State Department cable from Brussels Mission to Washington summarizing the results of the European Council meeting. The European Parliament adopted non-binding resolution lauding the capture of Saddam Hussein and called for a return of sovereignty of Iraq to the Iraqis; the reconstruction of Afghanistan; and lifting an arms embargo to China.
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D3C753 221610Z /38
O 221453Z DEC 03
FM USEU BRUSSELS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 005676
DEPT FOR EUR/ERA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EUN, PARM, XE
SUBJECT: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT PLENARY SESSION DEC 15-18:
EUROPEAN COUNCIL RESULTS, ADOPTION OF THE 2004 BUDGET,
WARTIME LOOTED ART, ARMS SALES EMBARGO TO CHINA
REFS: A) ROME 5665; B) BRUSSELS 5675; C) BRUSSELS 5630; D)
BRUSSELS 5622
1. (U) SUMMARY: AT ITS DECEMBER 15-18 PLENARY SESSION IN
' STRASBOURG, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (EP):
-- ADOPTED A NON-BINDING RESOLUTION ON THE DECEMBER 12-13 EU
SUMMIT WHICH INCLUDED LANGUAGE ON GUANTANAMO, IRAQ, AND THE
EUROPEAN ARREST WARRANT (PARA 2);
-- ADOPTED THE FINAL EU BUDGET FOR 2004, CONFIRMING THE 200
MILLION EUROS FUNDING FOR IRAQ (PARAS 3-5);
-- ADOPTED A RESOLUTION REJECTING ANY LIFTING OF THE EU ARMS'
SALES EMBARGO TO CHINA (PARA 6);
-- ADOPTED A RESOLUTION ADVOCATING COMMON EU STRUCTURES TO
FACILITATE THE RETURN OF LOOTED CULTURAL PROPERTY FROM WWII
(PARA 7). END SUMMARY.
RESULTS OF THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL MEETING
2. (U) IN A NON-BINDING RESOLUTION ADOPTED ON DECEMBER 18,
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: ARCHIE M BOLSTER
DOS-002770
DATE/CASE ID: 04 NOV 2004 200303827
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MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT (MEPS) SET OUT THEIR
POSITION ON THE ISSUES DISCUSSED AT THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL
HELD IN BRUSSELS ON DECEMBER 12-13 REFS A, C, D). ON IRAQ,
MEPS STATED IN THEIR RESOLUTION THAT THEY CONSIDER THE
CAPTURE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN TO BE A TURNING POINT IN THE
PROCESS OF ESTABLISHING PEACE, STABILITY AND DEMOCRACY IN
IRAQ. THEY ALSO CALLED FOR FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF UN
RESOLUTION 1511 ON THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE IRAQI PEOPLE.
FINALLY, THEY INVITED EU MEMBER STATES TO CALL ON THE UN
SECURITY COUNCIL TO ENSURE THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN WOULD BE
TRIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL RULES AND THE GENEVA
CONVENTION. ON OTHER ISSUES OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THE
USG, MEPS CRITICIZED "THE FAILURE OF THE EU LEADERS TO
DISCUSS THE RIGHTS OF THE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES TO A FAIR
TRIAL" AND EU LEADERS' "LACK OF INSISTENCE" THAT MEMBER
STATES RESPECT THE DEADLINE OF DECEMBER 31 FOR THE
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN ARREST WARRANT. (NOTE: ONLY
THREE MEMBER STATES HAVE RATIFIED IT UNTIL NOW. END NOTE.)
2004 EU BUDGET CONFIRMS FUNDS.FOR IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN
3.
(U) ON DECEMBER 18 THE EP HELD A FORMAL SIGNING CEREMONY
FOR THE 2004 BUDGET. EP PRESIDENT COX LAUDED THE HIGH
QUALITY OF THIS FIRST BUDGET PREPARED FOR A UNION OF 25
MEMBER STATES. THE TOTAL BUDGET WILL BE 99.6 BILLION EUROS.
THE AMOUNT FOR COMMON FOREIGN AND SECURITY POLICY (CFSP)
WILL BE 62.6 MILLION EUROS AND THE TOTAL EXTERNAL POLICY
BUDGET (INCLUDING ALL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS) WILL
BE 4.9 BILLION EUROS, 300 MILLION EUROS MORE THAN IN THE
2003 BUDGET.
4.
