EU CONSIDERS VISA BAN ON 21 TRANSNISTRIAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 003227 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/UMB AND EUR/ERA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2009 TAGS: PREL PARM PBTS PHUM PGOV MD EUN OSCE USEU BRUSSELS SUBJECT: EU CONSIDERS VISA BAN ON 21 TRANSNISTRIAN OFFICIALS LINKED TO SCHOOL CLOSINGS REF: CHISINAU 832 Classified By: USEU POLOFF LEE LITZENBERGER; REASONS 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (SBU) On July 29, EU Political and Security Committee (PSC) Ambassadors agreed to consider imposing a visa ban on 21 Transnistrian officials connected to the recent closing of Moldovan schools in Transnistria. EU staff are preparing the paperwork to impose the ban; the PSC will review the issue again on August 3. If there is no improvement on the ground regarding the school closings by then, and the EU does not expect any, the PSC is likely to agree on a visa ban. The ban would then need to be blessed by Ministers, which could take an additional few days. If the EU acts, it will not add these 21 names to the existing ban, but would institute a separate ban on officials linked to the school closings; if the schools issue is resolved favorably, the EU would lift the ban on these officials, following three months normal operation of the schools (see last para of list below on the "exit strategy"). ¶2. (C) The EU has shared the list of 21 names with us, in an effort to coordinate with the US, both on the names and on public announcement of any action taken. Note that this list includes eight of the eleven names transmitted reftel (the three parliamentarians were dropped) with additional local officials from Bendery, Tiraspol and Ribnita added. Begin EU List Transnistrian "Ministry of Education" "Minister" Bomeshko, Elena Vasilyevna "First Deputy Minister" Gello, Valentina Alexeevna "Deputy Minister" Kriminski, Alexander Ivanovich "Deputy Minister" Surinov, Victor Georgevich From local administrations: (1.) Bendery City administration: Head of city administration Posudnevsky, Aleksander Ivanovich Deputy Head of city administration on construction issues Galata, Victor Aleksandrovich Deputy Head of city administration on education issues Gordienco, Svetlana Aleksandrovna Head of city council Moskalev, A.N. Head of Department for education: UZUN, Svetlana Dmitrievna Deputy Head of Department for education: Kilivnik, Nina Nikolaevna (2.) Tiraspol City Administration: Head of city administration Kostyrko, Ivan Ivanovich Chairman of City Council: Ivanchenkov, Victor Mikhailovich Head of Department for education: Pashenko, Maria Rafelovna (3.) Ribnita City administration: Head of city administration Platonov, Yuri Mokhailovich Deputy Head of city administation on education issues Cherbulenko, Alla Viktorovna Deputy Head of city administration on construction issues Gordenko, Aleksej Nikolaevich Department for education: Head of department Pereli, Boris Ivanovich Deputy head of department VYRODOV, Evgenij Aleksandrovich Head of Militsia: Mr. Kisserman Deputy Head of Militsia: Mr. Malai As an appropriate exit strategy Chisinau HoMs would like to suggest that the ban may be lifted if schools in question have been reopened by September 1, 2004 and have been working properly and without harassment by Transnistrian authorities for 3 months thereafter. End Text of EU list. SAMMIS