ID

93130

Etiquetas

PREL, PGOV, SP

Fecha

2007-01-19 11:17:00

RefID

07MADRID104

Origen

Embassy Madrid

Clasificación

SECRET//NOFORN

Destino

07STATE5256

Encabezado

VZCZCXRO2593

PP RUEHAG RUEHROV

DE RUEHMD #0104/01 0191117

ZNY SSSSS ZZH

P 191117Z JAN 07

FM AMEMBASSY MADRID

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1668

INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 2375

RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0289

Contenido

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000104

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2017

TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SP

SUBJECT: SPAIN'S VIEWS IN ADVANCE OF JANUARY 22 GAERC

REF: A. STATE 5256

B. STATE 5640

C. MADRID 71

MADRID 00000104 001.2 OF 002

Classified By: ADCM Kathy Fitzpatrick for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

1. (S) SUMMARY: Emboff discussed Spanish views in advance

of the January 22 GAERC meeting with Carlos Fernandez-Arias,

MFA Subdirector General for the EU, on January 18.

Fernandez-Arias highlighted the following areas of special

Spanish interest. The EU expects to issue a communique

either from the Presidency or the Council of Ministers on the

results of the Serbian elections and expressing the EU's hope

that the Serbian government will be willing to work together;

Spain remains committed to not isolating Serbia over Kosovo.

On Iran, Spain supports full implementation of UNSCR 1737 but

wishes also to preserve graduation in the sanctions process

depending on Iran's response. Lastly, the EU, with Spain's

support, will be pushing hard on the Libyan government to

release the Bulgarian and Palestinian nurses convicted in the

HIV-infection trial, with measures including possibly

freezing some diplomatic ties. END SUMMARY.

//Western Balkans//

2. (SBU) Fernandez-Arias noted that the results of the

Serbian elections should be at least partially known by

January 22, and he therefore expects the Council of Ministers

to issue a statement on the elections and calling for

engagement with the Serbian government. Spain's policy will

continue to be encouraging engagement with Serbia in an

effort to prevent its radicalization over Kosovo final status.

//Israel-Palestine//

3. (SBU) Spain's and the EU's main concern at the moment on

Israel-Palestine is the convening of a Quartet meeting as

soon as possible. Spain continues to support Abbas and the

Temporary International Mechanism.

//Iran//

4. (SBU) Fernandez-Arias said that Spain will support

implementing UNSCR 1737 with the "broadest possible

interpretation." However, he also noted that Spain would not

support implementing sanctions outside the mandate of 1737

and that sanctions against Iran should be graduated. He

noted that 1737 has a finite time period and the EU should

use the sanctions to allow Iran to digest them and possibly

respond before moving ahead with more stringent measures. He

said that there would be time later for the EU to take

unilateral measures if necessary.

5. (S) Per reftel C, during the visit of UNVIE Ambassador

Schulte to Madrid, Deputy Foreign Minister Bernardino Leon

told Schulte January 10 that Spain would support full

implementation of 1737 and would even go beyond it, saying

that Spain was actively discouraging Spanish companies from

operating in Iran. However, Spanish National Security

Advisor Carles Casajuana told Schulte January 11 that Spain

would wait until IAEA DG ElBaradei issues his next sixty-day

report on Iran (21 February) before considering additional

measures outside of 1737. (COMMENT: Casajuana's caution was

probably a more accurate reflection of overall GOS policy on

the Iranian nuclear issue. END COMMENT.)

//Somalia//

6. (SBU) Spain supports the Transitional Federal Government

in Somalia and sees a need to quickly incorporate those

Muslim groups which fell outside of the extremist Islamist

tribunals. Fernandez-Arias agreed that the Ethiopians should

leave as soon as possible. Spain supports the deployment of

a Ugandan force, but Fernandez-Arias said Spain probably

would not have any money to contribute for this mission.

//Sudan//

7. (SBU) Fernandez-Arias said that Spain agrees on the need

for full implementation of the UN SYG's three-phase plan to

create a hybrid peacekeeping mission, but he noted that in

the meantime the AU mission requires funding. He expressed

doubt as to whether the EU had any more funds left available

for Darfur at present.

//Libya//

8. (C) Lastly, Fernandez-Arias mentioned that the GAERC

would address the matter of the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to

death in Libya. He said that he had been following this

MADRID 00000104 002.2 OF 002

issue since it first broke several years ago when he was the

North Africa desk officer, and that the case was totally

unbelievable. Making reference to Ghaddafi's criticism that

Europe is only preoccupied with its citizens and not with the

fate of the HIV-infected children, Fernandez-Arias noted that

almost all of the children infected in the incident are

currently living in Europe along with their families and

receiving treatment (including 10 in Spain). He said that

the incident was a plain and simple case of corruption in

which an official bought tainted blood for a cheaper than

market price and pocketed the surplus. Fernandez-Arias said

that the Libyans had made scapegoats of the Bulgarian and

Palestinian nurses because they thought no one would stick up

for them, rather than implicating the many other foreign

medical personnel working in the same hospital. He said that

Europe does not accept their conviction, does not accept

their sentencing to death, has made significant efforts to

support the infected children, and is not looking for a

tradeoff of any kind. In the past, he said, Spain had merely

empathized with and offered moral support to Bulgaria, but

now that Bulgaria is an EU member, Spain's "solidarity is

total" in this matter. He said that possible measures which

would be discussed included the freezing of some European

diplomatic ties.

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Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website;

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/

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Aguirre;"