAVE A CAPABLE MILITARY FORCE. 
DE GUCHT NOTED THAT MOST EUROPEANS SIMPLY DON'T WANT TO GO TO 
WAR AND WON'T FUND ARMIES WHICH COULD.  ON CLIMATE CHANGE, 
WEXLER SAID THAT THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS JUST PASSED 
EMISSIONS GUIDELINES, AND HE PLANS TO FILE AN IDENTICAL BILL 
IN CONGRESS. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.    (SBU) WEXLER, ACCOMPANIED BY AMBASSADOR KOROLOGOS, DCM 
IMBRIE, AND STAFFERS ERIC JOHNSON AND JONATHAN KATZ, MET WITH 
KAREL DE GUCHT, AMERICAS COUNTRY DIRECTOR LUC DE VOLDER, AND 
DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE FM'S CABINET WALTER STEVENS.   WEXLER 
TOLD DE GUCHT THAT AFTER A FULL DAY OF HIGH-LEVEL MEETINGS AT 
THE EU, HE WAS STRUCK BY HOW CLOSE US/EU RELATIONS ARE, FAR 
BETTER THAN TWO YEARS AGO.  HE SAW NO SIGNIFICANT DIVISIONS 
IN POLICY ON IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE 
PROCESS, KOSOVO.  THE TURNING POINT WAS THE PRESIDENT'S TRIP 
TO BRUSSELS IN FEBRUARY 2005, A "BRILLIANT FOREIGN POLICY 
MANEUVER" WHICH HAS PAID GREAT DIVIDENDS.  DE GUCHT AGREED 
FULLY WITH WEXLER THAT THE EU AND U.S. HAVE THE SAME ANALYSIS 
OF FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES, INCLUDING RUSSIA.  ON THE MIDDLE 
EAST, THE EU BELIEVES THAT SOMETHING MUST HAPPEN QUICKLY ) 
ANY DELAY WILL MAKE THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST MORE 
DANGEROUS.  ISRAEL CLAIMED IT HAD NO NEGOTIATING PARTNER WHEN 
ARAFAT WAS ALIVE; NOW HE IS DEAD, THEY STILL DON'T HAVE ONE 
WITH HAMAS IN POWER.  ISRAEL LOOKS FIRST TO THE U.S. AND THE 
PALESTINIANS LOOK TO THE EUROPEANS.  THE U.S. AND EU NEED TO 
REVIVE THE QUARTET TO USE THEIR COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES. 
WEXLER ADDED THAT DR. RICE IS POISED TO FULLY ENGAGE IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, BUT THIS WILL BE COMPLICATED BY 
IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. 
 
¶3.    (U) ON CLIMATE CHANGE, HE EXPECTED THE DEMOCRATS IN 
CONGRESS TO LEAD TOWARDS CLOSER AGREEMENT CHANGE WITH THE EU. 
 THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION HAS JUST PASSED EMISSIONS GUIDELINES 
AND WEXLER PLANS TO FILE AN IDENTICAL BILL IN CONGRESS. 
 
¶4.    (SBU) ON KOSOVO, DE GUCHT SAID THAT THE U.S. AND EU ARE 
IN AGREEMENT, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE HARD TO FIND A WAY TO 
INDEPENDENCE.  THE KOSOVARS WANT COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE RIGHT 
NOW, BUT RUSSIA WON'T BE WILLING TO GO ALONG.  AND 
INDEPENDENCE MAKES OSCE MEMBERS NERVOUS SINCE IT RUNS AGAINST 
ITS PRINCIPLES OF THE INVIOLABILITY OF BORDERS AND SELF 
DETERMINATION AGAINST THE WILL OF SERBIA.  A NUMBER OF 
COUNTRIES ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE PRECEDENT INDEPENDENCE FOR 
KOSOVO WOULD SET. 
 
¶5.    (SBU) DE GUCHT ASKED HOW THE AMERICANS LOOKED AT 
SOLANA'S ROLE AND CSFP.  WEXLER ASSERTED THAT THE U.S. WANTS 
A STRONG EUROPEAN PARTNER.  BUT IF THE EUROPEANS WANT A 
DISTINCT EUROPEAN FORCE, THEY WILL NEED TO PAY FOR IT.  THE 
EU CAN'T JUST PLAN ON BORROWING THE CAPABILITIES THEY WILL 
NEED FROM NATO.  THEY WILL HAVE TO INCREASE THEIR DEFENSE 
EXPENDITURES TO IMPLEMENT A REAL CSFP.  DE GUCHT SAID THAT 
THE BATTLE GROUPS HAVE COME A LONG WAY IN TWO YEARS.  BUT 
THERE WON'T BE A SUPRA-EU ARMY, AND MOST OF THE EUROPEANS 
REALLY DON'T WANT TO FIGHT A WAR ) EXCEPT THE UK ) AND 
WON'T PAY FOR AN ARMY WHICH CAN. 
 
¶6.    (SBU) ON AFGHANISTAN, DE GUCHT SAID THAT NATO IS MAKING 
PROGRESS.  HE HAS RECENTLY BEEN IN AFGHANISTAN AND IS 
IMPRESSED WITH WHAT THE PRTS ARE ACCOMPLISHING, INCLUDING IN 
KONDUZ IN THE BELGIAN/GERMAN PRT. 
 
¶7.    (U) WEXLER HAS NOT REVIEWED THIS CABLE. 
 
KOROLOGOS