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DE RUEHMD #0094/01 0301745
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FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4156
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 1279
RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ PRIORITY 1306
RUEHQT/AMEMBASSY QUITO PRIORITY 1401
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0241

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MADRID 000094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018 
TAGS: KPWR MEPP PREL SP CU
SUBJECT: SPANISH FM MORATINOS BRIEFS CODEL MARTINEZ ON 
BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Eduardo Aguirre, Jr. for reasons 1.4 (b) and 
(d) 
 
¶1. (C)  SUMMARY.  Spanish FM Moratinos briefed Codel Martinez 
on bilateral developments during an hour-long meeting January 
¶11.  With regard to enhanced military support in Afghanistan, 
Moratinos said that it would be difficult to make any 
commitments in advance of the Spanish March 9 elections, but 
that some decisions could be made at the next NATO Summit in 
Bucharest April 2-4.  Moratinos, optimistic about renewed 
talks in the Middle East peace process, said that it was 
essential to convince Arab states that the U.S. had a 
balanced approach supportive of the Palestinians.   He also 
called for continued engagement with Syria, especially to 
counter Iranian influence in the Middle East.  He said that 
the U.S. and Spain should work together to encourage a 
credible opposition in Venezuela.  Moratinos credited Spanish 
engagement with bringing demonstrable change in Cuba, while 
opining that any democratic transition would be prolonged and 
difficult.  He emphasized that Spain and the U.S. had the 
same goals, while using different approaches to achieve their 
objectives.  Moratinos also briefed the CODEL members on 
Spain's work to create the UN Alliance of Civilizations 
initiative.  END SUMMARY. 
 
---------------------------------- 
OVERVIEW OF BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C)  Spanish FM Moratinos briefed Codel Martinez on 
bilateral developments during an hour long meeting January 11 
at the Palacio Santa Cruz Foreign Ministry ceremonial office. 
 Foreign Minister Moratinos warmly welcomed the delegation, 
noting that their presence was testament to the strength and 
importance of the bilateral relationship. 
Beginning with an overview of U.S.- Spanish relations, 
Moratinos said that during the last four years he had worked 
to overcome misunderstandings and misperceptions and that he 
was proud of the active joint agenda underway.   His one 
disappointment was that a presidential-level meeting had not 
taken place on the margins of some multilateral event, 
saying, "for the 1st and 8th most important economies in the 
world, it (a meeting) should have happened, especially given 
our mutual goals and objectives."  Moratinos termed Secretary 
Rice's 2007 visit to Madrid a "major success".  He described 
trade and investment on both sides as excellent, particularly 
the work of the U.S.-Spain Council, and also praised law 
enforcement and military cooperation. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Senator Martinez thanked Moratinos for his efforts 
and highlighted the upcoming U.S.-Spain Council meeting in 
Texas as an important opportunity to continue expanding trade 
and investment, especially in the field of renewable energy. 
Moratinos said that Spain sought to become a world leader in 
renewable energy by emphasizing research and development, 
citing the Finnish success in telecommunications as a case 
study.  Ambassador Westendorf said that a February 11 meeting 
between the U.S. Department of Energy and its Spanish 
counterpart, including a site visit to a Colorado research 
facility, would be the next cooperative program.  Senator 
Grassley urged consideration of the benefits of 
genetically-modified seed, and Moratinos said that the 
Spanish Agriculture Minister had a more open approach than 
other EU countries. 
 
-------------- 
AFGHANISTAN 
-------------- 
 
¶4.  (C)  Senator Martinez also thanked Spain for its efforts 
in Afghanistan, Lebanon and other peace-keeping efforts and 
urged further contributions.  Moratinos reiterated comments 
made previously to other USG officials, that it would be 
difficult to make any commitments in advance of the Spanish 
March 9 elections, but that some decisions could be made at 
the next NATO Summit in Bucharest April 2-4.  Since the 
overthrow of the Taliban there had been tremendous progress 
in Afghanistan, however, Moratinos said that President Karzai 
was well-intentioned but weak and that the country was 
fragile and underdeveloped.   Seeing no good alternatives to 
Karzai due to structural flaws, as well as pressures imposed 
by warlord fiefdoms and narcotics networks, Moratinos called 
for better coordinated international assistance.  He said 
Spain supported a single representative to coordinate all 
donor programs.  Noting that engagement with Pakistan became 
more difficult in the wake of the Bhutto assassination, he 
 
MADRID 00000094  002 OF 004 
 
 
said Spain would call for an international conference to 
review the London compact and seek a renewed political 
strategy to supplement the assistance package.  Moratinos 
called the Spanish PRT a success story based on civil society 
development accomplishments. 
 
