EU ON BELARUS PARTICIPATION AT CEI SUMMIT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 004951

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/UMB AND EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/19/2009
TAGS: PGOV PREL BL EUN USEU BRUSSELS
SUBJECT: EU ON BELARUS PARTICIPATION AT CEI SUMMIT

REF: SECSTATE 244290

Classified By: USEU POLOFF LEE LITZENBERGER REASONS 1.4 (B,D)


1. (C) We presented reftel demarche to Commission and
Council officials on 17 November, asking their support in
pressing the Government of Slovenia to rescind its invitation
of a senior Belarus government official to the November 24-26
Central European Initiative (CEI) Summit hosted by Slovenia.
The EU is unlikely to put additional pressure on the
Slovenes. The Council explained that it approached Slovenia
two months ago with a concern that Lukashenko might attend,
and urged the Slovenes to keep attendance below the level of
Prime Minister. Slovenia therefore acted according to the EU
guidance it had received.


2. (C) The Commission noted that Slovenia's position was in
line with EU policy to limit bilateral contacts, but not
multilateral contacts. Additionally, according to the
Council Belarus desk, a potential EU visa ban on the minister
in question would not apply to the CEI summit because it is a
multilateral event. Under the EU's policy, the Slovenes may
not bilaterally meet with the Belarussian minister on the
margins of the conference. In response to our point about
Greece and the EU's successful exclusion of Sports minister
Sivakov from the Olympics, our Commission contact replied
that this exclusion was based on Sivakov's direct implication
in disappearances as related in the COE's Pourgerides report.


3. (C) We pressed for the EU to reconsider its policy on
multilateral events or, at least, consider making an
exception to its policy at this event to send strong signals
of disapproval and honor the spirit of the EU's "selective
engagement" policy toward Belarus. We argued that inviting a
Belarusian official at the ministerial lever shortly after
the elections and referendum on the elimination of term
limits on the presidency, which fell significantly short of
the OSCE's standards for democratic elections, could
undermine the EU effort to publicly support democracy and
human rights in Belarus. The Commission official argued that
the EU is unlikely to expand its "selective engagement"
policy to multilateral events because EU Member States that
neighbor Belarus, such as Poland and Lithuania, maintain they
must have a means of engaging Belarus.


4. (C) The EU is meeting next Monday to prepare Conclusions
on Belarus for the EU Foreign Ministers' GAERC on November
22-23. They are preparing to impose visa bans on officials
responsible for electoral fraud and violation of human rights
of demonstrators, but do not have a list of names. The
Council asked if we had a list of names we were considering,
which we could share so we act on the same individuals. We
encouraged the EU to include consideration of the CEI issue
in Monday's discussion. However, it appears extremely
unlikely the EU will approach Slovenia on this issue.
McKinley