VZCZCXRO8776
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSM #0086/01 0421543
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 111543Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4098
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM PRIORITY 0016
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0155

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000086 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV EU IR IS RU SU SW
SUBJECT: SWEDISH OPPOSITION LEADER ON PARTY'S FUTURE, IRAN, 
GAZA, AND RUSSIA 
 
REF: 08 STOCKHOLM 848 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Senior career diplomat, UN mediator and 
Social Democratic Party (SDP) elder Jan Eliasson met with CDA 
on February 8 to discuss the Transatlantic Partnership, Iran, 
Israel, Russia and Swedish domestic politics.  He made the 
following points: 
 
-- U.S. and EU should deepen relations by tackling key global 
issues, such as poverty and climate change; 
-- The EU and U.S. should jointly approach Iran, and consider 
bringing Russia into the dialogue; 
-- Eliasson is close to SDP leader Mona Sahlin and a 
potential foreign minister if the SDP coalition wins the 
September 2010 elections. 
 
End Summary. 
 
Deeper Transatlantic Partnership 
-------------------------------- 
 
-- Eliasson stressed the importance of deepening the U.S.-EU 
relationship to tackle key global issues, such disease, 
poverty, organized crime, climate change and conflict 
prevention.  By cooperating on these topics, the EU and U.S. 
would give an "ethical dimension" to the Partnership, while 
"repairing some of the damage" that has been to done to the 
U.S.' reputation. 
 
-- Eliasson added that his party, the SDP, has strong ties to 
European social democratic parties; SDP leader Mona Sahlin is 
"very close" with German FM Steinmeier.  The SDP is poised to 
influence key European party leaders to support EU-U.S. 
cooperation. 
 
Darfur 
------ 
 
-- From 2006 to July 1, 2008, Eliasson served as UN Special 
Envoy to Darfur.  He still sees Secretary General Ban Ki Moon 
as an informal advisor and continues to receive pertinent 
briefings and materials. 
 
-- Things are not going well in Darfur, Eliasson said, and 
the Chad-Sudan conflict has undermined the possibility of 
reaching a resolution on Darfur due to border issues.  The 
parties in the Darfur conflict have shown "zero political 
will" to resolve the conflict.  The Darfur opposition remains 
fragmented and unable to coordinate positions. 
 
-- At least half of the displaced person in the camps will 
remain, he posited, as the people have lived in the camps too 
long and turned them into suburbs.  During his tenure he 
noticed an increased "bitterness and militancy" among the 
youth who grew up in the camps. 
 
Iran: bring in Russia 
--------------------- 
 
-- Eliasson supports dialogue and "groups of Europeans" in 
contact with the Iranian government.  He said Ahmadinejad is 
"irrational and unpredictable" and lamented that former 
President Khatami's attempt to open up to the West in 2002-03 
failed. 
 
-- The only possible way to get out of the predicament, he 
said, is for the U.S. and EU to cooperate in a dialogue with 
Iran, using a strategy of both sticks and carrots. 
 
-- Eliasson said it would be even more advantageous to form a 
tripartite with Russia to engage Iran.  Russia would then 
"have a sense of ownership" and be more engaged.  He said 
Iran needs reassurances from the West that it will not seek 
regime change. 
 
Israel and Hamas: Both to Blame 
------------------------------- 
 
-- On Gaza, Eliasson said both Israel and Hamas are to blame: 
Hamas provoked Israel and Israel "fell into the trap" by 
reacting.  He added that the situation will become more 
problematic if Netanyahu wins the elections. 
 
-- Asked about SDP party leader Mona Sahlin's participation 
at an anti-Israel protest under a Hamas flag, Eliasson said 
the press "played up" the situation.  Eliasson stressed he is 
reaching out to Israelis in order to preserve SDP's ability 
to play a future role in the conflict's resolution. 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000086  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
Russia Snubs FM Bildt 
--------------------- 
 
-- "Sweden has no illusions about the Russians," Eliasson 
said, adding that Sweden has been stalling approval of the 
Nordstream pipeline for three years. 
 
-- But Eliasson claimed the Russians refuse to meet with FM 
Carl Bildt, other than in multilateral contexts like the EU 
Troika, due to Bildt's vocal condemnation last August of 
Russia's invasion of Georgia. 
 
The Opposition Coalition 
------------------------ 
 
-- Eliasson subtly criticized the newly-formed "Red-Green 
Coalition" between the Social Democratic, Left and Green 
parties (reftel).  The Left and Green parties, he said, 
should not have a role in defining SDP foreign and labor 
policy. 
 
-- The SDP's new foreign policy advisory board is led by 
foreign policy spokesman Urban Ahlin and former FM Lena 
Hjelm-Wallen, both currently MPs.  Eliasson said Hjelm-Wallen 
is "very good" and will not concede important SDP issues to 
the other coalition parties.  One of the most contentious 
issues involves Swedish military involvement in Afghanistan, 
he noted; the SDP supports this on the whole, while the Left 
and Greens do not. 
 
¶2. (C) Comment: The SDP leadership is working to bridge gaps 
with the Left and Greens on important foreign policy issues, 
all with an eye toward forging a common electoral platform 
for next year's parliamentary elections.  If the opposition 
wins next summer, Eliasson would like the foreign minister 
portfolio again, and as former ambassador to Washington and 
president of the UNGA, he certainly has strong credentials. 
In the event of an SDP victory, Eliasson would face a strong 
challenge from SDP foreign policy spokesman Urban Ahlin.  But 
he maintains close ties to SDP leader Sahlin -- she picked 
Eliasson and Swedish EU Commissioner Margot Wallstrom to head 
her foreign policy advisory group two years ago -- and he 
continues to work closely with her, telling CDA he will ask 
for Post's help arranging meetings for Sahlin in Washington 
in the spring. 
SILVERMAN