AMBASSADOR'S INITIAL CALL ON PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000636 SIPDIS NSC FOR FRIED, WILSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/01/2119 TAGS: PREL PINR LO US SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S INITIAL CALL ON PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC REF: STATE 124842 CLASSIFIED BY: AMB. RONALD WEISER FOR REASONS 1.4 B, D. ¶1. (C) AMBASSADOR, ACCOMPANIED BY DCM, CALLED ON RECENTLY INAUGURATED PRESIDENT IVAN GASPAROVIC AT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE JUNE 30. GASPAROVIC GREETED THE AMBASSADOR WARMLY, THANKED HIM FOR HIS HARD WORK ON IMPROVING U.S.-SLOVAK RELATIONS, AND EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THEY WOULD BE IN FREQUENT COMMUNICATION. SPEAKING THROUGH AN INTERPRETER (HE SEEMED TO GRASP LESS THAN 50% OF THE ENGLISH),HE NOTED THAT HE HAD SPOKEN THREE TIMES WITH PRESIDENT BUSH AT ISTANBUL AND BEEN MRS. BUSH'S DINNER PARTNER. ¶2. (C) ISTANBUL: AMB. WEISER RESPONDED THAT IT WAS ESPECIALLY APPROPRIATE THAT THE FIRST MEETING HAD BEEN AT NATO, GIVEN SLOVAKIA'S HARD WORK TO ENTER THE ALLIANCE AND THE SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE IT CONVEYED OF OUR DEEP AND CLOSE OVERALL RELATIONSHIP. HE EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR GASPAROVIC'S REMARKS THERE, ESPECIALLY ON ENHANCING DIALOGUE WITH UKRAINE AND RUSSIA AND SUPPORTING THE IRAQ DECLARATION. GASPAROVIC PRAISED THE TURKISH HOSTS' ORGANIZATION OF THE SUMMIT AND THE "TOTAL CONSENSUS" ON IRAQ, BUT CRITICIZED FRENCH PRESIDENT CHIRAC (AND TO A LESSER EXTENT GERMAN CHANCELLOR SCHROEDER) FOR PREVENTING AN "APPROPRIATE" TEXT ON AFGHANISTAN. HE NOTED THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVING AHEAD WITH ELECTIONS THERE, AND SAID SLOVAKIA WAS CONSIDERING SENDING MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN. ¶3. (C) EU MEMBERSHIP: STATING "I'M NEITHER A EURO-SKEPTIC NOR A BOOSTER," GASPAROVIC EXPRESSED CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM ABOUT SLOVAKIA'S RECENT EU ENTRY, WHILE NOTING THAT "EUROPE CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT A STRONG TRANS-ATLANTIC LINK." HE SAID HE WOULD TAKE A CAUTIOUS STANCE TOWARDS THE EU, "FROM THE ORDINARY CITIZENS' PERSPECTIVE", OF THEIR ECONOMIC WELL-BEING. HE INDIRECTLY CRITICIZED THE NOTION OF A TWO-SPEED EUROPE, POINTING TO THE UNFORTUNATE SLOVAK-CZECH EXPERIENCE OF UNEQUAL DEVELOPMENT AND EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT BRUSSELS "RED TAPE". ¶4. (C) RELATIONS WITH GOS: TURNING TO DOMESTIC ISSUES, GASPAROVIC OBSERVED THAT ONGOING ECONOMIC REFORMS ARE AFFECTING THE SLOVAK PEOPLE AND REQUIRE BETTER COORDINATION SO THAT NEGATIVE IMPACTS ARE CONSIDERED AND MITIGATED. "I HOPE NOT TO FIGHT WITH THE GOS, BUT RATHER TALK WITH THEM AND FIND THE BEST SOLUTION FOR PEOPLE." THIS PROCESS HAS ALREADY BEGUN IN THE FOREIGN POLICY ARENA -- HE HAS AGREED WITH PM DZURINDA AND PARLIAMENT SPEAKER HRUSOVSKY TO CONSULT AND COORDINATE "SO WE SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE." (COMMENT: PM'S FOREIGN POLICY ADVISOR CONFIRMED THIS ARRANGEMENT LATER IN THE DAY. THIS IS WELCOME NEWS, ESPECIALLY IF HRUSOVSKY -- OFTEN LOOKING TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM DZURINDA -- GOES ALONG.) GASPAROVIC SEEMED TO SUGGEST THAT HE HOPED TO PLAY AN "HONEST BROKER" ROLE WITH THE OFTEN QUARRELSOME COALITION, BUT NOTED THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO ENSURE EVERYONE SEES ENOUGH OF THEIR POSITION IN THE FINAL OUTCOME TO BE ABLE TO DECLARE VICTORY OR SATISFACTION. SLOVAK POLITICAL PARTIES, HE SAID, NEED TO DEVELOP A GREATER SENSE OF NATIONAL GOOD OVER PARTY GOOD. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: GASPAROVIC WAS AT EASE AND RELAXED IN THIS FIRST MEETING, AND SEEMED GENUINELY INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S. HE READILY ACCEPTED AN INVITATION TO ATTEND THE EMBASSY'S INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION. IT IS CLEAR FROM HIS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE COMMENTS THAT HE HAS TRIED TO SET A DIFFERENT TONE IN HIS RELATIONS WITH THE GOVERNMENT THAN HIS PREDECESSOR. HE IS ASSERTING HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO ATTEND CABINET MEETINGS, BUT IS NOT ENGAGING IN COMPETITIVE DEBRIEFINGS OF THE PRESS OR PUBLIC DISPUTES OVER POLICY. WE HAVE BEEN HEARING VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK FROM FOREIGN MINISTRY CONTACTS ABOUT BOTH HIS APPROACH TO ISSUES AND HIS HANDS-OFF APPROACH TO SENIOR APPOINTMENTS (WHICH HAD VEXED SLOVAK DIPLOMACY ABROAD UNDER FORMER PRESIDENT SCHUSTER). HE HAS MADE A POINT OF LIMITING PERSONNEL CHANGES TO A FEW KEY ADVISORS, KEEPING ON THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE EXPERIENCED STAFF. IT IS, OF COURSE, STILL EARLY DAYS -- STRAINS WITHIN THE COALITION AND ITS PARLIAMENTARY MINORITY AND THE STILL-UNCLEAR EXTENT OF HIS TIES TO OPPOSITION LEADER FICO MAY LEAD TO GREATER ASSERTIVENESS IN THE FUTURE. WEISER NNNN