US embassy cable - 05VIENNA473

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000473 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, IR, UP, MD, SU, CG, SR, BK, AU, EUN 
SUBJECT: APPROACHING EU IN ADVANCE OF FOREIGN MINISTERS 
MEETING: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 25111 
 
Classified By: ECONOMIC/POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS 
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (SBU) Economic-Political Counselor and Pol Unit Chief 
conveyed reftel demarche to MFA Director/Coordinator for EU 
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) Werner Almhofer on 
February 11 and followed up with him on February 16. 
Almhofer's likely successor, Andreas Riecken, also attended. 
 
2.  (C) Middle East: Almhofer said that the GoA assessed the 
prospects for progress on  Middle East peace as quite 
positive: "The signals are all promising."  He noted that EU 
diplomacy had been extraordinarily active with recent visits 
to the region by HighRep Solana, External Relations 
Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner and the current Council 
President, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Asselborn.  The EU was 
looking forward to President Bush's visit on February 22 as 
an opportunity to cement a common approach. 
 
3.  (C) Iraq: Almhofer expected the GAERC to conclude a 
package on police training as a deliverable for the February 
22 meeting of EU leaders with the President.  The January 31 
GAERC had already approved development assistance measures. 
An EU office in Baghdad faced resistance from some member 
states as well as a bureaucratic obstacle, he said: a 
civilian crisis operation would have to take place under the 
aegis of the Council Secretariat, since the Commission did 
not have responsibility for EU Second Pillar (CFSP) 
initiatives.  Providing security was another concern. 
 
4.  (C) Western Balkans: Almhofer said that the EU had sent a 
very strong message to Croatia on cooperation with the Hague 
Tribunal, particularly the extradition of Gotovina.  It was 
difficult to develop a unified approach to the region, he 
said, because of the various layers of EU cooperation 
structures.  While some countries (Croatia) already had 
provisional dates for accession negotiations, others (Serbia 
and Montenegro) were waiting for Feasibility Studies on 
Association Agreements.  Status issues for Kosovo and 
Montenegro would have an important impact on regional 
stability and integration, but the EU could not act alone as 
these were essentially UN topics.  Almhofer expressed 
skepticism about press reports on Austrian interest in 
organizing a Balkans Conference during its 2006 EU 
Presidency, saying it was not clear that such a conference 
could be productive.  However, if real opportunities to 
promote regional peace and stability emerged, Austria would 
feel obliged to facilitate them. 
 
5.  (C) European Neighborhood: Almhofer pointed out that on 
the economic side, the EU's usual Partnership and Cooperation 
Agreement (PCA) had produced few benefits for Moldova.  The 
small size of the Moldovan market should permit the EU to go 
well beyond its standard instrumentarium to promote economic 
growth and opportunity without having to fear adverse 
consequences for its own trade position.  Member States were 
eager to proceed with enhancements.  Progress was slow 
because the Commission was jealously guarding its 
prerogatives in this area. 
 
6.  (C) Sudan: Almhofer said the EU was strongly committed to 
using the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the platform 
for trying war crimes and crimes against humanity committed 
in Darfur.  When we pressed on the question of jurisdiction, 
Riecken conceded that the EU would need U.S. support or 
acquiescence to pass a UN Security Council Resolution to 
provide a legal mandate for the ICC in Sudan. 
 
7.  (C) Great Lakes: Almhofer told us the EU was "very close" 
to setting up a Kinshasa-based police training mission.  A 
technical meeting in Brussels would soon nail down final 
arrangements.  The topic would come up under "any other 
business" at the GAERC.  Belgium was seeking EU sponsorship 
for a conference along the lines of the CSCE, probably in 
autumn 2005 in Nairobi, to forestall future outbreaks of 
cross-border violence in eastern Africa. 
Brown