US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE1701

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 001701 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2014 
TAGS: PREL, NL, EUN 
SUBJECT: EU FM'S TO DISCUSS SUDAN, MEET ALLAWI, AND PONDER 
BURMA AT JULY 12-13 GAERC 
 
REF: STATE 147536 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: Andrew Schofer, Political Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (B) 
 and (D) 
 
CORRECTED COPY -- DISTRIBUTION AND TAGS HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  The Dutch expect next steps in Iraq and 
Sudan to dominate discussion at the July 12 ) 13 General 
Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC), according to 
Joep Wijnands, Deputy Director of the Dutch MFA's Department 
of Political Affairs and the Dutch European Correspondent, 
who met Poloff to discuss Reftel points on July 7.  The GAERC 
agenda will also include setting up procedures for dealing 
with Burma in the context of October's ASEM Summit;  drafting 
supporting language for President Karzai in the run up to 
elections in Afghanistan; and reviewing circumstances in the 
Balkans, including the handover from SFOR to EUFOR.  Wijnands 
did not list the China Arms Embargo as a GAERC topic and 
listened attentively to a strong reiteration of U.S. human 
rights and security concerns.  Neither Helms Burton nor 
Venezuela will be on the GAERC Agenda.  END SUMMARY. 
 
IRAQ 
---- 
 
2. (C)  Iraqi PM Allawi has decided to attend a lunch during 
the GAERC,  despite concerns about his security.  Wijnands 
said that Allawi had been assured that he would be adequately 
protected by extant security in Brussels.  Wijnands noted 
that the Dutch Embassy in Baghdad will represent the EU 
during the Dutch Presidency, but he could not say if the EC 
would soon open an office there. 
 
SUDAN 
----- 
 
3. (SBU)  While acknowledging the EU,s financial 
contributions in Sudan to date, Wijnands bemoaned in general 
the EU response in Sudan.  He expects the GAERC will seek 
agreement on a more coordinated, forceful EU role there. 
 
BURMA 
----- 
 
4. (C) Meetings with Asia will take up much of the Dutch 
Presidency.  The Asia-EU (ASEM) Summit is still scheduled for 
October 8-9 in Hanoi, but Burma,s intransigence on reform 
continues to threaten this meeting.  Strong pressure from the 
EU and other Asian partners will continue, Wijnands promised, 
since the EU is committed to the Summit -- but "not at any 
cost."  The GAERC will discuss procedural details for 
maneuvering Burma to the table.  They will appoint Hans van 
der Broek to replace Ireland,s John Campbell as Special 
Envoy of the Presidency to work the issue in EU and Asian 
capitals.  Informal options floated by the EU and Asians 
(Jakarta and Hanoi) range from allowing Burma to participate 
in the summit at a very low level to canceling the summit 
altogether.  Wijnands reported the British remain most firm 
on excluding an unreformed Burma, with German and France more 
determined to have the Summit proceed even if serious 
problems remain in Burma.  The Asian bottom line remains 
opaque. 
 
AFGHANISTAN 
----------- 
 
5. (C) The EU would prefer simultaneous elections for 
President and Parliament to show determination in the face of 
Taliban and warlord threats.  Wijnands said, however, that 
the EU suspects President Karzai will ultimately decide to 
hold them separately.  Anticipating this decision, Wijnands 
expects the GAERC to draft a note expressing "support for the 
process" and "respect for Karzai,s decision."  Wijnands 
expects the EU to send a "monitoring and election support 
team" into eight Afghan cities; security concerns, however, 
will likely prevent sending a full-fledged EU observer 
mission that could cover the whole country. 
 
BALKANS 
------- 
 
6. (SBU) Wijnands had no specifics on what would be discussed 
regarding the Balkans, other than to say that the handover 
from SFOR to EUFOR should proceed smoothly since the make up 
of the forces will essentially remain the same. 
 
HELMS BURTON AND VENEZUELA 
-------------------------- 
 
7. (SBU)  Wijnands did not expect Helms-Burton or Venezuela 
to come up on the GAERC agenda.  He had no information on the 
issues and promised to pass our points on. 
 
8. (C) In a separate meeting, Dutch Cuba Desk Officer Jan 
Jaap Groenemeijer told Poloff that Member State reps at the 
July 5 EU Latin American Working Party Meeting expressed 
broad discontent with the new U.S. approach to collecting 
information about countries' policies and activities in Cuba, 
which in their collective view could only foreshadow a 
country-by-country approach to Libertad Act Title III waivers 
"even though the U.S. has denied it."  EU member state 
dissatisfaction appears to stem primarily from fear that 
member states will be treated differently despite the common 
EU position toward Cuba.  Groenemeijer said the issue would 
be raised at the July 13 U.S.-EU Political Directors' Meeting. 
 
9.  (C) Also on July 7, Dutch MFA South America Desk Officer 
Dmitri Vogelaar told Poloff that Chris Patten would make a 
decision this week on whether to send EU observers to the 
August 14 recall referendum in Venezuela.  He said the 
decision would be based on continuing negotiations with the 
Venezuelan Electoral Council about lifting restrictions on 
the observers, and on obtaining a Venezuelan security 
guarantee for observers.  Vogelaar believed that the EU was 
about as likely to send observers as the OAS, assuming that 
both organizations are undertaking similar negotiations 
regarding security and observer restrictions.  Analysis of EU 
assistance for an OAS mission absent an EU mission, he said, 
would be premature.  Vogelaar believed that in the case of a 
positive decision, long-term election observers would be sent 
on July 15 and short-term observers on or about August 10. 
SOBEL