O 181745Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4426
INFO AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000368 
 
 
NSC FOR KVIEN 
EEB FOR DAVID NELSON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON EUN IT SW
SUBJECT: POST SUPPORT OF POTUS BILATERAL WITH SWEDISH PM 
REINFELDT AT G8 
 
REF: KOEHLER-GILCHRIST EMAIL OF 06/17/09 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Robert Silverman for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D). 
 
¶1. (U) On June 16, the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
formally requested a bilateral meeting for Swedish Prime 
Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt with the President on the margins 
of the G8 in Italy on 8-10 July.  (We understand the Swedish 
embassy in Washington passed this request to NSC also.) 
 
¶2. (C) Embassy strongly supports this request.  It would 
provide an excellent opportunity to focus Swedish attention 
at the beginning of its EU Presidency on key U.S. priorities 
relating to Afghanistan and Guantanamo detainees, as well as 
to coordinate with the Swedes on their top priority of 
climate change. 
 
¶3. (U) Sweden's articulated priorities for its six-month EU 
Presidency are focused on two global issues, climate change 
and the financial crisis, and four issues critical to the EU: 
enlargement (including Turkey), visa and asylum harmonization 
("the Stockholm Program"), regional trade and environmental 
concerns in the Baltic region ("the Baltic Sea Strategy"), 
and fostering economic liberalization and democratic 
development in six key Eastern European nations ("the Eastern 
Partnership").  The French and Czech presidencies 
demonstrated that the best of plans can be uprooted, so the 
Swedes are down-playing expectations, preparing as best they 
can for unexpected events. 
 
¶4. (U) UN Climate Change Conference: PM Reinfeldt's top 
priority involves using the EU Presidency to lead the EU to 
sign a binding international agreement at the 15th Conference 
of the Parties (COP 15) to be held in Copenhagen in December. 
 Sweden wants higher U.S. midterm targets as part of an EU 
strategy of getting China to commit to binding targets.  But 
Sweden also sees itself as more attuned to U.S. domestic 
realities than other EU members.  Reinfeldt's staff believe 
the Prime Minister would like to play a bridging role between 
the United States and the EU on climate, and would make this 
issue his focus for the bilateral. 
 
¶5. (C) Guantanamo: We have asked Sweden multiple times in 
recent years to accept Guantanamo detainees for resettlement. 
 The Minister of Migration recently told us that Sweden now 
strongly approves of the "general approach" the U.S. 
Administration has taken on detainees, and that if Sweden can 
assist, it would like to do so.  For Sweden to consider 
accepting former detainees, there must be a "quality 
branding" for individual asylum seekers achieved by using 
UNHCR.  Following recent developments within the EU and the 
May 29 UNHCR letter to Special Envoy Fried, we think 
discussion of this issue at the highest level could prompt 
the Swedes to help build momentum within the EU by announcing 
that they will accept two or more detainees for resettlement. 
 Moreover, Sweden should be urged to take a lead in 
coordinating EU efforts to help obtain assurances from other 
third countries that any detainees sent there will be 
well-treated. 
 
¶6. (C) Afghanistan/Pakistan: Sweden has 410 troops based in 
four northern provinces, and another 90 will be deployed by 
the end of the year.  A C-130 at ISAF HQ's disposal will be 
available during the elections in the fall.  Recent security 
incidents in and around the Swedish PRT in Mazar-e Sharif 
have increased Swedish determination to enhance security in 
the region during the election season, but under current 
budgetary and legislative conditions we do not expect Sweden 
to deploy forces beyond the 500 already assigned in this 
calendar year.  On the civilian side, however, Sweden can -- 
and should -- do more by deploying additional police trainers 
to EUPOL as part of its effort to spur a stronger response 
from other EU Member States.  Building upon the June 17 
EU-Pakistan Summit, the Swedes should also energize the EU to 
maximize the potential levers of soft power and emergency 
humanitarian assistance for Pakistan. 
 
 
SILVERMAN