ID:57678
    Date:2006-03-22 17:33:00
    Origin:06MADRID722
    Source:Embassy Madrid
    Classification:CONFIDENTIAL
    Dunno:06STATE40904
    Destination:VZCZCXRO8353
PP RUEHLA
DE RUEHMD #0722/01 0811733
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221733Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9231
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHTO/AMEMBASSY MAPUTO PRIORITY 0157
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0085
RUEHRB/AMEMBASSY RABAT PRIORITY 5942
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA PRIORITY 1819
    
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000722 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SP 
SUBJECT: VICE PRESIDENT ON SYRIA, AFRICA, BILATERAL 
RELATIONS 
 
REF: A. STATE 40904 
 
     B. STATE 41315 
 
Classified By: DCM Bob Manzanares; reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (C) Summary.  The Ambassador met with Vice President Maria 
Teresa Fernandez de la Vega on March 21 to review key 
bilateral issues and to relay USG messages on Syria, 
Venezuela, and Libya.  On Syria, the Ambassador reviewed USG 
concerns regarding FM Moratinos' travel to Damascus and urged 
Spain to adhere to the international consensus on high-level 
contacts with Syria.  Regarding Venezuela, the Ambassador 
said the USG was very concerned by reports that aircraft 
maker EADS CASA was looking for substitutes for U.S. 
components in order to complete its proposed sale of twelve 
planes to Venezuela.  On Libya, the Ambassador noted news 
reports that Spain planned to refurbish four Chinook 
helicopters and explained that Libya remained on the U.S. 
list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, creating a legal barrier 
to transfers of U.S. military components to Libya.  Vice 
President de la Vega thanked the Ambassador for the USG's 
response to a Spanish request for judicial cooperation in the 
case of Jose Couso, the Spanish news cameraman killed by U.S. 
fire during the takeover of Baghdad in 2003.  De la Vega, who 
recently returned from a visit to Subsaharan Africa, stressed 
the growing importance of Africa for Spanish security and 
urged strong USG engagement in the region.  This meeting 
underscored the importance of maintaining a good channel to 
Vice President de la Vega, who clearly acts as the "CEO" of 
the Zapatero government.  End Summary. 
 
2. (C) The two-hour meeting at the Ambassador's residence was 
warm and relaxed throughout.  Vice President de la Vega said 
she believed bilateral relations were on a positive track and 
underlined President Zapatero's strong interest in "normal" 
relations with the U.S.  (NOTE: She did not raise the issue 
of high-level visits in either direction.  END NOTE).  She 
expressed the Spanish government's appreciation for the USG 
response to the Spanish request for judicial cooperation in 
the Jose Couso case.  De la Vega said Attorney General Conde 
Pumpido had briefed her on the excellent cooperation he had 
enjoyed from the Embassy and U.S. authorities in helping 
bring this case to a conclusion.  She suggested establishing 
regular meetings with the Ambassador every 45 days to ensure 
full communication on important issues. 
 
//SYRIA// 
 
3. (C) Vice President de la Vega asked for Ambassador's views 
on the state of bilateral relations.  The Ambassador said 
that relations were good, but that there were some areas of 
concern on the U.S. side.  In particular, there was 
significant concern regarding FM Moratinos' recent visit to 
Damascus and plans to make an official visit in April, which 
appeared to break an international consensus restricting 
high-level exchanges with the Syrian government.  The 
Ambassador reviewed REF A and B points and explained that the 
USG was providing its views on the planned visit to Syria at 
FM Moratinos' request.  Vice President de la Vega said that 
there had been no change in Spanish policy towards Syria, but 
also said Moratinos had "good ideas" on how to alleviate 
tensions in the region.  The Ambassador replied that, while 
the USG appreciated FM Moratinos' expertise and good 
intensions, his visit to Damascus sent the wrong message and 
undermined efforts to win Syrian cooperation with UNSC 
resolutions.  He noted that the Embassy was seeking a meeting 
with Moratinos (who is on travel) in order to relay these 
views directly to him. 
 
//ARMS SALES// 
 
4. (C) Turning to Venezuela, the Ambassador said the USG was 
concerned by reports that Spanish aircraft maker EADS CASA 
planned to find substitutes for U.S. components in its 
aircraft in order to complete a sale of twelve planes to 
Venezuela.  The Ambassador noted that he and other U.S. 
officials would attend the March 22-23 rollout of an EADS 
CASA model being produced for the U.S. Coast Guard; it would 
be unfortunate to have this positive deal overshadowed by an 
EADS CASA deal with Venezuela on which the USG had already 
made its views known.  Vice President de la Vega did not 
respond to the Ambassador's comments on this issue. 
 
5. (C) The Ambassador said press reports of plans for a large 
Spanish weapons sale to Libya had also caught the USG's 
attention, particularly reports that the plans included 
 
MADRID 00000722  002 OF 002 
 
 
refurbishment of four Chinook helicopters by the Spanish 
division of Eurocopter.  The Ambassador explained that the 
USG and Libya were working towards an improved relationship, 
but that Libya remained on the list of State Sponsors of 
Terrorism, which created legal barriers to the transfer of 
U.S. military technology to Libya.  Vice President de la Vega 
said she was not aware of a possible sale to Libya and urged 
the Ambassador to relay any concerns to Minister of Defense 
Bono. 
 
//AFRICA// 
 
6. (C) De la Vega reviewed her recent trip to Mozambique and 
Kenya, as well as her visit to a migrant holding facility in 
the Canary Islands.  She said it was becoming ever more 
apparent that Africa would represent a significant security 
challenge for Spain for some time to come and that much 
needed to be done to improve social conditions in order to 
ease migration pressures.  De la Vega urged strong USG 
engagement in the region.  The Ambassador reviewed for the 
Vice President U.S. support for Africa through the Millenium 
Challenge Account and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, 
as well as USG funding to counter AIDS, malaria, and other 
health threats.  De la Vega said there was room for increased 
U.S.-EU cooperation in this area. 
 
//COMMENT// 
 
7. (C) We remain impressed by Vice President de la Vega's 
ability to manage the broad range of domestic and 
international interests of the Zapatero government.  She acts 
as the "CEO" of the administration, personally handling the 
most sensitive projects and carrying out the difficult job of 
maintaining internal discipline.  De la Vega is a 
tough-minded, but reliable interlocutor and we are well 
served by strengthening our level of communication with her. 
AGUIRRE