![Keep Us Strong](/static/gfx/ja-cg.jpg)
![WikiLeaks logo](/static/gfx/WL_Hour_Glass_small.png)
Currently released so far... 5420 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
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
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
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 Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
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 Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
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
Browse by tag
AF
AE
AJ
ASEC
AMGT
AR
AU
AG
AS
AM
AORC
AFIN
APER
ABUD
ATRN
AL
AEMR
ACOA
AO
AX
AMED
ADCO
AODE
AFFAIRS
AC
ASIG
ABLD
AA
AFU
ASUP
AROC
ATFN
AVERY
APCS
AER
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
AEC
APECO
AGMT
CH
CASC
CA
CD
CV
CVIS
CMGT
CO
CI
CU
CBW
CLINTON
CE
CJAN
CIA
CG
CF
CN
CS
CAN
COUNTER
CDG
CIS
CM
CONDOLEEZZA
COE
CR
CY
CTM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CPAS
CWC
CT
CKGR
CB
CACS
COM
CJUS
CARSON
CL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CACM
CDB
EPET
EINV
ECON
ENRG
EAID
ETRD
EG
ETTC
EFIN
EU
EAGR
ELAB
EIND
EUN
EAIR
ER
ECIN
ECPS
EFIS
EI
EINT
EZ
EMIN
ET
EC
ECONEFIN
ENVR
ES
ECA
ELN
EN
EFTA
EWWT
ELTN
EXTERNAL
EINVETC
ENIV
EINN
ENGR
EUR
ESA
ENERG
EK
ENGY
ETRO
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ESENV
ENVI
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
ECIP
EINDETRD
EUC
EREL
IR
IZ
IS
IT
INTERPOL
IPR
IN
INRB
IAEA
IRAJ
INRA
INRO
IO
IC
ID
IIP
ITPHUM
IV
IWC
IQ
ICTY
ISRAELI
IRAQI
ICRC
ICAO
IMO
IF
ILC
IEFIN
INTELSAT
IL
IA
IBRD
IMF
INR
IRC
ITALY
ITALIAN
KCOR
KZ
KDEM
KN
KNNP
KPAL
KU
KWBG
KCRM
KE
KISL
KAWK
KSCA
KS
KSPR
KJUS
KFRD
KTIP
KPAO
KTFN
KIPR
KPKO
KNUC
KMDR
KGHG
KPLS
KOLY
KUNR
KDRG
KIRF
KIRC
KBIO
KHLS
KG
KACT
KGIC
KRAD
KCOM
KMCA
KV
KHDP
KVPR
KDEV
KWMN
KMPI
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KOMC
KTLA
KCFC
KTIA
KHIV
KPRP
KAWC
KCIP
KCFE
KOCI
KTDB
KMRS
KLIG
KBCT
KICC
KGIT
KSTC
KPAK
KNEI
KSEP
KPOA
KFLU
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KO
KTER
KSUM
KHUM
KRFD
KBTR
KDDG
KWWMN
KFLO
KSAF
KBTS
KPRV
KNPP
KNAR
KWMM
KERG
KFIN
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KTBT
KCRS
KRVC
KSTH
KREL
KNSD
KTEX
KPAI
KHSA
KR
KPWR
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KGCC
KPIN
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MTCRE
MX
MCAP
MO
MNUC
ML
MR
MZ
MPOS
MOPPS
MTCR
MAPP
MU
MY
MA
MG
MASC
MCC
MEPP
MK
MTRE
MP
MIL
MDC
MAR
MEPI
MRCRE
MI
MT
MQADHAFI
MD
MAPS
MUCN
MASSMNUC
MERCOSUR
MC
ODIP
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OEXC
OPRC
OFDP
OPDC
OTRA
OSCE
OAS
OPIC
OECD
OPCW
OSCI
OIE
OIC
OTR
OVP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
PGOV
PINR
PREL
PTER
PK
PHUM
PE
PARM
PBIO
PINS
PREF
PSOE
PBTS
PL
PHSA
PKFK
PO
PGOF
PROP
PA
PARMS
PORG
PM
PMIL
PTERE
POL
PF
PALESTINIAN
PY
PGGV
PNR
POV
PAK
PAO
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PRGOV
PNAT
PROV
PEL
PINF
PGOVE
POLINT
PRL
PRAM
PMAR
PGOVLO
PHUMBA
PHUS
PHUMPREL
PG
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PINT
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PECON
POGOV
PINL
SCUL
SA
SY
SP
SNAR
SENV
SU
SW
SOCI
SL
SG
SMIG
SO
SF
SR
SN
SHUM
SZ
SYR
ST
SANC
SC
SAN
SIPRS
SK
SH
SI
SNARCS
STEINBERG
TX
TW
TU
TSPA
TH
TIP
TI
TS
TBIO
TRGY
TC
TR
TT
TERRORISM
TO
TFIN
TD
TSPL
TZ
TPHY
TK
TNGD
TINT
TRSY
TP
UK
UG
UP
UV
US
UN
UNSC
UNGA
USEU
USUN
UY
UZ
UNO
UNMIK
UNESCO
UE
UAE
UNEP
USTR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNHRC
USAID
UNCHS
UNAUS
UNCHC
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 10MADRID174, SPAIN: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF
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.
