US embassy cable - 05VIENNA1326

C O N F I D E N T I A L VIENNA 001326 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KPAL, IZ, LE, ZI, CG, SU, AU, EUN 
SUBJECT: APRIL 25 GAERC DEMARCHE: AUSTRIAN RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 72185 
 
Classified By: ECONOMIC-POLITICAL COUNSELOR GREGORY E. PHILLIPS 
REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1.  (C) Economic-Political Counselor and Pol Unit Chief 
delivered reftel demarche on April 20 to Austrian MFA EU 
Common Foreign and Security Policy Coordinator Andreas 
Riecken.  Riecken told us that MFA was in the process or 
working out its positions on the draft Council conclusions. 
He noted that the PSC had already reached consensus on some 
of the topics contained in our points on April 19. 
 
2.  (C) LEBANON:  Riecken said that it was Austria's 
assessment that Prime Minister-designate Mikati, in the midst 
of laboring to form a government, was also striving to ensure 
that elections take place by the end of May.  Riecken hoped 
that a new Lebanese government could "take the necessary 
steps in the next two weeks." 
 
3.  (C) GAZA DISENGAGEMENT:  Riecken observed that the 
"Gymnich" Foreign Ministers meeting had revealed some 
differences in nuance among EU members on disengagement, but 
that essentially the EU had the same assessment of the 
situation as the U.S.  Reform of the Palestinian Authority 
was also essential in order to regain momentum in the Peace 
Process. 
 
4.  (C) TSUNAMI:  Riecken told us the Ministers also planned 
to discuss a Commission paper on the status of relief efforts. 
 
5.  (C) SERBIA/MONTENEGRO:  Riecken noted that Serbian 
cooperation with ICTY was improving, and helped provide the 
basis for the positive decision on feasibility for an 
Association and Stabilization Agreement.  He said that the 
GAERC would take up discussion of a Commission paper on "The 
European Future of Kosovo" if the Commission approved it at a 
meeting on April 20. 
 
6.  (C) CROATIA:  Riecken told us that the agenda did not 
foresee a discussion of Croatia, and he thought it unlikely 
that Austria would raise it under "other business."  On the 
other hand, he confirmed that MFA had been conducting 
discussions with UK diplomats about the mode of operation of 
the five-member Task Force on Croatian compliance with ICTY. 
The Task Force would discuss on the margins of the GAERC how 
to proceed.  Talks with Croatia following the April 26 
Association Council meeting would focus on what the Croatians 
had done and planned to do to reach full compliance with 
ICTY.  In Austria's view, the EU would need to "make more 
concrete" what Croatia is supposed to do to ensure 
compliance, especially if it turned out Gotovina were not 
physically present in Croatia.  Riecken said that Croatia 
should demonstrate that it had taken down the informal 
networks that support Gotovina. 
 
7.  (C) RUSSIA:  The GAERC would also prepare for the May 10 
EU-Russia summit in Moscow which should conclude the "four 
spaces" proposal as a package.  As usual, Riecken commented, 
"nothing is agreed until everything is agreed." 
Brown