Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05LJUBLJANA80
2005-02-04 11:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

COM MEETS WITH FORMER SLOVENE PM ANTON ROP

Tags:  PREL PGOV SI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000080 

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV SI
SUBJECT: COM MEETS WITH FORMER SLOVENE PM ANTON ROP

Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000080

SIPDIS


DEPT. FOR EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV SI
SUBJECT: COM MEETS WITH FORMER SLOVENE PM ANTON ROP

Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. In his first meeting with COM, former PM
Anton Rop was forthcoming on his views for the future of his
party, the challenges faced by the current government and
Slovenia's close ties to Europe. He views his new role as
leader of the main opposition party as an opportunity to
regroup and revitalize the party. He plans to be a vocal
opposition to the new center-right government, as he as
already demonstrated on the issue of Iraq. Rop defended his
party's handling of privatization during its decade-plus in
power and he envisions a Slovenian economy more closely
modeled after Austria or Germany than the transition
economies of Eastern Europe. Rop also indicated he would like
to visit the U.S. this summer to talk politics and strategy
with his counterparts in Washington. End Summary.

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CONSUMMATE POLITICIAN
--------------


2. (C) Ambassador hosted former PM Anton Rop, currently a
member of parliament and President of the Liberal Democracy
Party (LDS) for lunch February 3. DCM and Pol/Econ Chief
attended, however, Rop came alone. Nearly 4 months after a
surprisingly big loss, Rop seemed to have identified and
acknowledged some weaknesses of his campaign. Nevertheless he
exuded confidence (some would say arrogance),and he has
begun the process of regrouping his party in preparation for
upcoming key elections including those for Mayor of Ljubljana
and President of Slovenia (2006). Rop is cleaning house in
the LDS, attempting to put his loyalists in positions of
importance within the party and moving out dissenters and
dead wood. He said that after 12 years of continuous power,
there were a lot of hangers on who were not really committed
to the party, and that they needed to go. With the goal of
reasserting LDS primacy on the national political scene, Rop
said the party was focusing on its grass roots supporters
across the country, and he suggested that LDS, perhaps, would
run former Foreign Minister Vajgl as a candidate for Mayor of
Ljubljana and even as President of the Republic in 2006,
when, according to Rop, current President Janez Drnovsek is
likely to decline to seek a second term.


3. (SBU) When asked about his view on the accuracy of
polling in Slovenia, Rop said that it was essentially
worthless, his private polling included. He had met with
U.S. consultants to California Governor Schwarzenegger who
told him the methodologies used in Slovenia were severely
flawed, based on their investigations. As a result, Rop hired
a French consultant to do private polling. This information
turned out to be equally flawed. Rop's great regret was that
he did not take up the offer of election planning software
extended by Senator Tom Harkin during Rop's 2004 visit to
Washington. He asked if we could help him to get in touch
with the National Democratic Institute since he would like to
visit the U.S. mid year to talk politics and campaign
strategy, and he would also like to provide some of his party
members with campaign training.


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A VOCAL OPPOSITION
--------------


4. (C) Saying that he saw benefits to being in opposition,
Rop was very clear that LDS would be a vocal opposition, on
foreign affairs as well as domestic affairs. The Ambassador
asked him about his recent reaction to the Jansa statement in
Brussels which suggested Slovenia would reconsider it's
contribution to international efforts in Iraq. Rop's
position was that absent French and/or German participation,
he could see no reason for Slovenia to chart an independent
path to putting soldiers in Iraq. He did allow that he could
lose the battle and Jansa, with NATO cover, could win over
public opinion. Jansa would have to pay a political price,
but that is to be expected. Rop added that he would probably
call for an "advisory" referendum, i.e. non-binding, should
Jansa try to take Slovenia into Iraq as part of the coalition
with the U.S. Should Slovene soldiers be part of a NATO
mission in Iraq, Rop did not anticipate raising the stakes to
the point of calling a national vote.

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FURTHER PRIVATIZATION NOT NECESSARY
--------------


5. (C) Reflecting on domestic issues, Rop presented a
vigorous defense of the LDS' handling of privatization over
the last decade. Somewhat disingenuously, he told the

Ambassador that privatization had been largely completed.
(Note. He failed to acknowledge the various indirect ways in
which the state exerted influence on major industries, such
as through government pension funds. End Note.) He also made
excuses that the picture is worse than originally planned
because some companies that were privatized early on had
received substantial loans from the Government, which were
then repaid with shares of the same company. The GOS could
not refuse this method of repayment because allowing the
companies to shrink or go bankrupt would only exacerbate an
already critical unemployment situation in some parts of
Slovenia - a result LDS (and others) found politically
unpalatable. Rop suggested privatization of some banks and
other primary targets such as telecom did not occur because
the GOS did not trust that new ownership would run the
companies to Slovenia's advantage. For example, Rop sees
Slovene banks as an important inroad into the southeast
European economies that he would not want Slovenia to lose.
Again, he drew a comparison with France and Germany to
justify significant state ownership of enterprises,
suggesting if it works for them, why shouldn't it work for
Slovenia.



6. (SBU) DCM asked Rop to reflect on his time on the
international stage and which of his counterparts he most
identified with. Rop said he preferred the serious
politician, such as Schuessel of Austria, Rasmussen of
Denmark and Persson of Sweden to the "performer." It was the
rare politician who had both charm and brains. Rop was very
complimentary to both President Bush and former President
Clinton, both of whom he had met. Rop had very warm memories
of his visit to the White House, with new NATO heads of
government, with President Bush. The President's personal
touch and private tour of the West Wing made quite a positive
impression.

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COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Despite his defeat in national elections in Fall
2004, Rop appears to have lost none of his political
self-assurance. He grew more confident as the lunch wore on,
particularly when he discussed economic themes. He was
clearly proud of his accomplishments as prime minister and
earlier as finance minister, and prior to that as
privatization czar. He acknowledged that, as a former PM, he
deeply appreciates some of the challenges facing Jansa, which
he says, makes it more difficult for him to criticize Jansa
publicly. Rop left no doubt that he will be vocal against
Slovenian involvement in Iraq. He made it clear that this was
as much because he was in oppositin now, and the Government
would have to "pay a price" politically to implement a new
policy on Iraq. The entire conversation drove home that
despite defeat, Rop, at least, if not the entire LDS,
maintains a Eurocentric view of Slovenia's place in the
world. The overall tone of the lunch was friendly and open.
Rop should continue to be a good touchstone of center-left
views in Slovenia. He certainly seems to believe he'll be
leading LDS for some time to come.
ROBERTSON


NNNN

2005LJUBLJ00080 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL



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