PARLIAMENT LEADER PRINCIPLED ON CUBA, TIP

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000045

SIPDIS


FOR WHA/CCA, G/TIP, EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM EU CU LO
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT LEADER PRINCIPLED ON CUBA, TIP


Classified By: CDA Scott N. Thayer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky told
Charge d'Affaires January 20 he would continue to make
support for Cuban dissidents one of his personal priorities,
and was discussing with Vaclav Havel nominating three
dissidents for the Nobel Peace Prize. He discussed the
difficulties of reconciling a principled foreign policy with
the need for EU consensus. He asked about the Feb 23-24
POTUS visit, and informed Charge that Russian President Putin
had proposed speaking to Parliament during his bilateral
visit to Slovakia. Hrusovsky expressed his willingness to
use tools available to Parliament to advance the TIP agenda.
He accepted charge's offer of help in planning a spring 2005
trip to the U.S. End summary.


2. (C) Charge d'affaires met with President of Parliament
Pavol Hrusovsky on January 20 to discuss the upcoming POTUS
visit, Slovakia's policy vis-a-vis Cuba, trafficking in
persons, and Hrusovsky's pending visit to the U.S. During
the 90-minute meeting, the euro-sceptic Hrusovsky, also the
Chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement, shared his
thoughts on the struggle for Slovakia to sustain a moral
foreign policy in the face of pressure for EU consensus.


3. (C) Foremost on Hrusovsky's mind was the upcoming POTUS
visit to Bratislava. He informed Charge that Russian
President Putin would likely give a speech to Parliament
during Russian-Slovak bilateral portion of the visit. Charge
assured Hrusovsky that the U.S. was looking for ways to
include him in the POTUS bilateral program, though time
constraints were severe. (Comment: Hrusovsky is a stubborn
and proud leader. We know from his advisors and other
players in the government that he is offended that POTUS will
not call on him at Parliament as is the norm in official
visits to Slovakia, but he was gracious in making his case to
us.)

Nobel Prize Nomination for Cuban Dissidents
--------------


4. (C) Hrusovsky said that he appreciated his January 14
meeting with USAID's Adolfo Franco on Cuba, and that he and
Franco saw eye-to-eye on the situation in Cuba. Hrusovsky
expressed frustration that the Slovak MFA was going along
with the EU consensus to roll back the restrictive measures
imposed on Cuba in 2003, and said he was requesting a meeting
with Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan to urge him not to support
this proposal at the January 31 GAERC. He was especially
concerned with the anti-American tone influencing the EU's
Cuba policy. Hrusovsky said he and former Czechoslovak
president Vaclav Havel had discussed nominating three Cuban
dissidents, including Oswaldo Paez whom Hrusovsky knows
personally, for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hrusovsky said that
he is in close contact with the NGO Pontis Foundation on
events in Cuba, and that it will be one of his priorities to
convince the MFA and the Slovak cabinet to stand firm in
support of dissidents.

Will Slovakia be "Courageous" in the EU?
--------------


5. (C) Hrusovsky's KDH party has not been shy about
expressing its euro-scepticism. The KDH was behind
Slovakia's insistence that God be mentioned in the EU
Constitution. It authored legislation allowing Parliament to
"direct" GOS positions in Brussels. It remains strongly
opposed to EU accession by a non-Christian country like
Turkey. KDH ministers have surprised their colleagues abroad
and their coalition partners at home by standing alone
against EU consensus on issues such as mutual recognition of
same-sex unions. CDA suggested that until spring 2003,
policy formulation in Slovakia enjoyed consensus across the
political spectrum because it was oriented toward the goals
of NATO and EU accession. Now, how would Slovakia define its
priorities? Hrusovsky pondered out loud whether Slovakia
would be courageous enough to express its principles in an EU
where consensus was the rule. Using the case of Cuba policy,
he asked, "Can we veto bigger countries' decisions? Are our
words about a strong trans-Atlantic link sincere? Will
disagreeing within the EU be damaging for Slovakia? We must
be careful not to lose the accomplishments of the last 12
years (since Slovak independence)."

TIP: Pass a Law, Ratify a Treaty, Call a Hearing
-------------- ---


6. (C) CDA raised trafficking in persons, expressing
gratitude for measures that KDH ministers such as Daniel
Lipsic (Justice) and Vladimir Palko (Interior) have taken to
combat TIP. He added that there are additional TIP-related

issues outside their competence, such as in the fields of
education and health, and that is why we are urging the GOS
to adopt a national action plan and appoint a national TIP
coordinator. Hrusovsky said he did not have all the details
on what the government is doing to combat TIP, but he was
willing to be helpful in any way possible. He said he would
task Parliament's human rights committee to look into the
issue, especially regarding any needed legislation or treaty
ratification. (Comment: There are no gaps in these areas, to
our knowledge.) He will also consider calling a hearing on
TIP, in which the government would have to explain to
Parliament the measures it is taking to combat TIP.


7. (C) Finally, CDA offered the Embassy's services when
Hrusovsky plans his trip to the U.S. in spring 2005.
Hrusovsky thanked CDA for the offer and said he would
appreciate advice, but after the February 24 POTUS visit.
THAYER


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