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O P 202145Z MAR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN IMMEDIATE 0037
INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 9553
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 5482
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 027305 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2019 
TAGS: PREL PTER PGOV PHUM NATO AF PB RS DA
SUBJECT: SECRETARY CLINTON'S MEETING WITH DANISH FOREIGN 
MINISTER PER STIG MOLLER, MARCH 13, 2009, 1:00 P.M., 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 
 
¶1.  (U) Classified by EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel 
Fried for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶2.  (U) March 13, 2009, 1:00 - 1:30, Washington, D.C. 
 
¶3.  (U) Participants: 
 
U.S. 
---- 
The Secretary 
EUR Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried 
Acting Deputy Spokesman Gordon Duguid 
NSC Director Maria Germano 
EUR/NB Desk Officer Stephen Wheeler (Notetaker) 
 
 
Denmark 
------ 
Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller, 
Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen 
U/S of State Michael Zilmer-Johns 
Political Director Anders Carsten Damsgaard, 
Chief of Staff Lars Gert Lose 
Dept. Head Jens-Otto Horslund 
Minister Counselor Jesper Sorensen 
Political Officer Peter Lehmann Nielsen 
 
¶4. (C) Summary: The Secretary's March 13 meeting with FM 
Moller covered Afghanistan, Pakistan, climate change, 
NATO, the Middle East, and the Durban Review Conference. 
Moller praised the U.S. for staying open to NATO 
enlargement and urged that Georgia and Ukraine remain on 
the NATO agenda.  He welcomed U.S. plans to send more 
troops to Afghanistan, suggesting that Europe also be 
asked to do more.  Moller was pleased that the United 
States is open to including Syria in the discussion on 
peace in the Middle East.  The Secretary noted Danish 
contributions in Afghanistan, and assured Moller we will 
work closely with Denmark during the run-up to the 
United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15) in 
Copenhagen.  The Secretary noted the appointment of 
Assistant Secretary Fried as Special Envoy on Guantanamo 
as a sign of U.S. seriousness on closing the facility, 
and said that after a careful review, we see no chance 
for joining Durban II.  Moller also called on Special 
Representative Holbrooke, with whom he discussed 
Afghanistan and Pakistan.  End Summary. 
 
-------------------- 
Afghanistan/Pakistan 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its many 
contributions in Afghanistan and called the bilateral 
relationship "one of our best partnerships."  She 
welcomed Denmark's input on our Afghanistan/Pakistan 
strategy review, adding that it will lay out specific 
requests -- both military and civilian -- of Allies and 
citing the need for a regional approach to find 
solutions. She asked Denmark to send a representative to 
the April 17th Pakistan Donor's Conference in Tokyo. 
Moller said the EU was late in engaging "the most 
dangerous country in the world(Pakistan)." 
 
¶6. (C) Moller noted that Denmark had doubled its 
financial assistance to Afghanistan last year -- in 
contrast to the EU, which had delivered only half of 400 
promised police trainers.  "If I were the United States, 
I would tell Europe to do more," he stated flatly.  The 
Secretary replied that everyone can do more.  Moller 
said Denmark would participate in the April 5 Informal 
US-EU Summit in Prague, but added that it would be 
difficult for Denmark to do more in Afghanistan given 
its already generous contributions and casualties 
suffered (the most per capita deaths of any ISAF 
country).  Denmark's experience in Helmand province had 
shown, Moller said, that "by throwing the Taliban out, 
stability can be achieved, schools for girls made 
viable, and small businesses can thrive."  The Secretary 
cited Denmark's effective military-civilian integration 
as key to its successful efforts. 
 
 
STATE 00027305  002 OF 003 
 
NATO Summit and Russia 
---------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its innovative 
ideas on NATO, including support for Headquarters 
reform, NATO Response Force reorganization, and moving 
forward with the Peacetime Establishment Review.  U.S. 
priorities include French reintegration, reassuring 
Eastern Europe on Russia and bringing Albania and 
Croatia into the Alliance.  She dismissed the notion of 
"spheres of influence" in Europe, noting that nothing 
should prevent "independent action by sovereign 
nations." 
 
¶8. (C) Commenting on her recent dinner with Russian FM 
Lavrov, the Secretary said she sensed a new openness to 
cooperation.  However, she added, the United States has 
no illusions that Russia has had a change of heart, 
"only a change of circumstances."  Moller agreed that 
Russia is not the country it was six months ago.  Fiscal 
crisis and collapsing energy prices mean that "Russia 
needs peace with you."  Moller was glad to hear the 
Secretary remark on the need for NATO to remain open to 
Georgia and Ukraine; it is important to keep both 
countries on the NATO agenda, he said.  Moller commented 
that during his own February 25 visit to Moscow, the 
Russians expressed fear of two possible events: either 
Medvedev removing Putin and making him a scapegoat for 
Russia's troubles, or the reverse.  None of his 
interlocutors would predict who might win in such a 
struggle, he added. 
 
