Cable Viewer

Currently released so far... 3889 / 251,287

### Articles

Brazil Sri Lanka United Kingdom Sweden Editorial United States Latin America Egypt Yemen Jordan

### Browse latest releases

2010/11 2010/12 2011/01 2011/02
2010/11/28 2010/11/29 2010/11/30
2010/12/01 2010/12/02 2010/12/03 2010/12/04 2010/12/05 2010/12/06 2010/12/07 2010/12/08 2010/12/09 2010/12/10 2010/12/11 2010/12/12 2010/12/13 2010/12/14 2010/12/15 2010/12/16 2010/12/17 2010/12/18 2010/12/19 2010/12/20 2010/12/21 2010/12/22 2010/12/23 2010/12/24 2010/12/25 2010/12/26 2010/12/27 2010/12/28 2010/12/29 2010/12/30
2011/01/01 2011/01/02 2011/01/04 2011/01/05 2011/01/07 2011/01/09 2011/01/10 2011/01/11 2011/01/12 2011/01/13 2011/01/14 2011/01/15 2011/01/16 2011/01/17 2011/01/18 2011/01/19 2011/01/20 2011/01/21 2011/01/22 2011/01/23 2011/01/24 2011/01/25 2011/01/26 2011/01/27 2011/01/28 2011/01/29 2011/01/30 2011/01/31
2011/02/01 2011/02/02 2011/02/03 2011/02/04 2011/02/05 2011/02/06 2011/02/07

### Browse by creation date

66 72 73 75 79 86 88 89 90 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
1966/12
1972/02 1972/08
1973/04
1975/03
1979/08
1986/05
1988/01
1989/12
1990/01 1990/07 1990/08
2000/06 2000/09 2000/11
2001/02 2001/03 2001/07 2001/10
2002/02 2002/03 2002/11
2003/03 2003/04 2003/05 2003/06 2003/07 2003/08 2003/09 2003/10 2003/11 2003/12
2004/01 2004/02 2004/03 2004/04 2004/05 2004/06 2004/07 2004/08 2004/09 2004/10 2004/11 2004/12
2005/01 2005/02 2005/03 2005/04 2005/05 2005/06 2005/07 2005/08 2005/09 2005/10 2005/11 2005/12
2006/01 2006/02 2006/03 2006/04 2006/05 2006/06 2006/07 2006/08 2006/09 2006/10 2006/11 2006/12
2007/01 2007/02 2007/03 2007/04 2007/05 2007/06 2007/07 2007/08 2007/09 2007/10 2007/11 2007/12
2008/01 2008/02 2008/03 2008/04 2008/05 2008/06 2008/07 2008/08 2008/09 2008/10 2008/11 2008/12
2009/01 2009/02 2009/03 2009/04 2009/05 2009/06 2009/07 2009/08 2009/09 2009/10 2009/11 2009/12
2010/01 2010/02

### Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Embassy Athens Embassy Asuncion Embassy Astana Embassy Asmara Embassy Ashgabat Embassy Ankara Embassy Amman Embassy Algiers Embassy Addis Ababa Embassy Accra Embassy Abuja Embassy Abu Dhabi Embassy Abidjan Consulate Amsterdam American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura Embassy Buenos Aires Embassy Budapest Embassy Bucharest Embassy Brussels Embassy Bridgetown Embassy Bratislava Embassy Brasilia Embassy Bogota Embassy Bishkek Embassy Bern Embassy Berlin Embassy Belgrade Embassy Beirut Embassy Beijing Embassy Banjul Embassy Bangkok Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan Embassy Bamako Embassy Baku Embassy Baghdad Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen Embassy Conakry Embassy Colombo Embassy Chisinau Embassy Caracas Embassy Canberra Embassy Cairo Consulate Curacao Consulate Casablanca Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe Embassy Dublin Embassy Doha Embassy Djibouti Embassy Dhaka Embassy Dar Es Salaam Embassy Damascus Embassy Dakar Consulate Dubai
Embassy Freetown
Embassy Guatemala Embassy Gaborone
Embassy Harare Embassy Hanoi Consulate Hamburg
Iran RPO Dubai Embassy Islamabad Consulate Istanbul
Embassy Jakarta Consulate Jerusalem Consulate Jeddah
Embassy Kyiv Embassy Kuwait Embassy Kuala Lumpur Embassy Kinshasa Embassy Kigali Embassy Khartoum Embassy Kampala Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg Embassy Luanda Embassy London Embassy Lisbon Embassy Lima Embassy Lilongwe Embassy La Paz Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO Embassy Muscat Embassy Moscow Embassy Montevideo Embassy Monrovia Embassy Minsk Embassy Mexico Embassy Maputo Embassy Manama Embassy Managua Embassy Madrid Consulate Munich Consulate Montreal Consulate Monterrey
Embassy New Delhi Embassy Nassau Embassy Nairobi Consulate Naples
Embassy Ouagadougou Embassy Ottawa Embassy Oslo
Embassy Pristina Embassy Pretoria Embassy Prague Embassy Port Au Prince Embassy Phnom Penh Embassy Paris Embassy Paramaribo Embassy Panama Consulate Peshawar
Embassy Quito
REO Basrah Embassy Rome Embassy Riyadh Embassy Riga Embassy Reykjavik Embassy Rangoon Embassy Rabat Consulate Rio De Janeiro Consulate Recife
Secretary of State Embassy Stockholm Embassy Sofia Embassy Skopje Embassy Singapore Embassy Seoul Embassy Sarajevo Embassy Santo Domingo Embassy Santiago Embassy Sanaa Embassy San Salvador Embassy San Jose Consulate Strasbourg Consulate Shenyang Consulate Shanghai Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis Embassy Tripoli Embassy Tokyo Embassy The Hague Embassy Tel Aviv Embassy Tehran Embassy Tegucigalpa Embassy Tbilisi Embassy Tashkent Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York USEU Brussels US Mission Geneva US Interests Section Havana US Delegation, Secretary UNVIE Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius Embassy Vienna Embassy Vatican Consulate Vladivostok
Embassy Windhoek Embassy Wellington Embassy Warsaw
Embassy Yerevan Embassy Yaounde
Embassy Zagreb

### Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
AF AR ASEC AORC AG AEMR AJ AMGT ACOA AEC AO AE AU AFIN AX AMED ADCO AODE APER AFFAIRS AC AS AM AL ASIG ABLD ABUD AA AFU ASUP AROC ATFN AGMT ATRN
BL BR BM BE BO BH BTIO BEXP BU BIDEN BK BY BA BG BF BB BC BBSR BRUSSELS BILAT BX
CAN CVIS CH CASC CJAN CLINTON CO COUNTER CI CU CIS CA CBW CF CM CMGT CN CE CONDOLEEZZA COE CR CY CG CS CD CTM COUNTRY CLEARANCE CPAS CWC CT CKGR CB CACS COM CDG CJUS CARSON COUNTERTERRORISM CIA CACM CDB CV
DR DA DHS DOE DEA DK DJ DISENGAGEMENT DS DOD DEAX
ECON EFIN ETTC EUN ENVR EAIR ENRG ES EIND EINV EAGR ETRD ELAB EAID EPET EU ECPS EG ECA EWWT ER EINT EMIN ELTN EFIS EI EN EC EXTERNAL ECIN EINVETC ENIV EZ EINN ENGR EUR ET ESA ELECTIONS ECUN EINVEFIN ECIP EINDETRD EUC EREL
FR FAO FTAA FREEDOM FI FARC FBI FJ FMLN FINR
GG GH GM GV GT GE GR GTIP GOI GCC GAZA GZ GA GTMO
HILLARY HUMAN HO HA HYMPSK HR HU HURI HK
IR IZ ID IN IT IC IIP IS IAEA ITPHUM IV IPR IWC IQ IO ICTY ISRAELI IRAQI ICRC ICAO IMO IF ILC IEFIN INRB INTELSAT IL IA IBRD IMF ITALY ITALIAN INTERPOL IRAJ INRA INRO
JA JOSEPH JO JP JOHNNIE JUS JAMES
KCOR KCRM KDEM KPAO KISL KVPR KPAL KACT KTFN KNNP KJUS KS KN KHLS KGHG KSCA KV KZ KDEV KIPR KIRF KWMN KDRG KGIC KRAD KE KSPR KG KTIA KHIV KWBG KPRP KU KAWC KOLY KCIP KCFE KOCI KMDR KPKO KTDB KMRS KFRD KTIP KLIG KBCT KICC KMCA KGIT KSTC KUNR KPAK KNEI KSEP KPOA KFLU KNUP KNNPMNUC KOMC KAWK KO KTER KSUM KHUM KRFD KBIO KBTR KDDG KWWMN KFLO KSAF KBTS KPRV KMPI KHDP KNPP KNAR KWMM KERG KFIN KTBT KCRS KRVC KR KPWR KWAC KMIG KSEC KIFR KDEMAF KGCC KPIN KNUC KPLS KIRC KCOM
LG LY LE LH LI LU LO LOG LT
MARR MOPS MASS MCAP MO MNUC ML MTCRE MK MTRE MX MU MP MA MY MIL MDC MTCR MAR MEPI MRCRE MI MT MR MQADHAFI MD MAPS MUCN MPOS MZ MEPP MOPPS MAPP MG MASC MCC
NI NL NATO NPT NE NS NAR NO NIPP NZ NU NPG NK NSG NA NT NASA NG NGO NATIONAL
OIIP OVIP ODIP OTRA OSCE OPRC OAS OFDP OREP OPIC OPDC OEXC OECD OPCW OSCI OTR OVP OFFICIALS OSAC
PGOV PREL PTER PK PINR PHUM PARM PINS PL PBTS PARMS PREF PHSA PROP PE PO PA PM PMIL PTERE POL PF PALESTINIAN PY PGGV PNR POV PAK PAO PFOR PHALANAGE PARTY PNAT PROV PEL POLITICS PEPR PSI PINT PSOE PU POLITICAL PARTIES PBIO PECON POGOV PINL PKFK PGOF
QA
RU RS RP RIGHTS RW RICE RO ROBERT RF RFE REGION
SNAR SP SL SOCI SENV SCUL SF SN SW SA SY SMIG SHUM SR SO SZ SU SYR ST SANC SC SAN SIPRS SK SH SI STEINBERG SG
TI TU TH TT TW TIP TERRORISM TSPA TO TBIO TX TFIN TD TRGY TSPL TZ TPHY TS TK TNGD TC TR
UK UN UNSC UP UNGA UZ UY UE UNESCO UAE UNO UNEP UG US USTR UNHCR UNMIK UNDP UNHRC USAID UNCHS UNAUS USUN USEU UV
VT VE VM VZ VTPREL VN
WI WMO WTRO WTRQ WHO WWARD WB WBG WTO WA
XC XY XH XM XA XL XF XZ XW XR XG XT XD XS XK
YM YI YE
ZI ZP ZK ZF ZB ZANU ZOELLICK ZR ZU ZA

### Browse by classification

CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN SECRET SECRET//NOFORN UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

### Community resources

Follow us on Twitter Check our Reddit Twitter this Digg this page Contact us on IRC

courage is contagious

### Viewing cable 09BRUSSELS1580, SCENESETTER FOR BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH BELGIAN

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:

- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.

To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09BRUSSELS1580.

Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
09BRUSSELS1580 | 2009-11-24 14:02 | 2010-11-30 17:05 | SECRET | Embassy Brussels

`

    VZCZCXRO7106
    RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL
    DE RUEHBS #1580/01 3281400
    ZNY SSSSS ZZH
    R 241400Z NOV 09
    FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9730
    INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
    RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

