US embassy cable - 04MADRID2180

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002180 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, TU, SP, EUN, European Union 
SUBJECT: EU EXPANSION AMBASSADOR: PRO-TURKEY, DOUBTFUL ON 
FRANCE-GERMANY-SPAIN TRIAD 
 
Classified By: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Political Counselor, for Reasons 1 
.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) We met with Ambassador Jorge Fuentes, MFA Ambassador 
on Special Mission for EU Enlargement, on May 28 to discuss 
Spanish foreign policy inside the EU and the GOS's view on 
further enlargement.  Fuentes agreed with our assessment that 
with the EU Parliamentary elections coming so soon after the 
March general elections, the new Socialist government was 
still in campaign mode.  He said he believed that after the 
June 13 EU elections, the Socialists could begin tackling 
issues and ease up on the anti-US rhetoric.  He predicted 
that the Socialists would win a comfortable victory in the EU 
elections, but that the Popular Party (PP) could close the 
margin significantly if the PP could bring the lead Socialist 
candidate's past (Josep Borrell, who withdrew as a candidate 
for the Socialist presidential nomination in 1999 due to 
associates implicated in financial corruption) into the 
forefront. 
 
2. (C) When asked about the efforts of President Zapatero to 
return Spain to "the core of Europe" and the press accounts 
of French President Chirac offering to bring Spain into the 
French-German alliance, Fuentes replied that "nobody enters 
the French-German alliance".  He noted that other nations 
have been brought in briefly for specific purposes, 
mentioning Poland, Italy and the UK, but that all "ended up 
on the street".  He stated his opinion that Spain would have 
to look out for its own interests in the EU, but that he did 
not know if the Zapatero administration sees that yet. 
 
3. (C) Regarding the negotiations on the EU Constitution, 
Fuentes said that Spain would press to get the double 
majority requirements increased from the current 50% of 
countries and 60% of population to "55% or so of countries 
and around 62% of population".  He said he recognizes that 
the French would not accept the 66% of population proposal 
floated earlier by Spain and other members.  When asked about 
the Aznar administration's alliance with Poland inside the 
EU, Fuentes stated that the strategic alliance with Poland 
was "artificial to begin with", and that aside from some 
preferential agreements committed to under Aznar, the 
Zapatero administration would not have any huge bonds with 
Poland. 
 
4. (C) Fuentes is a proponent of Turkish admission to the EU 
(giving an explanation of his position in a speech to the 
Navy League here in Madrid), and he said that Spain favors 
offering EU accession talks to Turkey.  However, he said that 
the EU is not likely to make such an offer due to French and 
German objections. 
ARGYROS