ID

73124

Etiquetas

OTRA, SP

Fecha

2006-07-31 11:02:00

RefID

06MADRID1923

Origen

Embassy Madrid

Clasificación

CONFIDENTIAL

Destino

06MADRID1834

06MADRID189

Encabezado

VZCZCXYZ0003

PP RUEHWEB

Contenido

DE RUEHMD #1923/01 2121102

ZNY CCCCC ZZH (CCY - AD01E7A1 MSI1137 506A)

P 311102Z JUL 06

FM AMEMBASSY MADRID

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0394

INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS PRIORITY 3892

RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA PRIORITY 4973

RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0967

RUEHLP/AMEMBASSY LA PAZ AUG 1189

RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 5959

RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS PRIORITY 0519

RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0184COR,,

RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0130

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 001923

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - CLASSIFICATION REASON ADDED

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/WE, NEA, AF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2016

TAGS: OTRA, SP

SUBJECT: SPAIN: AMBASSADOR'S JULY 27 MEETING WITH FM

MORATINOS

REF: A. MADRID 1834

B. MADRID 189

Classified By: KATHLEEN FITZPATRICK, ACTING DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION,

FOR REASONS 1.4 b and d

1. (C//NF) Summary: Ambassador Aguirre had a wide ranging

discussion with Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos on July

27, the day after Moratinos, return from the Lebanon Core

Group meeting in Rome. Moratinos was very pleased with his

treatment by the Secretary during the meeting and especially

grateful the US did not pose obstacles to his attendance.

The Ambassador and Moratinos identified a number of areas in

which Spain desired to help in the global agenda, including

in Iraq, Latin America, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Moratinos said Spain would be willing to contribute troops to

a Lebanon stabilization force; however, though he did not

state this to the Ambassador, both he and Spanish Vice

President Fernandez de la Vega have made clear the force

would have to be under UN mandate (Comment: Embassy believes

that while Moratinos may want Spain to contribute, the

government will have to work this issue carefully through

their political process, and this will be affected by events

such as the Qana attacks). Ambassador Aguirre told Moratinos

that President Zapatero's comments on Israel and Iraq were

unhelpful and unwelcome.

End summary

//Lebanon//

2. (C//NF) Spanish FM Moratinos expressed to Ambassador

Aguirre his delight with the treatment he had received from

Sec retary Rice during the Lebanon Core Group meeting in Rome

and was especially appreciative of US willingness to include

him in the meeting, after rejection of a similar request last

year. Moratinos felt he was able to assist the Secretary in

crafting the final statement of the conference. Moratinos

said that the meeting was not the failure that the press had

made it out to be. He said Spain would be willing to

participate in an international stabilization force, perhaps

with a battalion of troops. Moratinos had spoken with

Defense Minister Alonso, who, though reluctant because of the

possible risks involved to Spanish soldiers had agreed Spain

should participate (NOTE: Moratinos did not insist as he had

in public commentary, that Spanish participation depended on

the force coming under UN or some other international

auspices but this has since been made clear by Spain's Vice

President. We believe that while Moratinos would like Spain

to contribute to the force, the government will have to tread

carefully with a skittish Spanish public, particularly after

the Qana attacks.)

//Israel/Zapatero comments//

3. (C//NF) Moratinos acknowledged that relations with Israel

had become tense over President Zapatero,s comments on the

Lebanon situation. Moratinos had thought he had smoothed

things over in conversations with the Israeli Ambassador to

Spain, and with senior Israeli officials. However, that

remarks by Socialist Party organization Secretary Jose Blanco

that Israel was deliberately targeting civilians had set this

process back.

4. (C//NF) Ambassador Aguirre said that Zapatero,s comments

linking the situation in Lebanon to the intervention in Iraq

were unhelpful and unwelcome. The Ambassador told Moratinos

that he had heard from Defense Minister Alonso and others

that the comments were aimed at the domestic audience,

specifically to criticize the previous Aznar government for

having put Spanish troops into Iraq. The Ambassador said if

that is the case, this was not evident, because Zapatero,s

comments reflected a &shotgun8 approach that sprayed on the

US relationship. If he is aiming at his own audience, he

should target his remarks as such and leave the US and our

role in Iraq out of his domestic political commentary.