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. #10MADRID174.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
10MADRID174 | 2010-02-12 15:03 | 2010-12-21 12:12 | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY | Embassy Madrid |
VZCZCXRO2664
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHMD #0174/01 0431525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121525Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1928
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 4356
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 000174
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/OHI, EEB/TPP/IPE, L/PD
STATE ALSO FOR ECA AND EUR/PPD (L.MCMANIS)
STATE PASS USTR FOR D.WEINER AND J.GROVES
STATE ALSO PASS U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE FOR M.WOODS AND
M.PALLANTE
COMMERCE FOR 4212/DON CALVERT
COMMERCE ALSO FOR USTPO
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETRD KIPR PGOV PREL PHUM SCUL SP
SUBJECT: SPAIN: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH MINISTER OF
CULTURE ANGELES GONZALEZ-SINDE
REF: A. BARCELONA 15
¶B. 09 MADRID 1161
MADRID 00000174 001.3 OF 003
SUMMARY:
¶1. (SBU) Ambassador met February 10 with Minister of Culture
Angeles Gonzalez Sinde to discuss bilateral cooperation on
cultural issues, intellectual property rights and draft
legislation that would enhance the government's ability to
combat digital piracy, and the Holocaust-related claim by
AMCIT Claude Cassirer on a State-owned painting in Madrid's
Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The Minister reiterated the
government's request that the Embassy continue to engage with
the political opposition on draft legislation for shutting
down pirate websites. With respect to the Cassirer claim,
Ministry officials says the Spanish state is prohibited from
giving away property or offering compensation, but the
Ambassador asked the Minister to look at some different
options to resolve the matter in a more satisfactory fashion.
End Summary.
CULTURAL COOPERATION
¶2. (U) The Minister was accompanied by her Chief of Staff,
Javier Bonilla, and Director General (DG) for Cultural Policy
and Industries Guillermo Corral van Damme. Ambassador
Solomont began by listing the various cultural events he has
participated in since his recent arrival. The Ambassador
also mentioned the partnership between the Boston-based
Berklee School of Music and Spain's General Society of
Authors and Publishers (SGAE) in developing a cultural center
and music university in Valencia, which he characterized as
an "ambitious project." The Ambassador also thanked the
Minister for her work on the Fulbright grantee selection
boards and her speech at the November 2009 event celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the first Spanish grants awarded
under the program. Finally, he mentioned that the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts plans to lend a John Singer Sargent
painting, which was influenced by the Velazquez masterpiece
"Las Meninas," to the Prado, and he hoped the Minister could
attend a reception for the Boston delegation in March.
IPR PROTECTION AND ANTI-PIRACY MEASURES
¶3. (SBU) Ambassador Solomont said he had heard a great deal
about Spain's Internet piracy problem, from MPAA CEO Glickman
and others, and asked where things stand with the
government's legislative proposal (ref B) on shutting down or
blocking pirate websites. Minister Gonzalez-Sinde replied
that everything the government tries to do in this area is
big news, since attempts to regulate Internet activity are of
intense interest to young people, the media, and companies
like Google. The government's proposal, she said, is quite
reasonable and even modest. The government has pledged not
to move aggressively against citizens and individual users as
has been proposed in France and the UK, but its initiative is
nonetheless controversial. Many politicians, she averred,
have little information or understanding of the issue. Even
those who recognize the damage that Internet piracy does to
cultural industries have not been helpful.
¶4. (SBU) At the same time, the Minister said there has been a
lot of progress and an open public debate on the issues
surrounding Internet piracy since she came into office last
April. There are still populist demands for "free culture"
on the Internet, but these are being taken less seriously in
the media. The Internet is shaking up traditional modes of
cultural distribution, she said. Increased use of the e-book
is sensitizing authors and influential media owners to the
piracy problem.