-------- 
Climate 
-------- 
 
¶9. (C) The Secretary said the United States would do all 
it can to advance climate change, as we had "too long 
ignored" the issue; we want to work closely with Denmark 
leading up to the COP-15 conference, she added.  Moller 
cited the need for binding targets on technology 
transfer, as China or Brazil could ruin the process if 
denied access to technology.  The Secretary said that 
progress would require careful coordination and a range 
of measures for differing needs.  Moller asked for U.S. 
views on China's seriousness to engage on climate 
change.  The Secretary said that while China is sincere 
and dedicated to green technology, it is wary of 
inhibiting growth.  We must ensure that climate measures 
don't undermine its standard of living or the 
development of its middle class, she added.  We need to 
encourage greater use of wind, solar, and geothermal 
power by China and the U.S. is willing to work with it 
on intellectual property transfer. 
 
--------------------------- 
Israel/Palestine and Syria 
--------------------------- 
 
¶10. (C) The Secretary thanked Moller for hosting the 
February 4-5 Copenhagen meeting on Gaza arms 
interdiction.  She said the United States will not 
finance a unity government in which Hamas does not 
adhere to core principles.  Moller welcomed the United 
States "opening up" to Syria, and was more optimistic 
about comprehensive peace prospects when approaches 
start "outside Israel."  The Secretary said that Special 
Envoy Mitchell would return to the region once there is 
a new Israeli government. 
 
----------------- 
Guantanamo (GTMO) 
----------------- 
 
¶11. (C) The Secretary asked for help promoting an EU 
framework for accepting detainees, noting the recent 
appointment of EUR Assistant Secretary Fried as Special 
Envoy on GTMO as a sign of our seriousness and 
determination.  A/S Fried said that while countries will 
decide on an individual basis whether to accept 
detainees for resettlement, an EU-wide framework could 
provide a useful political backdrop for countries to 
make those decisions.  Moller said that while Denmark 
would not block the creation of a framework, Danish law 
prevented the acceptance of any detainees. 
 
------- 
Arctic 
 
STATE 00027305  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶12. (C) The Secretary noted deep U.S. interest in the 
Arctic and our commitment to doing more in cooperation 
with Denmark and others.  Moller mused that new shipping 
routes and natural resource discoveries would eventually 
place the region at the center of world politics.  He 
noted that the United States was the only country not to 
send a minister-level representative to last year's 
Ilulissat meetings and hoped that the Secretary would 
visit Greenland, perhaps for an Arctic Council meeting 
during Denmark's 2009-2011 chairmanship.  The Secretary 
asked for a date as early as possible to include on her 
calendar. 
 
------ 
Piracy 
------ 
 
¶13. (SBU) The Secretary thanked Denmark for its efforts 
on piracy, noting the "excellent" response from Europe 
and Asia. 
 
------------------------ 
Durban Review Conference 
------------------------ 
 
¶14. (C) Moller asked if the United States would 
participate in the Durban Review Conference.  The 
Secretary replied that while combating racism was of 
great importance to all countries, the process has been 
distorted, focusing on Israel and the "defamation of 
religion."  She added that we had sent a delegation to 
Geneva to negotiate the draft statement, but had been 
forced to conclude that the document was not salvageable 
and that therefore we would not participate.  Freedom of 
expression, the Secretary noted, is deeply ingrained in 
U.S. culture, and we could not participate in something 
that violated this principle.  Moller said that he was 
coming to a similar conclusion, but had not given up 
hope; Denmark would attend an EU review of the issue. 
 
--------------------------- 
Meeting with S/R Holbrooke 
--------------------------- 
 
¶15. (C) Moller briefly met with Special Representative 
Holbrooke, who said that we would roll out our 
Afghanistan/Pakistan before the March 31 meeting at The 
Hague.  Holbrooke noted the strategic inseparability of 
the two countries; in Afghanistan, the U.S. would focus 
on the south and east while asking others (and 
requesting the Germans, Italians and Japanese to do much 
more) to help out in the north and west and opening U.S. 
Consulates in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif.  S/R Holbrooke 
said that pending Senate legislation would significantly 
increase U.S. financial assistance, and urged Denmark to 
attend the April 17 Pakistan Donors Conference. 
CLINTON