CZECH GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001558 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: IR PHUM PREL PTER EZ EUN SUBJECT: CZECH GOVERNMENT CONDEMNS IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S SPEECH; PLANS FOR VISIT OF PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION REF: STATE 199225 ¶1. (SBU) Polec officer delivered ref A demarche on October 31 to Miloslav Stasek, director of the Middle East and Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Stasek agreed that the inflammatory remarks by Iranian President Ahmadi-nejad were unacceptable. He added that he also met with the Charge d'Affaires of the Israeli Embassy and his department is looking at additional ways that the Czech government can react to the statement. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cyril Svoboda also issued a statement on the MFA website condemning the Iranian President's remarks, calling the remarks uncivilized. Svoboda said that the right of Israel to exist is undisputed and that such a verbal attack can threaten stability in the entire region. ¶2. (SBU) At the same time, we have learned that the Vice Chairman of the Czech Parliament's Foreign Relations Committee Vladimir Lastuvka (CSSD) has invited an Iranian parliamentary delegation to the Czech Republic. The delegation will consist of eight Iranian parliamentarians (names not yet known to the MFA) and will be in Prague November 22-27. The Iranian delegation requested a meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda, however the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the delegation will most likely be received by Stasek. The Lastuvka's invitation reciprocates for a visit he and other Czech Deputies made to Tehran earlier this year. Post will attempt to learn more about the delegation's program. CABANISS