` `

    Tuesday, 24 November 2009, 14:00
    S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 BRUSSELS 001580
    SIPDIS
    STATE FOR THE SECRETARY, EUR/WE, ISN, S/GC, AND AF/C
    EO 12958 DECL: 11/19/2019
    TAGS PREL, PGOV, MARR, ECON, BE, AF
    SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH BELGIAN
    LEADERS DURING THE SECRETARY’S DECEMBER 3-4 VISIT TO BRUSSELS
    REF: A. BRUSSELS 1498  B. BRUSSELS 1493  C. BRUSSELS 1552
    Classified By: Ambassador Howard Gutman, reason 1.4(b) and (d).
    ¶1. (C) Summary: Madame Secretary, Embassy Brussels welcomes your visit to Brussels on December 3-4 and your meetings with the in-coming Belgian Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, and the Foreign Minister, most likely Steven Vanackere. Your visit occurs at a moment when Belgians are poised to take a leading role in Europe -- their former Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, has just been named as the first European Council President under the new circumstances of the Lisbon Treaty, and the Belgian government is preparing itself to hold the rotating presidency of the EU Council for the six months beginning July 1, 2010. Embassy Brussels believes that properly motivated, Belgium can be a leader in mobilizing Europe to assist the United States in meeting two of the key challenges faced by the Transatlantic community -- Afghanistan and Guantanamo. Hopefully, long-simmering tensions between the Flemish and francophone regions and linguistic communities will not distract Belgium from this opportunity. Other opportunities for cooperation exist on Africa policy, nuclear disarmament in Europe and Iran. The PM or Foreign Minister may try to promote the candidacy of former Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel for the next President of the UN General Assembly and may again raise Belgium’s failure to be included as a participant or observer at the G-20 talks, despite being the 18th largest economy in the world. End Summary.
    TAKING A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN EUROPE
    ----------------------------------
    ¶2. (C) For the past few months, Embassy Brussels has been working to set the stage for a change in Belgium’s self-concept as a small, meek country living in the shadow of France and Germany, to a country that can show leadership in Europe in spite of stretched financial and material resources, mainly by becoming more vocal on the need for Europe to assist in the closing of Guantanamo and on the need to support the new Afghanistan strategy. Your visit is a chance to foster and encourage this transformation. In fact, of course, the transformation began at home in Belgium in 2007 when a new government, made up of a motley coalition of Christian Democrats, Socialists, Liberals and Humanists from both sides of the linguistic border, came to power. The Prime Minister then, and now again with the departure of Van Rompuy to the EU, was Yves Leterme, a Flemish Christian Democrat. Formation of the government was delayed for nearly a year because of difficult issues of power-sharing between the French and Flemish communities, many of which still remain to be solved.
    STEPPING UP IN AFGHANISTAN
    --------------------------
    ¶3. (C) Nevertheless, the new Defense Minister, Pieter De Crem, with sometimes grudging support from Leterme and others in the cabinet, reoriented Belgium’s defense policy. Where his predecessor had promoted a mainly humanitarian, EU and UN support role for the Belgian military, De Crem sought to re-establish Belgium as a small but reliable NATO ally. As a result, Belgium’s troop commitment to NATO ISAF operations in Afghanistan has increased from about 250 troops to nearly 540, with further increases, perhaps to 680, in the offing. Belgians provide security for Kabul airport, operate and maintain six F-16’s in Kandahar, run one Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team in Kunduz with a second due to arrive in January, and participate in a German-run PRT. This increase has been achieved against a background of declining resources which have required a thoroughgoing restructuring of the armed forces and recall of peacekeeping troops in Kosovo and Lebanon. The government has also bucked critics inside and out of government who prefer a more pacifist, less NATO-oriented approach and are ever ready to make political hay out of possible casualties. Minister De Crem moreover has reacted positively to suggestions from the Ambassador that he become more vocal in his support as a way perhaps to help shore up the support of other partners. Belgium deserves your appreciation and praise for its efforts, and although further increases in military contrib SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR BILATERAL MEETINGS WITH BELGIAN LEADERS DURING THESECRETARY’S DECEMBER 3-4 VISIT TO BRUSSELS
    ¶4. (C) On the other hand, Belgium’s contribuQions to civilian development in Afghanistan have not kept pace. In April 2009, the GOB announced that it was doubling its financial assistance to the country to 12 million euros a year. This figure is only about 0.75 percent of its global budget for official development assistance. The Ministry of Interior has been considering sending 2-4 police trainers to Afghanistan but has hesitated over concerns for their security. Your unambiguous urging of more civilian assistance to Afghanistan with both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister can help to increase resources devoted to Afghanistan.
