BASED ON TWO REPORTS OF BELGIAN INTEREST IN OIL PURCHASES (REFTELS), WE WERE ABLE TO PUT DIRECT QUESTION TO WELL-PLACED ECONOMICS MINISTRY OFFICIAL, CITING REPORTS FROM "SEVERAL" US EMBASSIES. OUR SOURCE GROANED AND TOLD US "THE WHOLE STORY".

1. Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Message Text
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 01 BRUSSE 12059 031826Z
ACTION EURE-12
INFO OCT-01 AF-10 ARA-11 EA-10 NEA-06 IO-14 ADS-00
SOE-02 AID-05 CEA-01 CIAE-00 COM-02 DODE-00 EB-08
DOE-15 H-01 INR-10 INT-05 L-03 NSAE-00 NSC-05
OMB-01 PM-05 ICA-11 OES-09 SP-02 SS-15 STR-08
TRSE-00 ACDA-12 PA-01 /185 W
------------------049586 041156Z /44
R 031703Z JUL 79
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4586
INFO AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
AMEMBASSY ALGIERS
USINT BAGHDAD
AMEMBASSY BONN
AMEMBASSY CAIRO
AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN
AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS
AMCONSUL DHAHRAN
AMEMBASSY DOHA
AMEMBASSY DUBLIN
USMISSION GENEVA
AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
AMEMBASSY JIDDA
AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY MANAMA
AMEMBASSY MEXICO
AMEMBASSY MUSCAT
AMEMBASSY OSLO
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
AMEMBASSY PARIS
AMEMBASSY QUITO
USLO RIYADH
AMEMBASSY TEHRAN
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 BRUSSE 12059 031826Z
AMEMBASSY TOKYO
AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
AMEMBASSY VIENNA
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 12059
E.O. 12065: GDS 07/03/85 (KAUFMAN, ROBERT E.) 0R-E

2. Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
TAGS: ENRG, BE
SUBJ: (C) BELGIAN GOVERNMENT INTEREST IN OIL PURCHASES
REF: A) LAGOS 8791, B) ALGIERS 1869
1. (C-ENTIRE TEXT).
2. BASED ON TWO REPORTS OF BELGIAN INTEREST IN OIL
PURCHASES (REFTELS), WE WERE ABLE TO PUT DIRECT QUESTION
TO WELL-PLACED ECONOMICS MINISTRY OFFICIAL, CITING
REPORTS FROM "SEVERAL" US EMBASSIES. OUR SOURCE
GROANED AND TOLD US "THE WHOLE STORY". HE SAID THAT
IT IS NO SECRET THAT THE GOB HAS DECIDED TO PURCHASE
SOME OIL OF ITS OWN TO AUGMENT THE SPECIAL ALLOCATION
FOR INDEPENDENT DEALERS IN BELGIUM. THESE
INDEPENDENTS, WHO ARE BEING SHARPLY SQUEEZED, ARE
CURRENTLY BEING SUPPLIED BY AN OIL POOL BUILT BY PER-
CENTAGE LEVIES AGAINST THE MAJORS. THIS HAS BECOME A
DOMESTIC POLITICAL ISSUE, AND GOB DECIDED PARTLY FOR
TACTICAL REASONS TO AUGMENT POOL STOCKS BY
GOVERNMENT PURCHASES.
3. OUR OFFICIAL SOURCE SAID THAT THE ONLY PRACTICAL
SOURCE FOR THESE PURCHASES WILL BE ALGERIA, WITH
WHICH THE GOB HAS A PRIVILEGED RELATIONSHIP. HE ADDED
THAT OTHER POTENTIAL SOURCES, WHICH HE DID NOT NAME,
WERE LIKELY TO ATTACH UNACCEPTABLE POLITICAL CONDITIONS
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 BRUSSE 12059 031826Z
TO ANY PURCHASES. GOB OIL PURCHASES, IN ANY CASE,
WILL BE SMALL AND WILL TAKE SOME TIME TO NEGOTIATE.
THE PURCHASES ARE UNRELATED TO ANY EC OR IEA STOCK-
BUILDING REQUIREMENT WHICH IS TO COME FROM CUTBACKS
IN CONSUMPTION.
4. THE CABLE TO BELGIAN EMBASSIES IN TWENTY
COUNTRIES WAS SENT OUT BY FOREIGN TRADE MINISTER
OUTERS IN ABSENCE OF FOREIGN MINISTER SIMONET. OUR
SOURCE SAID THAT IT INSTRUCTED BELGIAN MISSIONS TO
GATHER INFORMATION ON OIL AVAILABILITIES "WITHOUT
APPROACHING HOST GOVERNMENTS". HE NOTED IT WAS AN
UNNECESSARY AND POORLY CONCEIVED INSTRUCTION THAT
WOULD NEVER HAVE GONE OUT IF SIMONET HAD NOT BEEN
IN KINSHASA. GIVEN THE CONSTRAINTS IMPOSED, IT WAS
NATURAL THAT THE BELGIAN EMBASSIES WOULD APPROACH
THEIR AMERICAN COLLEAGUES FOR INFORMATION, BUT OUR
SOURCE SHUDDERED AT THE THOUGHT THAT MANY OTHERS MAY
HAVE ALSO BEEN CONTACTED.
5. IN A FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH A WORKING-LEVEL
MFA OFFICIAL, WE LEARNED THAT THE PLAN WAS FOR A

3. Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
ONE-SHOT PURCHSE OF 2 MILLION TONS. THIS OFFICIAL
SAID THAT SENDING THE CABLE HAD BEEN A "HOT" ISSUE
AND CAUSED SOME FRICTION BETWEEN MINISTRIES. HIS OWN
OFFICE HAD SUPPORTED SENDING THE CABLE AND THOUGHT
THAT SOME USEFUL INFORMATION HAD BEEN RECEIVED. HE
SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD PROBABLY TRY TO WORK
OUT A DEAL WITH ALGERIA; THE "UNACCEPTABLE POLITICAL
CONDITIONS" THAT BELGIUM EXPECTED OTHER POTENTIAL
SUPPLIERS TO TRY TO IMPOSE REFERRED TO THE PALESTINIAN
QUESTION WITH REGARD TO IRAQ, SAUDI ARABIA AND LIBYA, WITH
THE LATTER ALSO INTERESTED IN ARMS PURCHASES.
6. EMBASSY WOULD APPRECIATE GUIDANCE ASAP AS TO
WHETHER USG REMAINS STRONGLY OPPOSED TO SPECIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
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PAGE 04 BRUSSE 12059 031826Z
BILATERAL OIL DEALS AT GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT LEVEL.OLSEN
CONFIDENTIAL
NNN

4. Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014
Message Attributes
Automatic Decaptioning: X
Capture Date: 01 jan 1994
Channel Indicators: n/a
Current Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Concepts: PETROLEUM, SALES
Control Number: n/a
Copy: SINGLE
Draft Date: 03 jul 1979
Decaption Date: 01 jan 1960
Decaption Note:
Disposition Action: RELEASED
Disposition Approved on Date:
Disposition Case Number: n/a
Disposition Comment: 25 YEAR REVIEW
Disposition Date: 20 Mar 2014
Disposition Event:
Disposition History: n/a
Disposition Reason:
Disposition Remarks:
Document Number: 1979BRUSSE12059
Document Source: CORE
Document Unique ID: 00
Drafter: n/a
Enclosure: n/a
Executive Order: GS 19850703 KAUFMAN, ROBERT E
Errors: N/A
Expiration:
Film Number: D790303-1344
Format: TEL
From: BRUSSELS OR-M
Handling Restrictions: n/a
Image Path:
ISecure: 1
Legacy Key: link1979/newtext/t197907118/aaaadtoc.tel
Line Count: 137
Litigation Code IDs:
Litigation Codes:
Litigation History:
Locator: TEXT ON-LINE, ON MICROFILM
Message ID: e2fbce77-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc
Office: ACTION EURE
Original Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Original Handling Restrictions: n/a
Original Previous Classification: n/a
Original Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a
Page Count: 3
Previous Channel Indicators: n/a
Previous Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Previous Handling Restrictions: n/a
Reference: 79 LAGOS 8791, 79 ALGIERS 1869
Retention: 0
Review Action: RELEASED, APPROVED
Review Content Flags:
Review Date: 12 sep 2005
Review Event:
Review Exemptions: n/a
Review Media Identifier:
Review Release Date: n/a
Review Release Event: n/a
Review Transfer Date:
Review Withdrawn Fields: n/a
SAS ID: 2054098
Secure: OPEN
Status: NATIVE
Subject: (C) BELGIAN GOVERNMENT INTEREST IN OIL PURCHASES
TAGS: ENRG, BE
To: STATE ABU DHABI
Type: TE
vdkvgwkey: odbc://SAS/SAS.dbo.SAS_Docs/e2fbce77-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc
Review Markings:
Sheryl P. Walter
Declassified/Released
US Department of State
EO Systematic Review
20 Mar 2014
Markings: Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014