--------------------- 
MIDDLE EAST AND IRAN 
--------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C)  Moratinos said that, "based on my extensive 
experience, the Middle East is a volatile region, but the key 
players are now working towards finalizing peace." He had 
just received calls from Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu 
Mazen and some unidentified Israeli contacts informing him 
that there was a Palestinian-Israeli deal to engage in direct 
talks.  Encouraged that informal talks to define the 
parameters of a two-state solution would take place, 
Moratinos believed that the parties would take up discussions 
based on Taba and Camp David talks, then intensify the 
sessions to have Saeb Erekat and key Palestinians draft a 
peace treaty.  Moratinos credited President Bush's personal 
involvement with pushing up the timetable.  According to 
Moratinos, the Annapolis Conference was "fantastic; much 
better than the press credited in the news coverage."  Moving 
forward, he said that it was essential to convince Arab 
states that the U.S. has a balanced approach that is 
supportive of the Palestinians. 
 
¶6.  (C)  Asked about the prospect for presidential elections 
in Lebanon, Moratinos said it was crucial to keep Syria 
engaged positively.  "I played an important role in 
convincing the Syrians to attend at Annapolis," he said, "and 
trying to get them to play a constructive role." 
Characterizing the Syrian leadership as a complex mix of old 
guard politicians, military authorities and President 
al-Asad's coterie, Moratinos said that the international 
community needed to encourage moderate forces in Syria.   He 
believed Secretary Rice was more skeptical about Syria, but 
cautioned, "when we are faced with Iranian influence in the 
region and Iraqi instability, it is essential to keep 
Damascus in an international coalition, especially when 
Hizballah is playing the Iran card." 
 
--------------------- 
LATIN AMERICA UPDATE 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C)  With twelve "more or less" democratic elections held 
last year in Latin America, Moratinos was optimistic about 
Latin America, though he cautioned that the influence of 
"populist" movements required individual approaches since 
each nation had its own unique political personalities and 
objectives.  He described Ecuadorian President Correa as a 
leader trying to set himself apart, while incorporating 
previously dispossessed indigenous populations in the 
governing framework. 
 
¶8.  (C)  In Bolivia, Moratinos viewed President Morales as 
sincere, honest and protecting the formerly marginalized 
indigenous factions responsible for voting him into office. 
Noting Spanish concerns over renegotiated contracts, he said 
that Morales was implementing the latest agreements and 
fulfilling commitments.  At the same time, he acknowledged 
that Morales lost credibility with his fantastic assertions 
that the U.S. was planning a coup.   Senator Martinez pushed 
back on Moratinos' assessment and Senator Grassley also 
questioned Moratinos about rule-of-law concerns in Bolivia. 
Moratinos excused those concerns by focusing on Morales 
majority win in the last election, saying that gave him the 
legitimacy to undertake a major shift in governance. 
 
¶9.  (C)  Venezuela was a different case, said Moratinos.  He 
called for Spain and the U.S. to work together on ways to 
encourage a credible opposition.  Since the failure of 
President Chavez's most recent referendum, it was important 
to foster political dialogue, especially since the 
traditional political parties never reflected the interests 
of most Venezuelans.   Acknowledging the positive feedback 
King Juan Carlos received after his sharp retort to Chavez, 
Moratinos said the Venezuelan government had asked for an 
apology, but "no way" would that happen. 
 
