VZCZCXRO4023
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHRL #1656 3461705
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111705Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2831
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE
RUEHGO/AMEMBASSY RANGOON 0035

UNCLAS BERLIN 001656 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR EUR/CE PETER SCHROEDER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EFIN PREL PGOV BM EU GM
SUBJECT: GERMANY WELCOMES OFAC PAPER ON BURMA SANCTIONS 
 
REF: STATE 125635 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY: As the EU mulls its Common Position 
against Burma/Myanmar, Germany welcomed reftel information as 
a means of improving the effectiveness of EU sanctions 
against Burma.  During the week of December 1, EconOff 
delivered the OFAC Burma sanctions paper to the German 
Ministries of Finance, Economics and Foreign Affairs.  In 
response to the OFAC reftel paper, Economics Ministry 
representatives said that Germany has found Annex 1 of the EU 
Common Position particularly troublesome and has emphasized 
the need for more identifier information to correctly target 
sanctioned individuals.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
(MFA) said that they are seeking to establish German public 
outreach within Burma.  END SUMMARY. 
 
EU DESPERATE FOR MORE IDENTIFIER INFORMATION 
-------------------------------------------- 
¶2.  (SBU) Economics Ministry Office Director Martin Lutz 
confirmed that the EU is considering an edit-down or complete 
removal of Annex I of the EU Common Position due to perceived 
ineffectiveness of the measures and potential for false-hits. 
 Lutz said that the EU is in agreement with the spirit of 
Annex I, but in order for this to be truly effective, they 
need more robust identifiers for the listed individuals. 
Lutz noted that the attachments in the OFAC paper would be 
particularly useful in clarifying the identifiers and called 
Attachment II "extremely helpful." 
 
GERMANY DOES NOT WANT TO APPEAR SOFT ON BURMA 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) Lutz stated that any shift of the EU Common 
Position would likely involve reduction in the number of 
listed individuals and emphasized that Germany is sensitive 
to the fact that this could create the appearance that the EU 
is softening its Burma position.  Lutz pointed out that the 
EU views streamlining of the current Common Position as 
"addition-by-subtraction" and should not reflect the EU 
taking a step back on Burma. 
 
GERMANY CONSIDERING INCREASING BURMA PUBLIC OUTREACH 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
¶4.  (SBU) MFA Desk Officer Alexander Fierley said that the 
MFA is cautiously trying to establish a Goethe-Institut in 
Burma in an effort to expand German public outreach to the 
Burmese people.  (COMMENT: The Goethe-Institut is a 
non-profit German cultural institution, financed in part by 
the MFA, which promotes the study of German abroad and 
international cultural exchange.  END COMMENT)  Fierley said 
the German MFA is actively trying to engage "open-minded" 
Burmese military officials to set up cultural exchanges.  His 
ministry has already made "excellent contact" with a Burmese 
Deputy Foreign Minister (NFI), who welcomes a cultural 
exchange.  Fierley emphasized that Germany is approaching 
this very cautiously, knowing that high-ranking Burmese 
military officials will be watching these efforts very 
closely.  Fierley also said that officials from his ministry 
and the German Parliament are planning trips soon to Burma to 
begin their outreach. 
Koenig