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RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0828
RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA PRIORITY 0541
RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO PRIORITY 0240
RUEHSI/AMEMBASSY TBILISI PRIORITY 0571
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 0211
RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB PRIORITY 0288
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM PRIORITY 0379
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0245

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000786 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/12/2019 
TAGS: PREL EUN CU WE GZ IS LE SY YI BK HR SI GG
AF, PK, FR 
SUBJECT: FRENCH GAERC PREVIEW: MIDDLE EAST, BALKANS, CUBA, 
AFPAK, AND MORE 
 
Classified By: Andrew Young, Political Counselor, for Reasons 1.4(b), ( 
d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On June 12, French MFA Deputy Chief for EU 
Common Foreign and Security Policy Mathieu Carmona previewed 
the June General Affairs and External Relations Council 
(GAERC).  Themes to be discussed at next week's GAERC include 
Cuba, Israel/Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and the Western 
Balkans, with a separate discussion by foreign ministers on 
June 18 of Afghanistan and Pakistan next steps.  Carmona 
noted a high level of convergence with U.S. views on most 
issues.  However, he acknowledged during the course of the 
meeting that France stands by its policy of "flexibility" on 
a Palestinian unity government and supports moving forward on 
the EU-Syria Association Agreement without requiring further 
concrete progress in Syrian behavior. END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) Cuba: Member states will assess Cuba's progress after 
a year of EU engagement.  Carmona expressed disappointment at 
the lack of improvement in the human rights situation and 
said the EU's efforts have not produced many results. 
However, both because the EU feels engagement is the only 
long-term means of encouraging change in Cuba and to avoid 
pulling away just as the United States has begun pursuing a 
more open policy towards Havana, the EU will maintain its 
stance.  Carmona stressed the participants will agree on a 
text that makes clear Cuba's need to address human rights. 
 
¶3. (C) Israel/Palestine: Participants will discuss what 
Carmona described as a process of change in the region that 
began with the fighting in Gaza in December 2008 and has 
continued with the Israeli elections, Israeli Prime Minister 
Netanyahu's meeting with President Obama, Obama's speech in 
Cairo, and Netanyahu's expected address on June 14. 
Ministers will issue an extensive conclusion including "all 
the normal points," such as support for a two-state solution, 
Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state, and an end 
to settlement activity.  Participants will also discuss the 
possibility of working with a Palestinian unity government 
inclusive of Hamas, a point on which member states disagree. 
France's view is that requiring all ministers of a unity 
government to subscribe to the Quartet principles would 
impede progress towards peace negotiations, though Carmona 
added France has no plans to change its position that Hamas 
is a terrorist organization.  The meeting of the EU-Israel 
Association Council on the sidelines of the GAERC will 
highlight existing EU-Israel relations, especially in terms 
of economic links.  However, France feels the EU is not yet 
ready to upgrade political relations with Israel given 
continued settlement activity. 
 
¶4. (C) Syria and Lebanon: The GAERC will issue a conclusion 
congratulating Lebanon on the June 7 parliamentary election 
and encouraging continued democratic progress.  Ministers 
will discuss what Carmona described as a positive trend in 
Syria's behavior recently, citing specifically the opening of 
the Syrian embassy in Beirut, a lack of overt meddling in the 
Lebanese elections, engagement with Israel, and restricting 
the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq.  Syria is opening to 
the West and re-integrating into the Arab world, a process 
that the EU can encourage by signing the EU-Syria Association 
Agreement as soon as possible, perhaps in July.  When asked 
whether the EU would be considering other criteria for moving 
ahead with the agreement, such as increased cooperation with 
the IAEA on non-proliferation concerns, Carmona replied 
France sees ongoing engagement with Syria as embodied by the 
Association Agreement as the most effective means of 
encouraging further progress. 
 
¶5. (C) The Balkans: A lunch discussion will feature a 
presentation by Serge Brammertz, the Prosecutor General of 
the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former 
Yugoslavia, assessing the cooperation of all former Yugoslav 
states with the Tribunal.  Brammertz's previous descriptions 
of Serbia's cooperation have been "nuanced," according to 
Carmona, and he expects that outstanding warrants and 
resultant Dutch opposition will make it difficult for other 
member states to make significant headway on Serbia's EU 
 
integration.  Ministers may decide to relax the visa regime 
to reward reforms by Serbian authorities and encourage more. 
On Bosnia, Carmona alluded to U.S. views on the necessity of 
a strong EU Special Representative (EUSR) when the time comes 
to close the Office of the High Representative.  To that end, 
participants will discuss exactly what powers the EUSR should 
have.  Carmona also expects a report from EU Enlargement 
Commissioner Olli Rehn describing the ongoing failure of the 
Commission to dissociate the Croatia/Slovenia border dispute 
from Croatia's EU accession process. 
 
¶6. (C) Georgia: Carmona said that though Georgia is one of 
the most critical EU foreign policy issues, it will not be a 
topic for discussion at the GAERC.  France agrees that the EU 
should wait until negotiations at the UN are complete before 
considering next steps, especially as extending the EU 
Monitoring Mission will depend in part on the fate of UNOMIG. 
 
¶7. (C) Afghanistan/Pakistan: Carmona had few details on AfPak 
issues, but said as part of preparations for a comprehensive 
AfPak plan, foreign ministers will discuss the subject at a 
June 18 dinner during the European Council meeting, following 
the first EU-Pakistan Summit to be held on June 17.  Due to a 
divergence in priorities between the two sides - Carmona 
predicted Pakistan would try to gain EU concessions on 
textile tariffs, while the EU would focus on security - he 
indicated that concrete progress was unlikely.  On 
Afghanistan, the ministers will evaluate existing financial 
engagements, as well as the election observer mission and 
EUPOL's role in improving law enforcement. 
PEKALA