¶10.  (C)  Describing Cuba as in a transition period, 
Moratinos said Raul Castro told him that Fidel Castro was no 
longer in power.  While the speech by Raul Castro calling for 
 
MADRID 00000094  003 OF 004 
 
 
economic reform was a positive indicator, Moratinos said that 
the January 20 elections would be an important benchmark. 
His guess was that Fidel Castro would not be re-elected. 
Spain will also watch with interest the Vatican Secretary of 
State visit as well as Brazilian President Lula's trip to 
Havana.  Recognizing the U.S. was not pleased with Spanish 
policy towards Cuba, Moratinos said that he tried to convince 
Secretary Rice that our goals were the same and that our 
 
SIPDIS 
different approaches actually added up to a more effective 
strategy.  Moratinos opined that democratic transition in 
Cuba would not take place as quickly as it did in Poland or 
the Czech Republic; it would be much more prolonged and 
difficult.  Spain encouraged Cuba to free a large number of 
political prisoners through a human rights dialogue. As a 
result of Spanish engagement, Cuba announced that it would 
permit Spanish NGOs to operate locally, thereby strengthening 
civil society ties.   In addition, the Catholic church was 
working to increase the level of political debate and social 
engagement towards democratic reform. 
 
¶11.  (C)  Moratinos' assessment was that the U.S. inflexible 
approach had not shown any results over the long term, but 
after three or four years of Moratinos' engagement, there had 
been demonstrable shifts in Cuban policy.  He said that the 
Spanish-U.S. alliance, working together and trusting each 
other, must use all tools at its disposal, intimating that 
"good cop/bad cop" teamwork might get the most results. 
Questioning the U.S. continuing demarches about Spanish 
engagement with Cuba, Moratinos said, "Are you going to 
criticize Lula for going to Havana?  I guarantee he won't see 
any dissidents during his visit and yet you crucified me when 
I went to Havana."  Senator Martinez reminded Moratinos of a 
wide variety of factors, apart from Spanish engagement, that 
contributed to a shift in Cuban policy, including the 
deteriorating health of Fidel Castro.   Respecting Spanish 
intentions, it was crucial to honor the sacrifices and 
encourage the efforts of the Cuban opposition. Caving to the 
demands of the Cuban government that Spanish officials not 
meet with dissidents did not advance the interests of 
promoting civil society and democracy.  The well-being of all 
Cubans should be a primary concern, especially now that there 
are reports that repression in Cuba was worse than ever. 
Despite cosmetic actions, Cuba needed to undertake reforms to 
secure fundamental freedoms as a precursor to any future 
elections.  Senator Martinez expressed hope that instead of 
settling for just economic reforms, like the China model that 
features some cosmetic change but does not secure democracy 
and individual freedom, Spain would work with us to bring 
genuine political change that guaranteed basic individual 
freedoms of speech and assembly for Cubans.  The Cuban regime 
must stop repression, release all political prisoners and 
allow political space that would lead eventually to 
elections. 
 
 
------------------------- 
ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS 
------------------------- 
 
¶12.  (U)  At the conclusion of the briefing, Moratinos made a 
pitch for Spain's work organizing the Alliance of 
Civilizations as an UN initiative.  He said that the March 
11,2004 bombing at the Madrid train station further 
heightened Spain's determination to confront terrorist 
threats.  At the same time, Spain believed that there was an 
unfair perception that Muslim/Arab countries were linked with 
terrorism.  Given Spain's historical ties with the Muslim 
world, it decided to focus on unity of interests.  Moratinos 
believed that the existing UN framework based on  development 
and human rights committees did not provide the appropriate 
venue, so the AOC is a new pillar based on broad cultural 
ties to include rule-of-law, democracy, model economies, 
education, media, and youth.  At the AOC forum in Madrid the 
week of January 14, Moratinos expected over 400 international 
delegates including four prime ministers and 33 foreign 
ministers. 
 
¶13.  (C)  Moratinos regretted that he would be unable to join 
CODEL Martinez for dinner with the members of the U.S.-Spain 
Council at the Ambassador's residence, but he had a previous 
commitment to participant in a PSOE campaign strategy session 
that evening. 
 
¶14.  (U)  Meeting participants included: 
 
SPAIN 
 
MADRID 00000094  004 OF 004 
 
 
FM Miguel Angel Moratinos 
Spanish Ambassador to the U.S. Carlos Westendorf 
Jose Maria Pons, Director General for Europe and North America 
Manuel Cacho, Director General of External Communications 
Victoria Ortego, Special Assistant to FM Moratinos 
 
U.S. 
Ambassador Aguirre 
Senator Mel Martinez 
Senator Charles Grassley 
Senator John Thune 
Senator Larry Craig 
John Goetchius, Legislative Assistant to Senator Martinez 
Poloff, Embassy Notetaker 
 
¶15.  (U)  Senator Martinez cleared this message. 
 
LLORENS