DEMARCHE ON ANDREW WEISS CASE DELIVERED, MFA

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000827

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/NCE, EB/OIA, L AND WHA/CAN
STATE PASS USTR FOR LERRION

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EINV KIDE EZ USTR
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON ANDREW WEISS CASE DELIVERED, MFA
REQUESTS RESPONSE TO LAST PROPOSAL ON BILATERAL INVESTMENT
TREATY

REF: STATE 92894


1. On May 26 we delivered the points transmitted reftel,
regarding the case of Andrew Weiss, to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Present at the meeting were Jan Maisler of
the MFA's Americas Department, Milan Kuchta, head of the
non-European Countries office of the Department of Bilateral
Economic Relations and Petr Matousek, of the International
Law Department. The three officials agreed that the MFA has
little influence over the course of the dispute, and
suggested contacting the Ministries of Finance or Justice
regarding the issues raised. We will make arrangements for
meetings with appropriate officials in those ministries.


2. Kuchta reminded us that the Czech Embassy in Washington
delivered a revised proposal for amending the Bilateral
Investment Treaty (BIT) to the Department in March. No
response from the U.S. side has as yet been received, and the
Ministry of Finance would like to receive one. Kuchta said
that the Ministry of Finance is interested in meeting with
the U.S. side sometime this fall to continue discussions. In
June or July it will propose some dates. Matousek added that
the Czech Republic is discussing the Czech-Canadian BIT with
the Government of Canada. He said that, similarly to the
U.S. BIT, there are issues of inconsistency with EU law (that
in the U.S. case were addressed by last year's U.S.-EU
negotiations) and bilateral issues of indirect investment and
arbitration rules that the Czech Republic wants to resolve.
HILLAS