Moratinos took this on board. The Ambassador also said that

he was in regular contact with the Israeli Ambassador Viktor

Harel, who was out alone on a limb in the public environment

in Spain. The Ambassador said he was working with Harel to

shore him up publicly, perhaps at a public event where they

both could be photographed together.

5. (C//NF) Moratinos offered his assessment of Syria and

Iran, saying that the Iranian regime is &unsalvageable,8

but that he believes there remain opportunities to bring the

Syrian regime around. That has been the idea behind his

contacts with the Syrian Information Minister, who had served

as Syria,s Ambassador to Spain.

//Latin America//

6. (C//NF) Moratinos and Ambassador Aguirre also reviewed

several Latin America issues. Moratinos said he thought that

the situation had eased somewhat in the region with the

elections of Alan Garcia in Peru and Calderon in Mexico,

moving away from populist trends. Moratinos said the

situation had improved somewhat for Spanish companies such as

Repsol in Bolivia. On Venezuela, Moratinos, noted Chavez,

unhelpful visit to Belarus, which he hoped would clearly show

his erstwhile supporters that he is not a reliable figure.

7. (C//NF) Ambassador Aguirre raised Cuba, noting that a

recent article in Spain,s leading daily El Pais, considered

to be reflective of the Socialist government views, had a

detailed article about Spanish views on an eventual

transition to Cuba that was at odds with what Moratinos and

senior leaders had conveyed to the USG (see REF A). The

article quotes unnamed mid-level Spanish Foreign Ministry

sources as saying that Spain would support a transition to

democracy that included figures such as Raul Casto or FM

Perez Roque. Moratinos was unfamiliar with the article but

said that on the issue of GOS thinking on transition, it was

inaccurate. Spain believes the transition to democracy will

resemble Spain,s own transition 30 years ago, and will

involve figures in the current government who will help

provide stability as democracy takes hold. But, Moratinos

said, Spain has not identified Raul or Perez Roque as those

figures. Ambassador Aguirre underscored the importance for

the US and Spain of having a clear and precise understanding

of each other's policies, and if there are true differences,

we need to discuss those and make certain that these

differences are being handled in such a way as not to affect

the entire relationship. Ambassador said we could be faced

with a transition in Cuba at any time and the US and Spain

should understand whether we are in agreement or not before

faced with events on the ground in Cuba.

//Arranging Shannon-Leon Discussions and US-Spain Latin

America Working Group Meeting//

8. (C//NF) Ambassador Aguirre noted the need to organize

discussions between A/S Shannon and Bernardino Leon to

respond to the Secretary's and Moratinos, tasking following

their meeting to identify specific countries/projects for

US-Spain cooperation in Latin America. He said we were

trying to arrange a meeting between Leon and Shannon on the

margins of the inauguration ceremonies in Bogota. The

Ambassador also pressed for a larger meeting of the US-Spain

Latin-America working group on the margins of UNGA in New

York. He said we are working with Spanish and US

counterparts to determine if a meeting can be held when the

Spanish team is in New York, approximately between Sept.

17-23. Moratinos said that his Latin America team would be

there during that time frame and meeting could be organized.

He will arrive a little later because he would be in London

Sept. 18 signing a Gibraltar agreement.

//Iraq/Basrah hospital contribution//

9. (C//NF) The Ambassador thanked Moratinos for Spain,s

willingness to contribute approximately $22 million to the

Basrah children's hospital in Iraq. He handed him a copy of

a letter of appreciation from the First Lady. Moratinos said

that President Zapatero was personally committed to the

project and it has Spain,s full commitment. Moratinos,

however, that depositing the funds by Sept. 1 as we requested

would be extremely difficult, if not impossible for the GOS,

which has to rearrange budgets and priorities in order to

assemble the money. This will take time, and he asked for

our understanding. (Subsequently, Moratinos, chief of staff

told us that Moratinos was pressuring the &system8 to come

up with the contribution quickly because of the full

political commitment of the government of Spain.

Nonetheless, the final appropriation probably will not be

able to be made until much later this year.)

