US embassy cable - 04MADRID3839

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 003839 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2014 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, ETTC, PHUM, CH, EUN 
SUBJECT: SPAIN FAVORS CODE OF CONDUCT WITH THE LIFTING OF 
CHINESE ARMS EMBARGO 
 
REF: STATE 208511 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Kathleen Fitzpatrick for Reasons 1.4 
 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  EUR/WE Director Kathleen Allegrone, 
Charge, and Poloff delivered reftel talking points and 
discussed U.S. human rights concerns at all levels of the 
Spanish MFA September 28-30.  Spain believes that the Code of 
Conduct is sufficient to monitor arms sales to China of EU 
states.  There will likely be a discussion of the Chinese 
arms embargo on October 11 at the GAERC meetings, but no 
decision will be made on the issue until November.  END 
SUMMARY 
 
2.  (C)  Allegrone emphasized U.S. human rights concerns when 
discussing the possible lifting of the Chinese arms embargo 
with Rafael Dezcallar, MFA Director General of Foreign 
Policy, on September 30.  Charge emphasized human rights and 
moral issues when talking with Javier Sancho, Foreign 
Minister Moratinos' Chief of Staff, on September 28.  Poloff 
discussed the human rights issue, as well as the possibility 
of European arms being used against American troops in the 
event of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait, when talking with 
Enrique Mora Benavente, the Head of EU Policy Planning at the 
MFA, on September 29. 
 
3.  (C)  All interlocutors said that they believed the 
current Code of Conduct was appropriate for controlling arms 
sales to China.  Dezcallar said that he did not anticipate 
that arms sales to China would increase with a lifting of the 
embargo.  Mora Benavente said that there would probably be 
discussions of the issue during the GAERC meetings on October 
11, but both Mora Benavente and Dezcallar said that they 
doubted any decisions would be made on this issue until 
November.  Mora Benavente added that recently he had noticed 
more nuanced positions from other EU states on their 
positions towards the Chinese arms embargo, and he conceded 
that U.S. pressure was likely responsible for these changes. 
ARGYROS