OPPOSITION LEADER ANKER JORGENSEN ATTACKS FOREIGN MINISTER FOR ALLEGED REMARKS ON SDI

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
C
Document Page Count: 
4
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
September 20, 2010
Sequence Number: 
13
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
February 14, 1985
Content Type: 
CABLE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0.pdf148.41 KB
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 PAGE 001 NC 6460909 TOR: 140531Z FEB 85 RR RUEAIIB ZNY CCCCC ZOC STATE UTS4610 RR RUEHC RUEHDD DE RUDKPNO #1165/01 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 13151OZ FEB 85 FM AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY INFO RUEHOD/NATO COLLECTIVE RUFHDB/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN 1373 RUFHNC/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 6181 RUDKFMO/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 9281 BT E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PARM, MNUC, DA SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER ANKER JORGENSEN ATTACKS FOREIGN MINISTER FOR ALLEGED REMARKS ON SDI REFS: (A) COPENHAGEN 1123; (B) COPENHAGEN 1125; (C) 84 COPENHAGEN 3044 (ALL NOTAL) 1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. 2. SUMMARY: SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN ANKER JORGENSEN LOST NO TIME IN ATTACKING FOREIGN MINISTER ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S ALLEGED REMARKS IN SUPPORT OF SDI. SAYING INTER ALIA THAT SDI THREATENS TO PREVENT THE GENEVA TALKS FROM BEING SUCCESSFUL. ELLEMANN-JENSEN DENIED THAT HE MADE THE STATEMENTS HE WAS ALLEGED BY THE PRESS TO HAVE MADE AND SAID THAT HE HAD CONFINED HIMSELF TO SUPPORTING SDI RESEARCH, SINCE THE SOVIET UNION HAS SUCH A RESEARCH PROGRAM, AND SAYING THAT HE AGREED WITH CHANCELLOR KOHL THAT IF SDI IS REALIZED, THERE IS A DANGER OF DECOUPLING UNLESS EUROPEANS ARE INVOLVED. THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS ARE ON THE DEFENSIVE IN CONNECTION WITH THE UNEMPLOYMENT FUND SCANDAL AND THE LEFT IN THE PARTY WILL NO DOUBT HOPE TO USE SDI TO ACHIEVE NEW UNITY WITHIN THE PARTY ON SECURITY POLICY WHILE DRIVING A WEDGE BETWEEN ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S LIBERAL PARTY (WHICH HAS LED THE ATTACK IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT FUND SCANDAL) AND THE PRIME MINISTER'S CONSERVATIVE PARTY. END SUMMARY. 3. SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY (SOP) LEADER ANKER "JORGENSEN LOST NO TIME IN ATTACKING FOREIGN MINISTER ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S REPORTED STATEMENT (REF A) THAT HE SUPPORTS THE U.S. SDI PROGRAM. ACCORDING TO PRESS REPORTS, JORGENSEN SAID ON FEBRUARY 12 (INFORMAL rte1flFMMTI Al Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 CONFIDENTIAL 85 6460909 SCP PAGE 002 NC 6460909 TOR: 140531Z FEB 85 TRANSLATION): "FOREIGN MINISTER ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S CLEAR ADMISSION THAT HE SUPPORTS THE U.S.A.'S STAR WARS PROGRAM APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE MISSTATE- MENT. THE MISSTATEMENT APPLIES BOTH TO THE PROGRAM ITSELF AND TO THE POINT IN TIME WHICH ELLEMANN-JENSEN CHOSE TO STATE HIS VIEWS. THE STAR WARS PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE THE ELEMENT WHICH ALREADY FROM THE START AND IN ANY CASE IN THE COURSE OF THE GENEVA NEGOTIATIONS CAN BE THE CAUSE OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE SOVIET UNION LEADING TO NO RESULT. THE FOREIGN MINISTER'S STATEMENT THAT IT WOULD BE NATURAL FOR DENMARK, THROUGH THE INTEGRATED COOPERATION IN NATO, TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN PROJECT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN MADE COMPLETELY WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRACTICAL COSTS THIS PROJECT WILL ENTAIL. THE DANISH CONTRIBUTION TO NATO'S INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM WILL BE NOTICEABLY GREATER IN THE COMING YEARS AND IT WOULD BOTH BE UNDESIRABLE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO AGREE THAT THIS PROJECT SHOULD BE PAID BY NATO." 4. ACCORDING TO THE FEBRUARY 13 RADIO NEWS, ELLEMANN- JENSEN SAID IT WAS NONSENSE TO CLAIM THAT HE HAD SAID