US embassy cable - 04DUBLIN765

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUBLIN 000765 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2014 
TAGS: PREL, EUN 
SUBJECT: EU-RUSSIA SUMMIT - ESTABLISHING A NEW FRAMEWORK 
FOR THE RELATIONSHIP 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR JAMES KENNY FOR REASONS 1.4 (c) AND (d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY.  FOLLOWING THE EU'S OWN ASSESSMENT OF 
RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND THE APRIL 27 AGREEMENT ON THE 
EXTENSION OF THE PCA, DFA'S RUSSIAN DIVISION HEAD, BARBARA 
JONES, IS HOPEFUL THAT THE MAY 21 EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT WILL HELP 
ESTABLISH A MORE PRODUCTIVE AND EFFECTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR 
FUTURE EU-RUSSIAN RELATIONS, ALTHOUGH IF TODAY'S (MAY 20) 
TRADE TALKS GO WELL IN BRUSSELS, THE HEADLINE OUT OF MOSCOW 
IS LIKELY TO BE ON RUSSIAN WTO MEMBERSHIP AND RELATED 
PROGRESS ON THE KYOTO ACCORD. 
 
2.  (C) THE AGENDA IS SHORT (OPENING STATEMENTS, COMMON 
SPACES, AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES OVER LUNCH, FOLLOWED BY A 
PRESS CONFERENCE) AND THERE WILL BE NO COMMUNIQUE, BUT THE EU 
WILL PUSH HARD FOR MORE POSITIVE RUSSIAN ENGAGEMENT IN 
MOLDOVA, AND GEORGIA, TELLING THE RUSSIANS THAT A PRODUCTIVE 
EU-RUSSIAN DIALOGUE SHOULD BEGIN "IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD." 
JONES EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE EXCELLENT U.S.-EU 
WORKING LEVEL COOPERATION DURING THE IRISH PRESIDENCY AND 
HOPED IT WOULD CONTINUE INTO THE DUTCH PRESIDENCY.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
NEW FRAMEWORK FOR THE RELATIONSHIP 
---------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C)  EMBOFF CALLED ON BARBARA JONES, DFA DIRECTOR FOR 
EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA AND OSCE, MAY 19 FOR A PREVIEW OF THE 
MAY 21 EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT.  JONES RECALLED THE EU'S OWN 
SEVERAL MONTH LONG ASSESSMENT OF RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA AND 
THE APRIL 27 AGREEMENT TO EXTEND THE PERMANENT COOPERATION 
AGREEMENT (PCA) AND SAID SHE HOPED THAT THE FORTHCOMING 
SUMMIT WOULD CONTRIBUTE TO ESTABLISHING A NEW AND MORE 
PRODUCTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR FUTURE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA, BASED 
UPON THE EU-RUSSIA PERMANENT PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL (PPC), WHICH 
MET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN APRIL, AND THE EU ACTION PLANS 
RELATED TO THE FOUR COMMON SPACES ON ECONOMY; FREEDOM, 
SECURITY AND JUSTICE; EXTERNAL SECURITY; AND RESEARCH AND 
EDUCATION.  THE EU HANDED OVER ITS DRAFT PACKAGE AND ACTION 
PLANS FOR ALL FOUR COMMON SPACES TO THE RUSSIANS FOLLOWING 
THE APRIL AGREEMENT TO EXTEND THE PCA.  DESPITE THE SHORT 
TIME FRAME, THE EU IS HOPING THAT AT THE SUMMIT THE RUSSIANS 
WILL ENDORSE THE CONCEPT AND ACCEPT THE PACKAGE AS A BASIS 
FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION AND NEGOTIATION. 
 
4.  (C)  IF THE ATMOSPHERE WAS "RIGHT", JONES SAID THAT PRIME 
MINISTER AHERN MAY TRY TO OBTAIN PUTIN'S AGREEMENT TO HOLD 
ONLY ONE EU-RUSSIAN SUMMIT PER ANNUM, RATHER THAN TWO, CITING 
THIS AS A FURTHER RATIONALIZATION OF THE INSTITUTIONAL 
RELATIONSHIP, ESPECIALLY SINCE FOREIGN MINISTERS WOULD NOW 
MEET TWICE A YEAR IN THE PPC. 
 
5.  (C)  ASKED ABOUT RUSSIAN REPRESENTATION TO THE EU, JONES 
SAID THAT SHE UNDERSTOOD THE FORMER RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO 
POLAND WOULD SOON BE NAMED AS RUSSIAN ENVOY TO THE EU. 
 