//GOS desire for DAS and expert-level discussions on Western

Sahara and North Africa//

10. (C//NF) Both Moratinos and the Ambassador agreed that we

should start now to prepare solid substance and outcomes for

the Secretary's visit to Madrid, including on Latin America

and the Basrah hospital but also in other areas. In this

connection. MFA Director General for Middle East, North

Africa and sub-Saharan Africa Alvaro Iranzo said that he

would very much like to organize consultations with the US at

the experts level on Western Sahara and on broader North

Africa issues. He was awaiting a reply to his letter to@ELIMINADO@ inviting him to come to Spain (Iranzo said he had a

brief conversation with Welch in Rome and reminded him of the

letter). Iranzo said the he understood that A/S Welch likely

could not visit Spain, but he asked that we help arrange

discussions at the NEA DAS level with NEA Maghreb experts to

meet with Iranzo and his North Africa team. Iranzo said the

discussions could take place in Washington, in New York on

the margins of UNGA or in Madrid, whichever works best for

the US side. Ambassador Aguirre undertook to put forward

this suggestion to the NEA bureau, underscoring his support

for the idea. Iranzo said this proposal was separate for

ideas Spain had put forward on a meeting of a multinational

&Group of Friends8 but rather was aimed bilaterally so the

US and Spain could share views and anticipate key

developments. He hoped this meeting could take place before

the October UNSC discussions on MINURSO extension.

(C//NF) (Embassy Comment: We are in e-mail contact with NEA

counterparts about responding to Iranzo,s letter and to his

idea of a working group meeting. Ambassador Aguirre

recommends we respond positively to the working group idea,

so that we understand better the policies and role of one of

the key actors in the area and find ways to work more

concertedly with Spain on key North Africa issues such as

counter-terrorism. This is also part of our broader effort

to enlist Spain in supporting our global agenda where our

interests and challenges coincide. While Spain,s focus is

more on Western Sahara, and the issue should be a separate

agenda item for the discussions, we could use the opportunity

to identify broader issues and opportunities for cooperation

in the Maghreb region as a second piece of the discussions.)

//US-Spain Africa cooperation//

11. (C//NF) Iranzo also noted the exchange of letters between

the Secretary and Moratinos and the Deputy Secretary and

Spanish Deputy FM Bernardino Leon on ways to cooperate in

sub-Saharan Africa, now a key focus for Spain because of the

influx of immigrants from that region. He had invited @ELIMINADO@ to Spain to discuss specifics, and noted that a good

opportunity for her to visit would be in November at a

conference in the Canary Islands (where the sub-Saharan

immigrants first enter Spain) for the inauguration of Spain's

"Casa Africa," to include African union and African

government representatives. Ambassador agreed that the many

challenges in Africa offer ripe opportunities for the US and

Spain to work together, and again undertook to lend his

support for discussions with the African bureau on this issue

(NOTE: Embassy Madrid has been active in encouraging Spain to

look for ways to work with us on our global agenda, including

specifically in sub-Saharan Africa where Spain has just

launched its own "Plan Africa" to increase Spanish presence

and development and other assistance to help stem the

immigrant flow into Spain.)

//Gibraltar: US nuclear sub visit//

12. (C//NF) At the close of the meeting, Ambassador Aguirre

noted that he had taken a phone call from Spanish MFA

Director General for North America and Europe Jose Pons, who

said he was calling on behalf of Minister Moratinos to

express concern about a July 29 US nuclear submarine port

visit to Gibraltar (ref B). Pons had asked why the ship

could not dock at the base at Rota, Spain instead, which the

Spanish would prefer. Moratinos was unaware of this specific

ship visit, and was brought up to speed at the meeting by his

chief of staff. However, Moratinos underscored the

sensitivity of Gibraltar for Spain and in particular the

nuclear ship visit issue, especially since the disastrous

visit of the UK ship the Tireless whose nuclear plant had to

be repaired port side. Moratinos said these visits

engendered protests from Green parties and others.

Ambassador Aguirre explained that the current visit was not a

signal either to Spain or to the UK, and that it was a port

visit only, with no operational component and no repairs

scheduled. The Ambassador told Morationos he had discussed

the visit with NAVEUR who explained that the ship could not

be diverted to Rota at this time because the families of ship

personnel were already on their way to Gibraltar. The

Ambassador told Morationos this visit will go forward.

(Embassy Comment: Per ref B, Ambassador Aguirre would like

to work out with our navy and others a more appropriate

protocol with NAVEUR, Embassy London and other appropriate

authorities so that Embassy Madrid could provide its views

in advance of Gibraltar ship visit decision on timing and

other possible concerns that could arise that affect US

interests in Spain).

AGUIRRE;"