CHARGE DISCUSSES IRAQ AND TIP WITH SLOVENE DG FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000593

SIPDIS


DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, G/TIP

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015
TAGS: ECON PHUM PREL SI
SUBJECT: CHARGE DISCUSSES IRAQ AND TIP WITH SLOVENE DG FOR
MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS

REF: LJUBLJANA 523

Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Stanislav Rascan, MFA Director General for
Policy Planning and Multilateral Affairs requested a meeting
with Charge to discuss Iraq and Trafficking in Persons. On
Iraq, Rascan specifically asked for USG assistance in
promoting its International MBA program in Iraq. The GOS has
made available funding for five full-time Iraqi students to
participate in a one year program. Charge queried Rascan on
GOS decisions about participating in the NATO Training
Mission in Iraq, and Rascan said it was currently under
active discussion and that the MFA, in fact, had prepared a
supportive position paper for FM Dimitrij Rupel. On TIP,
Rascan explained some of the problems surrounding funding for
the NGO Kljuc which has been the supplier of victims'
services in the GOS anti-TIP program. He was not able to say
when, or even definitively if, funds would be made available
for Kljuc in the near future. End Summary.


2. (U) On August 12, MFA Director General Stanislav Rascan
invited Charge to the Foreign Ministry to discuss a
management development program for executives from Iraq. It
would be held under the auspices of the International Center
for Promotion of Enterprise (ICPE) located in Ljubljana. The
ICPE, a UN initiative, was established in 1974 as an
intergovernmental organization of developing countries for
improving the performance of their public enterprises as
strategic instruments of economic and social development.
Rascan said that his staff had approached the Iraqi mission
in Vienna several times hoping to develop contacts that could
identify suitable participants for this program, but so far
they have had no success. As the academic year begins in
October, the GOS is anxious to identify participants as soon
as possible. Rascan said the money they have earmarked for
these students could be configured in any number of ways,
i.e. 10 students for six-month programs.


3. (C) Charge asked Rascan if there had been any internal
movement on the idea of participating in NTM-I. Rascan said
the idea was under active discussion within the Government.
He also said that the MFA had prepared a discussion paper for
the next government session on the topic and that they had
put a positive spin on it. Rascan indicated they were also
working on a media strategy and said that if they get to the
point where they will be rolling out what will surely be a
controversial decision, they will look to the US for support.


4. (SBU) Most likely in response to concern raised by Post
over a news report that the NGO Kljuc still had not received
promised funding from the GOS and thus was unable to provide
services to trafficking victims, Rascan explained the
obstacles currently facing the GOS. It was nothing new. He
mentioned the budget delays which affected everyone
negatively, though those were solved in June. The most
recent delay relates to a possible conflict of interest
between the director of Kljuc and her husband who is a high
ranking government official (reftel). Rascan was unable to
provide a time line for resolution of this conflict. He was
also unable to say how the GOS would meet its obligations,
provided for in the national action plan for caring for
trafficking victims, if Kljuc's doors were closed
permanently. Post will be following up on this and other
TIP-related questions.


5. Minimize considered.
ROBERTSON


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2005LJUBLJ00593 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL



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