US embassy cable - 05MADRID71

UNCLAS MADRID 000071 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE PASS TO JAMES ENNIS EB/CIP/MA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, ECPS, ITU, European Union 
SUBJECT: SPAIN RESPONSE TO SINGLE MEMBER VETO AND ITU 
CONSTITUTION 
 
REF: STATE 264222 
 
ECONOFF delivered reftel talking points December 21 to both 
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, 
Tourism and Commerce, urging Spain to join us in resisting a 
change to the ITU veto procedures.  On January 11, ECONOFF 
met with Marta Cimas-Hernando, Subdirector General of 
International Telecommunications Organizations, and Antonio 
Fernandez-Paniagua Diaza-Flores, Subdirector General of 
Technical Infrastructure and Norms, to discuss the issue. 
Cimas-Hernando and Fernandez-Paniagua stated that Spain did 
not feel strongly about this issue, which they characterized 
as technical, not political.  Noting that the GOS did not 
necessarily oppose the US position, they stated that Spain 
did not have much latitude in this area as they would likely 
believe it necessary to join the EU consensus.  They 
indicated that the common EU position would likely be 
determined at a future meeting of CEPT (European Conference 
on Postal and Telecommunication Administration), at which the 
US usually had a representative. 
MANZANARES