SLOVAK VIEWS ON JULY 18 GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000552

SIPDIS


FOR EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/12/2010
TAGS: PREL EU UZ TU HR LO UN
SUBJECT: SLOVAK VIEWS ON JULY 18 GAERC

REF: STATE 124856

Classified By: Political/Economic Section Chief Debra Hevia for reasons
1.4 b and d


1. (C) Pol-Econ Chief shared ref A pre-GAERC points with
Lubomir Rehak, European
Correspondent, on July 8. Rehak was pleased to discuss U.S.
positions and stated that
he would share the talking points with others within the
Ministry prior to the GAERC
meeting, adding that Foreign Minister Kukan always read the
U.S. points in his briefing book.

Turkey/Croatia
--------------


2. (C) Rehak said the Turkish Ambassador, in a recent meeting
at the MFA, had
expressed frustration with the conditions that have been
placed on Turkey
before accession negotiations can begin. Slovakia will
insist that Turkey fulfill all the conditions. Recognizing
Cyprus will be an important step. Rehak said Slovakia is
concerned that if accession negotiations begin for Turkey
while Croatia is still denied negotiations, internal problems
in Croatia could ensue. He added that Slovakia, along with
Hungary and Austria, believes that negotiations with Croatia
must begin at the same time if not before they are begun with
Turkey. Croatia has more in common with other European
countries than Turkey. Of course it will be necessary for
Croatia to cooperate with ICTY, but Carla del Ponte should
not be the judge of "full cooperation," rather it should be a
special commission from the EU.

UN High Level Event on Millennium Review
--------------


3. (C) Rehak said that Slovakia is in general agreement with
the U.S. on UN reform.

Syria/Lebanon, Iran
--------------


4. (C) Rehak stated that Slovakia has no disputes with the
U.S. position on
Syria/Lebanon. On Iran, Rehak mentioned that the EU is
discussing what type of
representation to send to President-elect Ahmadinejad's
inauguration, and would perhaps limit attendance to
ambassadors in-country. Rehak said that the EU should refine
its policy on Iran in the lead-up to the IAEA Board of
Governors meeting in September.

Uzbekistan
--------------


5. (C) Slovakia remains particularly concerned about
Uzbekistan, and is receiving first-hand information from
Slovak Ambassador Miroslav Jenca, who is heading the OSCE
office in Tashkent. Because the Uzbeks refuse any meetings
with EU members, Jenca is virtually the only channel of
communication with Europe. Rehak said that Uzbekistan will
surely be seriously discussed at the upcoming GAERC meeting.
Some member states are reluctant to send any strong signals
(e.g. Germany opposes visa restrictions) and some remain
opposed to using the "Moscow Mechanism" of the OSCE. Rehak
was eager to hear U.S. views of the Moscow Mechanism and the
U.S. assesment of developments in Uzbekistan. He said that
Slovakia would like to see the situation change in a way that
would allow the OSCE to negotiate, but that this remains
difficult due to the Uzbek's aversion to take advice from the
OSCE or the EU. He agreed that some type of consequences for
Uzbekistan must be enacted by the EU in light of the passing
of the June 30 deadline, and lamented that the EU did not
have real consequences in mind when it set the deadline.

THAYER


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