A SHORT, BUT BROAD AGENDA 
------------------------- 
 
6. (C)  ACCORDING TO JONES, PREPARATIONS FOR THE SUMMIT HAVE 
GONE EXCEEDINGLY WELL.  THE AGENDA CONSISTS OF OPENING 
STATEMENTS, DISCUSSION OF THE COMMON SPACE CONCEPT AND 
MATERIAL (WHICH PROVIDES A BROAD CANVAS FOR THE POINTS THE EU 
WISHES TO MAKE ON MOLDOVA, GEORGIA, AND CHECHNYA), AND 
INTERNATIONAL ISSUES (IRAQ, MEPP, WESTERN BALKANS, 
AFGHANISTAN AND CYPRUS), TO BE FOLLOWED BY A JOINT PRESS 
CONFERENCE.  THE EU SUGGESTED THAT THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A 
COMMUNIQUE SINCE TIME WAS BETTER USED DISCUSSING PRACTICAL 
ISSUES RATHER THAN IN DRAFTING.  (COMMENT: RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR 
TO DUBLIN RAKHMANIN TOLD AMBASSADOR MAY 19 THAT HE WAS NOT 
GOING TO MOSCOW FOR THE SUMMIT SINCE THE AGENDA WAS A SHORT 
ONE AND NO BILATERAL ISSUES WERE ON IT.) 
 
7.  (C) JONES SAID THE EU WILL PRESS HARD FOR MORE POSITIVE 
RUSSIAN ENGAGEMENT "IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD."  SHE NOTED THAT THE 
MAY 18 EU DEMARCHE IN MOSCOW URGING RUSSIAN SUPPORT FOR 
FIVE-SIDED TALKS ON MOLDOVA GOT NOWHERE, BUT THAT THE EU 
WOULD AGAIN RAISE THIS ISSUE DURING THE SUMMIT, SUGGESTING TO 
THE RUSSIANS THAT THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN EU-RUSSIAN 
COOPERATION WOULD BE IN NEIGHBORING AREAS.  NO ONE EXPECTS 
ANY BREAKTHROUGHS, BUT THE EU WILL RESTATE THE CASE ON A WIDE 
VARIETY OF ISSUES, INCLUDING CHECHNYA, HUMAN RIGHTS AND NEED 
FOR A DEMOCRATIC OPEN RUSSIA.  THE EU WILL ALSO URGE RUSSIA 
TO NORMALIZE ITS BORDERS WITH THE BALTICS AND AGREE TO EXPAND 
MEMBERSHIP IN THE VARIOUS EXPORT CONTROL REGIMES TO INCLUDE 
THE NEW EU STATES.  JONES SAID SHE EXPECTED THE RUSSIANS WILL 
RESPOND BY RAISING MINORITY RIGHTS IN THE BALTICS AND 
RESTATING THEIR POLICY VIS-A-VIS EXPANDING EXPORT CONTROL 
REGIMES OF EXAMINING EACH REQUEST ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. 
 
BIG NEWS WILL BE WTO AND KYOTO, IF MAY 20 TALKS SUCCEED 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
8. (5)  IF THE MAY 20 TRADE TALKS BETWEEN EU TRADE 
COMMISSIONER LAMY AND THE RUSSIANS ARE SUCCESSFUL (AND LAMY 
REPORTEDLY GAVE A VERY POSITIVE READ-OUT TO THE MAY 17 
GAERC), JONES FELT THE BIG HEADLINE OUT OF THE MOSCOW SUMMIT 
WOULD BE ON PROGESS TOWARD RUSSIAN WTO MEMBERSHIP AND RELATED 
(NOT LINKED) PROGRESS ON RUSSIAN SIGNATURE OF THE KYOTO 
ACCORD. 
 
U.S. - EU COOPERATION ON RUSSIA 
------------------------------- 
9. (C) CONCLUDING, JONES EXPRESSED HER APPRECIATION FOR THE 
EXCELLENT WORKING-LEVEL COOPERATION SHE HAS ENJOYED WITH HER 
U.S. COLLEAGUES IN WASHINGTON AND ELSEWHERE, WHICH SHE FOUND 
INVALUABLE, AND HOPED IT WOULD CONTINUE UNDER THE DUTCH 
PRESIDENCY. 
KENNY