    SPURRING ON CLOSURE OF GUANTANAMO
    ---------------------------------
    ¶5. (C) The Embassy has been encouraging Belgium to take a leadership role in Europe in the closure of the Guantanamo detention center. In October, Belgium resettled one detainee, whose successful integration should be reassuring to Belgian officials. We are discussing the transfer of two Tunisian detainees who have already been convicted of crimes in Belgium, not as part of the “placement” of detainees, but instead as part of our Department of Justice working with the Belgian Ministry of Justice (our hope is that that process will make it easier for Belgian society to accept the return, and also allow us to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs separately to take others). We have also begun to suggest the possibility of Belgium stepping forward from the chorus line and up to the footlights on Guantanamo. Helping solve the USG’s -- and Europe’s -- problem with Guantanamo is a low-cost way for Belgium to attain prominence in Europe. There are signs that Belgium’s reticence is beginning to chafe its leadership. Complaints about Belgium’s exclusion from G-20 membership, and opposition to perceived influence of a “directoire” of large countries in the EU are examples. It is a matter of convincing Belgium that not only does it have self-interest in a more assertive role, but it also has a uniquely trusted character within Europe that permits it to be effective. Embassy Brussels suggests the time is right to ask Belgium to take more than a handful of detainees and ask in coordination with others (as led by Belgium), so that Guantanamo -- which Europeans always so roundly condemned -- is closed once and for all.
    POLITICAL PITFALLS IN REGIONAL TENSIONS
    ---------------------------------------
    ¶6. (C) With three regions, three linguistic communities, seven parliaments and a myriad of political parties, domestic politics and the division of powers in Belgium require a complicated and delicate series of compromises. Herman Van Rompuy, though Flemish, was one politician who seemed able to gain the confidence and trust of both Flemish and francophone Belgians. His most likely successor, Yves Leterme, is more identifiably Flemish and does not share that reputation. One difficult issue, Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, or BHV, symbolizes the divisions and carries unusual emotional power in Belgium (ref A). In essence, it is a question of whether residents of the Brussels suburbs should live and vote under Flemish control or have special francophone voting and social rights.  The issue impeded formation of a government after the 2007 elections and was kicked down the road ever since. A special effort will have to be made before March 2010 to either once again delay a solution or reach a final compromise. Failure to do so could threaten Leterme’s coalition in the first part of the year. The fact that all Belgian politicians dearly want to avoid embarrassment during Belgium’s EU presidency will motivate them to find the necessary compromises, but there is no guarantee they can.
    INTEREST IN ENHANCED AFRICA COOPERATION
    ---------------------------------------
    ¶7. (C) Central Africa is a special interest of Belgium, as the former colonial power in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi. As such, the GOB is eager to cooperate with the United States on encouraging security sector reform in the DRC, consolidating peace in the Eastern DRC, promoting regional economic integration and cooperation among states in the region on security issues. In particular, Belgium is as interested in preventing sexual violence as we are. It would like us to encourage continued cooperation between Rwanda and the DRC to take a firmer hand with rebel groups that operate in Eastern Congo and far too often commit atrocities. When you met Belgium’s former
    BRUSSELS 00001580 002 OF 003
    ¶4. (C) On the other hand, Belgium’s contributions to civilian development in Afghanistan have not kept pace. In April 2009, the GOB announced that it was doubling its financial assistance to the country to 12 million euros a year. This figure is only about 0.75 percent of its global budget for official development assistance. The Ministry of Interior has been considering sending 2-4 police trainers to Afghanistan but has hesitated over concerns for their security. Your unambiguous urging of more civilian assistance to Afghanistan with both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister can help to increase resources devoted to Afghanistan.
    SPURRING ON CLOSURE OF GUANTANAMO
    ---------------------------------
