State Department cable concerning the June 12 arrival of the Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh to call on the Secretary of State, Colin Powell. The issues to be covered are: The Middle East peace process; transatlantic relations; non-proliferation & disarmament matters; and fence mending discussions to cure some difficult issues that have arisen between Sweden and the U.S. over the War on Terror and the Guantanamo detainees. The cable is heavily redacted.
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72E5B1 101634Z /38
O 101625Z JUN 03
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3747
INFO NATO EU COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 STOCKHOLM 001273
FOR THE SECRETARY FROM AMBASSADOR HEIMBOLD
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2013
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SW, US
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR SWEDISH FM LINDH'S CALL ON THE
SECRETARY
REF: STOCKHOLM 1141
CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR CHARLES A. HEIMBOLD, REASONS 1.5 (B), (D).
SUMMARY
1. (C) SWEDISH FOREIGN MINISTER ANNA LINDH WILL USE HER JUNE
12 CALL ON YOU TO PRESS SWEDEN'S CASE ON A NUMBER OF ISSUES, INCLUDING «IRAQ» IBB1 THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS, TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS INCLUDING BILATERAL RELATIONS, AND NON-PROLIFERATION/DISARMAMENT ISSUES.
ION GUANTANAMO
AND SANCTIONS' [ THIS WILL BE THE FIRST
SENIOR-LEVEL BILATERAL'FOREIGN POLICY MEETING SINCE THE UNSC
STANDOFF ON THE «IRAQ» CONFLICT/
LINDH WILL
TRY TO DO SOME FENCE-MENDING, HIGHLIGHTING THE POSITIVE
ASPECTS OF THE RELATIONSHIP.
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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: SHARON E AHMAD
UNCLASSIFIEDBDOS-002523
DATE/CASE ID: 26 OCT 2004 200303827
WHAT WE SEEK IN THE NEAR TERM IS A MORE UNIFORMLY
SUPPORTIVE SWEDISH PUBLIC STANCE ON U.S. POLICIES,
PARTICULARLY THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR ON TERRORISM.
RECOMMENDATIONS AND COMMENTS ARE AT PARAS 5, 12, AND 13
BELOW. END SUMMARY.
A QUICK TRIP BEFORE SUMMER RECESS -- AND EMU
2. (C) FOREIGN MINISTER ANNA LINDH WILL MAKE A ONE-DAY STOP
IN WASHINGTON BEFORE GOING TO NEW YORK BRIEFLY TO DELIVER A
SPEECH SPONSORED BY THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE ACADEMY AND MEET
WITH UNSYG ANNAN. COMING JUST BEFORE THE JUNE 16-17 EU
FOREIGN MINISTERS' MEETING, LINDH MAY SEEK TO USE YOUR
MEETING TO PREVIEW WHAT THE EU MIGHT EXPECT'ON SOME ISSUES
LIKE THE MIDDLE EAST AT THE JUNE 26 U.S.-EU SUMMIT.
TRANSATLANTIC/BILATERAL AGENDA: A NEW COLD WAR?
3. (C)
B IN A JUNE 6 ADDRESS TO AN INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR IN STOCKHOLM ON SECURITY ISSUES (TEXT EMAILED TO EUR/NB), LINDH NOTED THAT AFTER A DECADE WITH REDUCED TENSIONS AND INCREASED SECURITY, THERE HAS BEEN A SETBACK IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. SHE SAID THIS COULD BE EITHER TEMPORARY OR THE APPROACH OF A "NEW COLD WAR." AMONG THREATS SHE SAW TO SECURITY TODAY WERE:• INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM; A
NEW ARMS RACE; AN INCREASE IN INTERNAL AND REGIONAL ARMED
CONFLICTS; WEAK AND FAILED STATES; AND POVERTY. LINDH SAID
THESE THREATS DID NOT STOP AT NATIONAL BORDERS AND COULD NOT
BE DEALT WITH BY UNILATERAL ACTION. THEY MUST BE MET WITH A
VARIETY OF MEANS, NOT ONLY MILITARY. LINDR EMPHASIZED THAT
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HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE RULE OF LAW MUST BE RESPECTED IN THE
FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM (SINGLING OUT CHECHNYA) AND THE NEED
TO RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN THE UN AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.
LINDH VERSUS THE "LONE RANGER"
4. (U) IN HER JUNE 6 SPEECH, LINDH ALSO SAID IT WAS
"UNACCEPTABLE THAT THE USA ATTACKED «IRAQ» WITHOUT A UN
MANDATE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO SAY THIS, TO PREVENT OTHER
COUNTRIES FROM DRAWING THE CONCLUSION THAT THEY COULD USE
PRE-EMPTIVE STRIKES ..." IN A JUNE 7 ARTICLE ABOUT HER
SPEECH IN THE LARGEST-CIRCULATION INDEPENDENT/LIBERAL
STOCKHOLM DAILY "DAGENS NYHETER," LINDH WAS FURTHER QUOTED AS
COMMENTING THAT "THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR 'THE LONE RANGER,'
IN A CLEAR REFERENCE TO U.S. PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, WHO IS
OFTEN SEEN AS ACTING ALONE." DN'S EDITORIAL THE SAME DAY WAS
STOCKHOLM 00001273 002 OF 005
N MINISTER DURING HER
VISIT WITH COLIN POWELL DOES NOT RECEIVE A DATE FOR THE
RELEASE OF THE SWEDISH CITIZEN IN CUBA, SHE SHOULD EMPHASIZE
THAT THIS WILL MAR OUR RELATIONS WITH THE «UNITED» «STATES»...
THIS ALSO IS ABOUT SWEDEN'S SELF-RESPECT. HOW SMALL AND WEAK
MUST WE BE IF WE CAN'T STEP FORWARD AND PUBLICLY MAKE IT
CLEAR? WE MUST STAND UP FOR OUR RIGHTS BECAUSE IF WE DON'T
THEY WILL BE TRAMPLED IN THE FUTURE...."
OTHER ISSUES ON LINDH'S LIKELY AGENDA
6. (C) «IRAQ»:
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DOS-002525
UNCLASSIFIED
7. (C) PARTICIPATION IN PEACEKEEPING
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UNCLASSIFIEDBDOS-002526
.
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8. (C) MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS:
-- SWEDEN CLOSELY MONITORS THE PEACE PROCESS, AND LINDH WILL
BE EAGER FOR ANY BACKGROUND YOU CAN PROVIDE ON DEVELOPMENTS
THERE.
9. (C) GUANTANAMO
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UNCLASSIFIED DOS-002527
11. (C) NON-PROLIFERATION/DISARMAMENT: LINDH WILL TRY TO
HIGHLIGHT THE MANY ISSUES IN THIS AREA IN WHICH THE U.S. AND SWEDEN ARE LIKE-MINDED,/
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UNCLASSIFIED DOS-002528
UNCLASSIFIED
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OWNER OF NUCLEAR FUEL IN THE EU.
12. (C) WE BELIEVE THIS MEETING PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR
YOU TO CONVEY A NUMBER OF POINTS, PARTICULARLY IN ANY
ONE-ON-ONE SESSION. THESE INCLUDE:
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DOS-002530
UNCLASSIFIED
WHAT WE WANT
NNNN
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UNCLASSIFIEDBDOS-002531