¶5. (SBU) The Congressional debate over the government's draft
law will be complicated, and this is where the Minister said
the Ambassador can help. The Government believes it is
making progress with Deputies from the ruling Spanish
Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), but is concerned about the
opposition Populist Party (PP). The Ambassador noted he had
raised the issue in his initial meeting with PP leader
Mariano Rajoy and had told him how important the issue is to
the USG and private industry. Gonzalez-Sinde pointed out
that if the government does not solve this problem now, it
MADRID 00000174 002.3 OF 003
could become an issue in the next presidential campaign.
Should the PP come back to power, it will have to deal with
this issue, because the current situation is unsustainable
over time. (Comment: As reported septel, DG Corral told
econoffs recently that the government faces opposition from
some members of the ruling party, and he asked us to make our
views known to legislators from the regional Convergencia i
Unio (Cataluna) and Partido Nacional Vasco (Basque Country)
blocs.)
¶6. (SBU) Ambassador said the USG wants to see the legislation
move forward in Congress and not be weakened in the amendment
process. He also noted that the music industry in particular
does not believe the government's proposal will solve the
problem, to which the Minister replied that the Government
has committed to trying this approach first, and if it
doesn't prove effective, they will come back with additional
and perhaps stronger measures. The music industry is
important to Spain, she said, because it helps promote the
Spanish language in Latin America and also in the United
States.
¶7. (U) On another issue, the Minister raised the draft law
being considered by the Catalan regional legislature that
would require that foreign films be dubbed or subtitled into
the Catalan language (ref A). She placed the issue in the
context of requirements that television networks finance and
broadcast Spanish and European films, and said it was also
related to the transition of televisions and films from
analog to digital format. She said the Catalan regional
government (Generalitat) is responding to public interest in
promoting the language and sees these other initiatives as
unnatural and unbalanced. It is trying to push back, but its
attempt to require that more films be shown in Catalan is
risky, as major studios and distributors oppose it. So do
movie house owners, who cite low demand because, in their
experience, even Catalan speakers prefer to see movies in
Spanish. Gonzalez-Sinde was not certain whether the regional
Parliament would pass the law in its current session.
CASSIRER CLAIM
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador raised the claim of AMCIT Claude
Cassirer to a Camille Pissarro painting that is currently
part of the Thyssen Museum's permanent collection. The
Ambassador noted that Spain had participated in the 1998
Washington Conference on Nazi Confiscated Art and in last
year's Prague Conference. Spain had signed the Declarations
of Principles but was in the position of possessing a
painting that the Nazis had forced its original owner to
sell. He cited a German government letter stating that the
compensation the owner had received from Germany for the
painting's original disappearance did not extinguish the
family's claim to restitution or compensation. Ambassador
hoped the GOS would facilitate face-to-face negotiations on
compensation, as opposed to "moral recognition."
Acknowledging that the claimant has a lawsuit against Spain
and the Thyssen Foundation before the 9th Circuit Court of
Appeals, Ambassador asked what prevented the GOS from playing
a stronger hand outside the legal process.
¶9. (SBU) Minister Gonzalez-Sinde replied that lawyers for the
MFA and the Museum have advised that Spain is legally barred
from returning the painting or paying compensation. She
offered to speak again to FM Moratinos to see if anything can
be done. DG Corral pointed out that Spain had acquired the
painting legally and in good faith and had no involvement in
the transaction in which a Nazi art dealer coerced the
painting from its owner. The Thyssen Foundation manages the
collection that includes the painting, but the State owns it.
There is no legal way for the State to surrender its
property absent a judicial order, he said, and the government
could be sued if it tried. The State is legally bound to
protect its property, even at times against its own will.
¶10. (SBU) Spain is sensitive to the family's claim, Corral
said, but does not believe it can legally negotiate
compensation. It might, however, be able to make gestures to
the family and to the Los Angeles Jewish community. The
government could, for example, organize and fund travel to
Spain and cultural exchanges to promote mutual understanding
MADRID 00000174 003.3 OF 003
and appreciation while giving due recognition to the Cassirer
family.
¶11. (SBU) Ambassador suggested that the GOS try to come up
with creative solutions. At the same time, he undertook to
convey the GOS concerns to Cassirer's attorneys and to ask
them to offer a series of options for the government to
consider. If there appear to be viable options, they could
serve as a basis for direct negotiations. Post will follow
up with EUR/OHI.
SOLOMONT