    ¶5. (C) The Embassy has been encouraging Belgium to take a leadership role in Europe in the closure of the Guantanamo detention center. In October, Belgium resettled one detainee, whose successful integration should be reassuring to Belgian officials. We are discussing the transfer of two Tunisian detainees who have already been convicted of crimes in Belgium, not as part of the “placement” of detainees, but instead as part of our Department of Justice working with the Belgian Ministry of Justice (our hope is that that process will make it easier for Belgian society to accept the return, and also allow us to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs separately to take others). We have also begun to suggest the possibility of Belgium stepping forward from the chorus line and up to the footlights on Guantanamo. Helping solve the USG’s -- and Europe’s -- problem with Guantanamo is a low-cost way for Belgium to attain prominence in Europe. There are signs that Belgium’s reticence is beginning to chafe its leadership. Complaints about Belgium’s exclusion from G-20 membership, and opposition to perceived influence of a “directoire” of large countries in the EU are examples. It is a matter of convincing Belgium that not only does it have self-interest in a more assertive role, but it also has a uniquely trusted character within Europe that permits it to be effective. Embassy Brussels suggests the time is right to ask Belgium to take more than a handful of detainees and ask in coordination with others (as led by Belgium), so that Guantanamo -- which Europeans always so roundly condemned -- is closed once and for all.
    POLITICAL PITFALLS IN REGIONAL TENSIONS
    ---------------------------------------
    ¶6. (C) With three regions, three linguistic communities, seven parliaments and a myriad of political parties, domestic politics and the division of powers in Belgium require a complicated and delicate series of compromises. Herman Van Rompuy, though Flemish, was one politician who seemed able to gain the confidence and trust of both Flemish and francophone Belgians. His most likely successor, Yves Leterme, is more identifiably Flemish and does not share that reputation. One difficult issue, Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, or BHV, symbolizes the divisions and carries unusual emotional power in Belgium (ref A). In essence, it is a question of whether residents of the Brussels suburbs should live and vote under Flemish control or have special francophone voting and social rights.  The issue impeded formation of a government after the 2007 elections and was kicked down the road ever since. A special effort will have to be made before March 2010 to either once again delay a solution or reach a final compromise. Failure to do so could threaten Leterme’s coalition in the first part of the year. The fact that all Belgian politicians dearly want to avoid embarrassment during Belgium’s EU presidency will motivate them to find the necessary compromises, but there is no guarantee they can.
    INTEREST IN ENHANCED AFRICA COOPERATION
    ---------------------------------------
    ¶7. (C) Central Africa is a special interest of Belgium, as the former colonial power in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi. As such, the GOB is eager to cooperate with the United States on encouraging security sector reform in the DRC, consolidating peace in the Eastern DRC, promoting regional economic integration and cooperation among states in the region on security issues. In particular, Belgium is as interested in preventing sexual violence as we are. It would like us to encourage continued cooperation between Rwanda and the DRC to take a firmer hand with rebel groups that operate in Eastern Congo and far too often commit atrocities. When you met Belgium’s former
    BRUSSELS 00001580 003 OF 003
    foreign minister, Karel De Gucht, last February, you discussed naming a bilateral task force to meet in Washington to discuss security sector reform in the DRC. This has not yet occurred, because the Belgians opted to wait until the new USG Africa team was in place. We are now ready to move ahead with this. In November, Belgium announced an increase in assistance to Burundi, making it the largest bilateral donor to that country. It plans to do the same for the DRC.
    MULTILATERAL APPROACH TO EUROPEAN DISARMAMENT
    ---------------------------------------------
    ¶8. (S) Belgium has a special interest in nuclear non-proliferation issues because it participates in NATO’s nuclear forces at the Kleine Brogel air force base. It rejected a recent overture from Germany to join with the Netherlands, Italy and Germany to propose to the rest of NATO that nuclear weapons be removed from those countries (ref B).  However, Belgian MOD and MFA officials apparently had to rein in then-Foreign Minister Leterme when he initially responded too positively to the idea. Belgium’s official policy rejects a unilateral approach to disarmament and insists that the issue must be discussed among all NATO members at one time, with due regard for U.S.-Russian bilateral discussions and the NPT. The government is also opposing a proposal from the floor of the Belgian parliament to ban nuclear weapons from Belgian soil.
    IRAN SANCTIONS IF NECESSARY
    ---------------------------
    ¶9. (C) Belgium shares our concern about Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear capability. It supports strengthened sanctions in the EU and UN if necessary. In that case, at least at first, it prefers to see existing sanctions made more effective, rather than extending them into entirely new areas, with the possible exception of a conventional arms embargo.
    FORMER FM LOUIS MICHEL’S CANDIDACY FOR UNGA PRESIDENT
    --------------------------------------------- --------
    ¶10. (C) One issue the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister may raise is a request for support for the candidacy of former Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel for President of the UN General Assembly (ref C). As you know, we do not discuss our voting intentions for such posts. They have already discussed this issue with Assistant Secretary Gordon and with Ambassador Gutman. .

`