ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CONFIRMS CUBA TRAVEL PLANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 001710

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2013
TAGS: PHUM PREL TU CU
SUBJECT: ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH CONFIRMS CUBA TRAVEL PLANS

REF: (A) ISTANBUL 1617 (B) SECSTATE 309834


Classified By: Consul General David L. Arnett for reason 1.4 (d).



1. (C) SUMMARY: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew still plans
to travel to Cuba in January, 2004, to attend the opening of
an Orthodox church in Havana. Bartholomew did not take USG
and international concerns into account in deciding on this
trip, focusing instead on competition with the Russian
Orthodox church. Action request para 8. END SUMMARY.



2. (C) Consul General met with Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew on November 14 to discuss possible travel to
Cuba. Per Department instructions (reftel B),CG briefed
Bartholomew on the USG concerns regarding his possible
travel. CG drew on talking points to demonstrate that Castro
would use the Patriarch's visit to undermine the reform
movement in Cuba. Negative developments include: 75 human
rights activists recently being arrested and sentenced to 28
years in prison; Castro's statement that he plans to remain
President for life; many limits to religious freedom and
human rights in Cuba; the probable exploitation of the
Patriarch's trip by the Castro regime for propaganda purposes.



3. (C) Bartholomew responded as follows:


-USG opinion is important to Ecumenical Patriarchate and to
me personally.


-However, it would be difficult for me not to go to Cuba: the
visit has been formally announced by Archbishop of Central
America Athenogoras; the Cuban government gave us both land
and material aid; and the Cuban government has recognized the
Ecumenical Patriarchate's leadership of Orthodox believers in
the Cuban state.


-Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill, director of their
external affairs, had been working for some time to obtain
such recognition from Cuba, without success.


-Many Amcits plan to be in Cuba for the visit, including
Archbishop Demetrios of the United States. Such attendees
must be going with the permission, or at least the knowledge,
of the USG.


-I can use this opportunity to raise the issue of human
rights with Castro, and I will do so. Though I understand
your concerns about Castro's use of my visit for his own
political ends, he did not do so with the visit of the Pope,
who is a more widely-recognized personality than I am. Why
would he use me?



4. (C) Consul General commented that the major change between
the Pope's prior visit and the Patriarch's planned visit is
the crack down on dissidents in 2003. 75 people are now in
deplorable prison conditions, seen as prisoners of conscience
by Amnesty International and many others. Many countries
have suspended high-level relations and cultural exchanges
with the Castro regime. We are trying to send the message to
Castro that it is not just "business-as-usual" after this
human rights violation. (NOTE: the Patriarch did not appear
aware that all of the 75 prisoners were still in prison and
serving 28-year sentences.)



5. (C) Bartholomew responded that he would undertake to bring
the subject of these prisoners into conversations with Castro
in private, and would urge that they be released.
Bartholomew pointed out that he had done something similar in
a prior visit to Libya, working closely with Bulgarian
Ambassadors and MFA to push for the release of Bulgarian
scholars. "You can trust me to use this opportunity to bring
up these issues," he said. "I don't have the right to give
up this opportunity for recognition of the Orthodox Church."



6. (C) Consul General asked whether there was a possibility
of downgrading the representation of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Cuba, sending someone else in the place of
the Patriarch. Bartholomew replied that "the trip has
already been decided upon and announced. Metropolitan
Athenogoras of Central America announced my planned travel to
Cuba and Haiti (which I will be going to for one day).
Athenogoras will soon be in Istanbul, and I will have him
come to the U.S. Consulate General to discuss the background
for this trip and his feelings on the Cuban government."



7. (C) COMMENT: The driving force for this whole undertaking
seems to be Bartholomew's interest in beating the Russian
Orthodox Church to the punch. Bartholomew's tone, however,
seemed to indicate that he was pleading for our understanding
with regard to the corner he had painted himself into (with
the assistance of Metropolitan Athenogoras). We recognize
that intra-Orthodox competition with the Russians is key to
the future of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. However, in
agreeing to make this trip, Bartholomew has not taken into
full account the political implications, especially as they
relate to human rights in Cuba, or his relationship with the
USG. END COMMENT.



8. (C) ACTION REQUEST: Post requests that Department confirm
with Metropolitan Demetrios that he plans to travel to Cuba.
If so, Post would appreciate a read-out of his thinking and
information on any other high-level Greek-American leaders
traveling with him.
ARNETT