VZCZCXRO8380
RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHBS #3139/01 2851633
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 121633Z OCT 07
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 003139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS ETTC IR XF EUN BM CD ZL
SUBJECT: EU DYNAMICS IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 15-16 FOREIGN 
MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC) 
 
REF: A. STATE 141316 
     ¶B. STATE 143223 
 
Classified By: LAURENCE WOHLERS, USEU POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR FOR 
REASONS 1.5 (D) AND (E) 
 
SUMMARY 
--------- 
1.(C) According to the Portuguese Presidency (protect), the 
EU Foreign Ministers meeting General Affairs and External 
Relations Council (GAERC) will start on Monday, October 15 
with a presentation by the Greek delegation of proposed means 
of reinforcing the EU disaster response arrangements.  In the 
External Relations session to follow, ministers will resume 
their debate on the tone and focus of Russia policy in the 
lead up to the EU-Russia Summit in Mafra on October 26. They 
will also confirm that the EU will conduct a bridging 
military operation in Chad/CAR, review developments in the 
DRC and roll-out new sanctions on Burma. Ministers may be 
forced to confront the issue of funding shortfalls. Ministers 
will also seek to bridge differences (esp. Germany and the 
Netherlands) on the retention of Uzbekistan sanctions.  The 
French are expected to lead the call for a new political 
mandate to pursue further economic and financial sanctions 
against Iran.  The Western Balkans and Zimbabwe's 
participation in the EU-Africa Summit will also be discussed. 
 The ministers will be joined by Chief Prosecutor of the 
ICTY, Carla del Ponte, who will present her latest evaluation 
of Serbia's cooperation with her tribunal.  On October 16, 
the EU will hold joint Cooperation Council meetings with 
Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. USEU attended an 
off-the-record preview of the GAERC by the Portuguese 
Presidency on October 12.  A summary of that meeting has been 
forwarded to EUR/ERA via unclassified e-mail.  This message 
contains additional information on internal EU debate leading 
up to the GAERC on Burma, Chad, Iran, Kosovo, and the Middle 
East.  End Summary 
 
 
IRAN 
---- 
2.(C) Per ref B instruction, on October 11, Ambassador and 
visiting Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmit 
engaged at length senior EU official, including two of High 
Rep Solana's senior policy advisors (Robert Cooper and Pierre 
Morel) and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson on the 
importance of imposing new EU autonomous sanctions in support 
of multilateral diplomatic efforts.  EU interlocutors took on 
board U.S. views.  On October 12, the EU Political and 
Security Committee reached consensus on Iran sanctions 
language for the October 15 GAERC (see October 11 USEU 
Today).  Various contacts have told us that the debate was 
long and difficult.  The anti-new sanctions group was led by 
the Italian, who apparently made a long and passionate plea 
against further sanctions, terming it a "huge historic 
mistake".  The Austrians were equally vociferous in their 
opposition, albeit less passionate.  The Greeks, Cypriots, 
and Spanish also remained in the opposition camp whereas the 
Dutch, Danes, and eastern EU member states expressed strong 
support for new sanctions.  UK and Dutch contacts in the room 
told us that sanctions opponents represented roughly the 
southern tier, with Germany clearly uncomfortable with a leg 
in each camp.  One UK contact, however, discounted the idea 
that the anti-sanctions group was primarily trying to protect 
commercial interests.  Instead, he surmised, they were 
motivated by three factors:  a) a lingering belief (and 
resentment) that the EU was being "pushed" into 
confrontational policies by the U.S. (and to a lesser degree 
by the EU-3), b) genuine concern that Iran could not be 
brought around by a sanctions-led approach and worry about 
losing all influence there, and c) concern that the U.S. and 
the EU were pushing Russia too hard on too many issues right 
now. 
 
3.(C) It appears that the member states resisting further 
sanctions is roughly the same as those who argue for a more 
accommodating approach to Russian concerns on Kosovo and 
Georgia. Some EU Permrep sources also believe that Italy 
continues to nurse a bruised ego after being passed over for 
EU-3 membership.  During the PSC debate, the Council 
Secretariat representative helpfully signaled that strong 
 
SIPDIS 
conclusions would be useful to High Rep Solana in his next 
round of talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani. 
According to Council Secretariat contacts, the 
Solana-Larijani meeting is likely to be held on October 23 at 
a venue yet to be determined. 
 
KOSOVO 
------ 
 
BRUSSELS 00003139  002 OF 002 
 
 
4.(C) According to the German Mission, the EU has agreed to 
"truly good" conclusions on Kosovo that focus on supporting 
the troika process.  According to our contact, discussions 
over the past few days were less contentious than expected, 
with Romania agreeing to language that "notes that the 
(troika) process will conclude" with the report to the UNSYG. 
 Conclusions are not yet finalized on Bosnia-Herzegovina, but 
reportedly focus on supporting HR Lajcak's efforts.  Our 
German contact said that some member states want them 
strengthened in light of the continued impasse on police 
reform.  On the FMs' coffee with ICTY Chief Prosecutor Del 
Ponte, the Council Secretariat Desk Officer for Serbia told 
us not to expect an announcement at the GAERC that the EU 
will sign an SAA with Belgrade.  Rather, an announcement will 
likely come only several days later, and the SAA likely will 
be initiated in late October or early November.  All of our 
contacts have stressed that several member states continue to 
oppose the signing of an SAA with Belgrade absent full 
cooperation with ICTY but have acquiesced to initialing the 
SAA as one way of reinforcing EU ties with Serbia before the 
"unrelated" December 10 deadline for the Troika's report to 
the UNSYG on Kosovo. 
 
CHAD 
---- 
5.(C) Although the Portuguese have said publicly that the 
GAERC will approve an ESDP mission for Chad, the Poles told 
us that funding is still being debated by EU Permreps. The 
Pole felt that any future compromise would likely include the 
following three elements:  a)  agreement on common costs of 
$100 million, b)  language to ask the Athena management 
committee to consider taking on "some additional costs", c) 
exclusion of any transportation costs from common costs. 
When we pointed out that this was a murky financial way to 
start a mission, he did not seem too concerned. 
 
BURMA 
----- 
6.(C)  According to the Swedish PSC Ambassador, Sweden is 
pushing for tougher sanctions on Burma than what the EU had 
originally envisioned.  The EU's original focus on sanctions 
involved teakwood, precious gems, and some mining.  The 
Swedes, however, assesed that the EU member states had only 
marginal trade in these items and, as a result, sanctions 
there would not hurt the regime.  FM Bildt feels strongly 
that sanctions need to hurt and that this should mean going 
after gas and oil interests.  Therefore, the Swedish position 
on Monday will be that although they will accept the original 
sanctions package, they will insist that it also be 
accompanied by a strong statement that the EU will be looking 
at further sanctions.  The Swedes added that Stockholm was 
pleased with the UNSC statement yesterday and thought it 
would be helpful in the GAERC discussion. 
 
MIDDLE EAST 
----------- 
¶7. (C) The draft GAERC conclusions on the Middle East 
reiterate the EU commitment to the peace process and welcome 
the upcoming international meeting.  According to a Council 
source the Germans suggested the development of an EU action 
plan to further support the parties in their ongoing 
negotiations and the subsequent implementation period, which 
is referred to in the draft conclusions.  The draft 
conclusions also call on Israel to provide accreditation to 
the EUPOL COPPS mission without delay.  GRAY 
.