THAT NATO SHOULD MAKE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO SDI. HE BLAMED JOURNALISTS FOR THE MISUNDERSTANDING BY USE OF THE HEADLINE "ELLEMANN SAYS YES TO STAR WARS PLANS:" ELLEMANN-JENSEN WENT ON TO SAY THAT WHAT IN FACT HE SAID WAS THE FOLLOWING: A) THAT HE SAW NOTHING WRONG IN GOING FORWARD WITH RESEARCH ON SDI SINCE THE SOVIET UNION HAD A RESEARCH PROGRAM OF ITS OWN. B) IF THE SDI RESEARCH IN FACT DEVELOPED INTO A CONCRETE PROGRAM, HE AGREED WITH CHANCELLOR KOHL THAT THERE WAS A GREAT DANGER OF DECOUPLING IF THE EUROPEANS WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT. C) IT WAS CLEAR THAT SDI IS PART OF THE GENEVA ARMS CONTROL NEGOTIATIONS AND, IF THESE NEGOTIATIONS ARE SUCCESSFUL, AN AGREEMENT MIGHT BE REACHED WHICH MAKES SDI UNNECESSARY. THIS WOULD BE THE PREFERABLE OUTCOME. 0) THERE IS NOTHING IN THE MAY 3 PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION (REF B) OR ANY OTHER PARLIAMENTARY RESOLUTION WHICH PREVENTS DANISH POLITICIANS FROM DISCUSSING THE POSSIBILITIES OF SDI. (COMMENT: THE MAY 3 RESOLUTION DIRECTS THE GOVERNMENT INTER ALIA TO "PARTICIPATE IN EFFORTS TO OBTAIN AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT BANNING THE DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN OUTER SPACE." END COMMENT.) 5. JORGENSEN REPORTEDLY SAID THAT ELLEMANN-JENSEN SHOULD HAVE CLEARED HIS REMARKS BEFOREHAND IN THE AD HOC PARLIAMENTARY SECURITY COMMITTEE DISCUSSING THE DYVIG REPORT AND HE CALLED FOR ELLEMANN-JENSEN E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PARM, MNUC, DA SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER ANKER JORGENSEN ATTACKS TO APPEAR BOTH BEFORE THAT COMMITTEE AND THE FOREIGN POLICY COMMITTEE TO EXPLAIN HIS POSITION. JORGENSEN SAID THAT THE FOREIGN MINISTER HAS "ONCE AGAIN MADE MORE DIFFICULT THE EFFORTS TO REACH UNITY IN SECURITY POLICY." 6. BEFORE ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S REMARKS ON THE RADIO HAD BEEN AIRED. ON FEBRUARY 13 THE HEAD OF THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE'S PARTY (PART OF THE GOVERNMENT COALITION) FLEMMING KOFOED-SVENDSEN TOLD EMBOFF HE REGRETTED ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S HAVING SPOKEN OUT ON SDI. HE SAID HE FULLY AGREED WITH ELLEMANN-JENSEN ON THE SUBSTANCE OF HIS ALLEGED STATEMENTS (AS REPORTED IN THE PRESS) BUT THAT IT WAS A TACTICAL ERROR TO CONFIDENTIAL Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0 CONFIDENTIAL' 85 6460909 SCP PAGE 003 NC 6460909 TOR: 140531Z FEB 85 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HAVE COME OUT WITH THEM PUBLICLY AT A TIME WHEN THERE IS AN EFFORT TO REACH AGREEMENT WITH THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS ON SECURITY POLICY. KOFOED-SVENDSEN SAID THAT WORK IN THE AD HOC COMMITTEE (OF WHICH HE IS A MEMBER) HAS BEEN GOING FAIRLY SMOOTHLY BUT HE IS CONCERNED THAT THE INTERNAL POLITICAL FALLOUT FROM THE FOREIGN MINISTER'S STATEMENTS MAY MAKE THAT MORE DIFFICULT. 7. COMMENT: AS WITH INF, SDI THREATENS TO BECOME AN INTERNAL POLITICAL FOOTBALL IN DANISH POLITICS. THE ARGUMENT THAT SDI MAY SPOIL THE GENEVA TALKS IS LIKELY TO BE ONE THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO HEAR. THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS ARE IN TROUBLE WITH SVEND AUKEN, WHO MANY BELIEVE TO BE THE FRONT RUNNER IN THE RACE EVENTUALLY TO SUCCEED TO ANKER JORGENSEN, UNDER ATTACK FOR HIS ALLEGED MISDEEDS REGARDING THE UNEMPLOYMENT FUND WHILE HE WAS LABOR MINISTER (REF C). SINCE ELLEMANN-JENSEN'S LIBERAL PARTY HAS LED THE ASSAULT IN THE UNEMPLOYMENT FUND-SCANDAL, AND SINCE ELLEMANN- JENSEN HIMSELF (WHO LIKES A GOOD FIGHT) HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE PRIME TARGET OF THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS, THE SDP HAS ANOTHER BASIS ON WHICH TO ATTACK HIM. AT THE SAME TIME, THE LEFT IN THE SDP WILL NO DOUBT HOPE TO. ACHIEVE NEW UNITY (ON THEIR TERMS) WITHIN THE SOP ON SECURITY POLICY WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DRIVING A WEDGE WITHIN THE COALITION GOVERNMENT BETWEEN THE LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES. RUSSELL END OF MESSAGE CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/03/08: CIA-RDP87-00462R000100110013-0