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OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
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O 031318Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4685
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000565 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV AF IR IZ PK IS AL CE EUN SW
SUBJECT: SWEDES OFFER MORE DETAIL ON SEPTEMBER GYMNICH 
 
REF: STOCKHOLM 542 
 
Classified By: Pol Counselor Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
SUMMARY: 
-------- 
 
¶1. (C) Sweden's MFA Political Director Bjorn Lyrvall provided 
Pol Counselor with details on Swedish plans for discussions 
of the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan (AfPak), and 
improving the EU as a global actor at the informal gathering 
of EU foreign ministers ("Gymnich meeting") in Stockholm 4-5 
September (reftel).  Addressing a joint meeting of U.S., 
Swiss, Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, and Japanese 
diplomats on September 1, Lyrvall noted: 
 
--Stockholm will put on the agenda the question of how to 
"invigorate" the EU's role in the Middle East peace process, 
and how to invigorate its contribution as a member of the 
Quartet.  Ministers may also consider President Sarkozy's 
proposal of a peace process conference held in  the context 
of the Union for the Mediteranean. 
 
--On Iran, there is a growing sense in the EU that Tehran 
must be pressed for an answer to the P5 plus 1 offer, and a 
growing European willingness to pursue enhanced sanctions, 
first through the UN Security Council and possibly through 
the EU. 
 
--Ministers will discuss the EU's new AfPak strategy and ways 
to concretely build both Kabul's and Islamabad's capacity to 
absorb aid and protect the rule of law. 
 
--A discussion of refining the EU's strategic foreign policy 
making will round out the informal meeting. 
 
--Russia will not be discussed, and negotiations with Moscow 
over the location of the fall EU-Russia summit have not yet 
made much progress. 
 
End Summary. 
 
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) On September 4, discussion of the Middle East will 
focus on ways to support U.S. efforts to restart the peace 
process, Lyrvall said, with an eye to playing a constructive 
role in any talks on the margins of the UN General Assembly 
(UNGA) meetings in New York.  Stockholm also wishes to 
consider ways to reinvigorate the EU's role in the Quartet. 
French President Sarkozy's earlier proposal to convene a 
conference on the peace process in the context of the EU's 
Union of the Mediterranean may come up during the 
unstructured discussion. 
 
Iran 
---- 
 
¶3. (C) If time remains, discussion will turn to Iran and ways 
to engage Tehran after its elections.  Lyrvall posited that 
Iran must understand that a clear response to the P5 plus one 
nuclear proposal is required now.  When Swedish Foreign 
Minister Bildt had spoken to Iranian FM Mottaki at the 
Friends of Democratic Pakistan meeting in Istanbul in August, 
Mottaki could not comment on the proposal, saying Iran's 
response was not ready then -- but he did remark that it was 
time to reinvigorate ties to the West.  Lyrvall reported a 
"growing sense" within the EU that the offer to engage Tehran 
should not be of "unlimited duration."  The EU should send a 
strong signal that the EU3 will soon propose that the UN 
Security Council impose new sanctions on Iran.  Lyrvall noted 
"growing support" among EU Member States for unilateral EU 
sanctions should the UNSC route fail, although a "minority" 
of Member States still oppose this. 
 
AfPak 
----- 
 
¶4. (C) Stockholm is concerned that President Karzai may be 
tempted to declare electoral victory after only the first 
round of voting, and fears this will lead to allegations that 
the election had been stolen.  However, the need for a second 
round could also promote instability.  Sweden was aware of 
some calls for a national unity government (but Lyrvall did 
not comment on Sweden's views of such). 
 
¶5. (C) Ministers will review the main elements of the Council 
Secretariat's new AfPak Strategy September 5 with the hopes 
of scheduling formal discussion at the October GAERC and 
final adoption at the October European Council meeting, 
Lyrvall said.  The draft plan calls for enhanced regional 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000565  002 OF 002 
 
 
cooperation and will propose a renewed compact between the 
new Afghan government and the rest of the world on the need 
for good governance and tackling corruption.  Better 
coordination of EU activities in Afghanistan is perhaps the 
key element of the draft plan, and Member States strongly 
favor combining the roles of the EU special representative 
and the EU Commission Head of Delegation into one; the 
Commission is not yet in full agreement with the proposal for 
this "double-hatting."  Substantive proposals will include 
still undetermined actions to build the capacity of the 
Afghan government -- especially at the sub-national levels -- 
by providing EU experts to assist in the development of the 
rule of law and encourage reform of the justice sector, by 
filling shortfalls in the EUPOL police mission, and by 
developing best practices for elections before the 
legislative vote next year based on recommendations from the 
EU monitors who covered the presidential elections. 
 
¶6. (C) The strategy's Pakistan portion aims to put "beef" in 
the declarations from the June EU-Pakistan summit, in 
particular by following up on the Malakand strategy and 
focusing on capacity building on counterterroism, 
nonproliferation, and increasing Pakistan's ability to absorb 
aid. 
 
EU and the World 
---------------- 
 
¶7. (C) September 5 discussions will also focus, if time 
allows, on how to develop strategic thinking in Common 
Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) matters.  Apart from the 
Balkans, which have been a priority since the 1990s for 
geographic and historical reasons, Stockholm argues that 
European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) missions have 
been determined on an ad hoc basis.  The goal is to define 
priorities and then gather military resources to support 
those goals, rather than have missions defined by existing 
capabilities.  The Swedes hope that the new High 
Representative for Foreign Policy -- in the event that the 
Lisbon Treaty passes -- will continue these strategic 
efforts.  Stockholm would also like to raise the issue of how 
to make a larger share of the EU budget available for CFSP 
activities. 
 
Candidates' Lunch, Russia 
------------------------- 
 
¶8. (C) Turkey will lead discussion on issues in its region, 
including Iraq and the Kurds, at a Saturday lunch for EU 
members and candidate states.  No discussion of Russia is 
expected.  The Swedes will not/not host a summit anywhere but 
in Stockholm, Lyrvall said in response to a question, and 
given the breadth of issues pending between the two, it would 
be regrettable if the summit were not held.  Energy, the 
EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, and trade 
remain important areas for discussion with Moscow. 
BARZUN