US embassy cable - 05VIENNA3245

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 003245 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/ERA AND EUR/AGS - VIKMANIS-KELLER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2015 
 
TAGS: KDEM, KPAL, PREL, TU, AU, EUN 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO AUSTRIA IN ADVANCE OF OCTOBER 3 EU 
 
 
FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING 
 
REF: A. (A) STATE 177048 
 
     B. (B) VIENNA 3157 
 
     C. (C) VIENNA 2944 
 
Classified By: Economic-Political Counselor Gregory E. Phillips.  Reaso 
 
ns:  1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (SBU) EconPolCouns delivered ref (a) demarche on 
 
September 28 to Andreas Riecken, the Austrian Foreign 
 
Ministry's European Union "correspondent." 
 
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Turkey 
 
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2.  (C) Riecken noted continuing discussions between the 
 
British Presidency and his colleagues in Brussels on the text 
 
of the negotiating framework for Turkish accession 
 
negotiations.  Riecken said Austrian Political Director 
 
Thomas Mayr-Harting had told EUR PDAS Volker in a telephone 
 
conversation September 28 that Austria was not arguing for 
 
inclusion of the words "privileged partnership" in the 
 
negotiating framework.  Riecken said the Austrian position 
 
remained that which Austrian FM Ursula Plassnik had described 
 
in her August 29 letter to UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw 
 
(ref c).  In that letter, Plassnik had called for language on 
 
"specific alternatives to full membership" to appear in the 
 
negotiating framework.  Riecken said the Austrian negotiators 
 
thought they were making progress in convincing the British 
 
to make changes to the text (he had no specific language), 
 
and considered the process constructive.  "There is still 
 
drafting going on," he said, "and not just on Austrian 
 
issues."  He said the Cypriots, for instance, were asking for 
 
bracketed text on Cypriot participation in NATO and PfP -- 
 
"but that's not our issue," Riecken said. 
 
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Turkey-Croatia 
 
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3.  (C) Riecken reiterated that Austria has no desire for a 
 
"deal" to trade the start of talks with Turkey for the start 
 
of talks with Croatia.  That said, Austria very much wanted 
 
"something to be done" on Croatia.  "It would be hard to tell 
 
the public that it is possible to start with Turkey, but not 
 
with Croatia," he said. 
 
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Croatia 
 
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4.  (C) Much would depend on what Carla del Ponte said after 
 
her visit to Zagreb on Friday, September 30 about Croatia's 
 
cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
 
former Yugoslavia, Riecken said.  If she said Croatia was 
 
cooperating, there would be room for the EU to craft a way to 
 
start accession talks with Croatia.  For EU members, Riecken 
 
said, the definition of cooperation with ICTY was not the 
 
presence of Ante Gotovina in the Hague for trial.  "No one" 
 
in the EU, including the British, takes this position, 
 
Riecken asserted.  Instead, the aim was for Croatia to prove 
 
that it has "destroyed the networks" that protected Gotovina 
 
in the past.  However, even if del Ponte declared that 
 
Croatia was cooperating with ICTY, Austria believed it was 
 
necessary to create a mechanism that would keep the pressure 
 
on Croatia to continue its cooperation.  Austria had proposed 
 
establishment of a monitoring structure to perform this 
 
function, Riecken said. 
 
5.  (C) If del Ponte announced that Croatia was not 
 
cooperating with ICTY, it would be hard for the Council to 
 
declare that she is wrong, Riecken admitted.  There would be 
 
at least a few EU member states which would block accession 
 
talks under these circumstances. 
 
6.  (C) Riecken said Austria believed it was important not to 
 
destroy the hopes of Croatia's entire population for the sake 
 
of one criminal, Gotovina.  If Croatia was now cooperating 
 
with ICTY, Austria hoped accession talks could begin 
 
immediately. 
 
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Western Balkans/Kosovo 
 
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7.  (C) Austria agrees with our position favoring the start 
 
of the future status process.  The Austrians think it is not 
 
necessary to await the end of Kai Eide's Comprehensive Review 
 
to begin the process. 
 
8.  (C) Austria plans to invite the Foriegn Ministers of the 
 
five Western Balkan countries to a meeting on the margins of 
 
the March Gymnich meeting in Salzburg.  After consideration 
 
of whether the meeting would be at Heads of Government or 
 
Foreign Ministers' level, Austria has decided on a 
 
"Thessaloniki format" at ministerial level.  Kosovo will, of 
 
course, be one of the topics. 
 
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Uzbekistan 
 
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9.  (C) Riecken said Austria, and the EU as a whole, shares 
 
our concerns.  The October 3 GAERC meeting would discuss the 
 
specifics of sanctions, including the question of whom to 
 
target. 
 
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Russia and Russia's Neighbors 
 
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10.  (C) Riecken said there would be a discussion of the way 
 
forward on the EU-Russia relationship.  The EU-Russia Summit 
 
in London October 4 would, of course, be a primary topic of 
 
discussion.  Riecken said Austria basically agrees with our 
 
points on Georgia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, but he said 
 
he did not foresee a discussion of these topics at the 
 
October 3 GAERC meeting. 
 
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Iraq/Middle East 
 
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11.  (C) Riecken said he expected a discussion of the Middle 
 
East Peace Process on October 3, but not of Iraq.  The EU 
 
agrees on the importance of supporting Quartet Special Envoy 
 
James Wolfensohn, Riecken said. 
 
12.  (C) On the UN Holocaust Remembrance Resolution, Riecken 
 
said Austria supported the initiative.  Riecken said 
 
Austria's UN mission had urged the Palestinians not to oppose 
 
the resolution, pointing out that it took nothing away from 
 
Palestinian or broader Arab interests.  Riecken said the 
 
Austrian mission expressed frustration that the Palestinians 
 
appeared not to accept their argument. 
 
Brown