US embassy cable - 05VIENNA572

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 000572 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/IPA, EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, SY, LE, IS, AU, EUN 
SUBJECT: SYRIAN PRESIDENT ASSAD TO VISIT VIENNA MARCH 15 
 
REF: STATE 27178 
 
Classified By: Ambassador W.L. Lyons Brown.  REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) EconPol Counselor and Pol Unit Chief met Austrian MFA 
A/S-equivalent for the Middle East and Africa Ralph Scheide 
on February 28.  In the course of a general discussion on 
Middle East issues, we made reftel points and raised concerns 
about President Bashir al-Assad's planned visit to Austria. 
Scheide confirmed that the GoA is expecting Assad on March 
15.  He conceded that the timing of the visit -- which was on 
the agenda for several years -- was turning out not to be the 
best. 
 
2.  (C) Based on reftel, we urged Austria to use the Assad 
visit as an opportunity to reinforce the international 
community's message to Syria.  It was important that the 
U.S., the EU and other like-minded countries speak with one 
voice.  Assad's visit should not come off as "business as 
usual," but must make clear to Assad that we all expect Syria 
to comply -- immediately -- with UNSCR 1559 and to cease its 
interference in Lebanon. 
 
3.  (C) Scheide confided that the new Israeli Ambassador, 
Danean Ashbel, had also spoken to him to express concern 
about Assad's visit.  Scheide said he would convey our 
concerns to the Foreign Minister. 
 
4.  (C) At the same time as the meeting, Ambassador Brown 
received a telephone call from new French Ambassador Pierre 
Viaux asking whether the U.S. was planning to protest the 
Assad visit to the Austrian government.  Viaux said he had no 
instructions to engage with the Austrians on Assad, but he 
had concerns about the visit.  Ambassador Brown said we would 
raise the visit, but said our points focussed on Syrain 
compliance with UNSCR 1559 and Syrian interference in 
Lebanon.  Viaux said Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel 
will visit Paris the day after Assad's visit to Vienna (i.e, 
March 16). 
 
5.  (C) The Assad visit has been on the agenda for years, 
Scheide told us.  It has been postponed twice -- the last 
time at Syrian request at the time of Operation Iraqi 
Freedom.  The Austrians have what is for them a significant 
military presence in Syria, with some 300 troops 
participating in the peacekeeping mission in the Golan 
Heights. 
 
6.  (C) ACTION REQUEST: We would appreciate any additional 
points to convey to the Austrians regarding the March 15 
visit. 
Brown