(U) MEPS CONFIRMED THE EU PLEDGE AT THE MADRID DONORS'
CONFERENCE TO ALLOCATE 200 MILLION EUROS FOR IRAQ IN 20032004. THE FUNDS WERE A COMPILATION OF: (1) 40M ALREADY
ALLOCATED FOR 2003; (2) 65M ALLOCATED IN THE 2004 BUDGET;
AND (3) 95M FROM THE "FLEXIBILITY INSTRUMENT" (A RESERVE
OUTSIDE THE BUDGET). TO REACH THE 200M FIGURE, SOME 35M IN
CUTS HAD TO BE MADE UNDER OTHER EXTERNAL ACTION HEADINGS
(INCLUDING FUNDING FOR LATIN AMERICA). NEVERTHELESS, MEPS
EXPRESSED SATISFACTION THAT OTHER PRIORITIES, SUCH AS THE
FIGHT AGAINST POVERTY AND HIV/AIDS AND MEASURES TO PROMOTE
HUMAN RIGHTS, HAD BEEN SAFEGUARDED.
5. (U) FOR THE RECONSTRUCTION OF AFGHANISTAN, 15 MILLION
EUROS WERE PLACED IN RESERVE. FOR THESE FUNDS TO BE
RELEASED, THE COMMISSION WILL NEED TO PUT FORWARD A PROGRAM
TO FIGHT DRUGS AND ENCOURAGE VIABLE ALTERNATIVE CROPS. AT
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THE TOKYO DONORS' CONFERENCE IN JANUARY 2002, THE EU
PROMISED TO PROVIDE A TOTAL OF 1 BILLION EUROS FOR
AFGHANISTAN OVER FIVE YEARS.
NO TO LIFTING OF ARMS SALES EMBARGO TO CHINA
6. (U) IN RESPONSE TO THE FRANCO-GERMAN PROPOSAL TO CONSIDER
LIFTING THE EMBARGO ON ARMS SALES TO CHINA (REF B) AND
MEMBER STATES' AGREEMENT THAT THIS ISSUE WOULD BE REEXAMINED
AT. THE NEXT GENERAL AFFAIRS AND EXTERNAL -RELATIONS COUNCIL
(GAERC) ON JANUARY 26, THE EP ADOPTED BY A LARGE MAJORITY
(389 VOTES IN FAVOR, 32 AGAINST AND 29 ABSTENTIONS) A
RESOLUTION CALLING ON THE EU, INCLUDING THE ACCEDING AND
APPLICANT COUNTRIES, "TO MAINTAIN THE EU EMBARGO ON TRADE IN
ARMS WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND NOT TO WEAKEN
THE EXISTING NATIONAL LIMITATIONS ON SUCH ARMS SALES." THE
RESOLUTION ARGUES THAT CHINA MUST PROVE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS
BRUSSELS 00005676 002 OF 002
SUCH A MOVE, IN VIEW OF
CHINESE THREATS AGAINST TAIWAN.
EU RULES FOR LOOTED JEWISH CULTURAL GOODS
7. '(U) THE EP ADOPTED ON DECEMBER 17 A REPORT PREPARED BY
BELGIAN ELDR MEP WILLY DE CLERCQ ON "A LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR
FREE MOVEMENT WITHIN THE INTERNAL MARKET OF GOODS WHOSE
OWNERSHIP IS LIKELY TO BE CONTESTED," DEALING MAINLY WITH
LOOTED JEWISH CULTURAL PROPERTY FROM WWII. THE REPORT CALLS
ON THE COMMISSION TO UNDERTAKE A STUDY BY THE END OF 2004 ON
ESTABLISHING EU-WIDE DATABASES AND CATALOGUING OF ARTWORK,
IDENTIFYING COMMON PRINCIPLES FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
OWNERSHIP OR TITLE AND CREATING A CROSS-BORDER
ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY TO DEAL WITH DISPUTES ON CULTURAL
GOODS OWNERSHIP. THE REPORT ALSO CALLS ON MEMBER-STATE
MINISTERS TO RAISE THIS ISSUE AT A FORTHCOMING COUNCIL
MEETING.
(DRAFTED BY POL:MVANAVERBEKE)
FOSTER
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