THEMES FOR SLOVAK PM MIKULAS DZURINDA'S MARCH 13

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000166

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR THE SECRETARY AND EUR A/S FRIED FROM AMBASSADOR VALLEE
NSC FOR DAMON WILSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2021
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR SOCI LO
SUBJECT: THEMES FOR SLOVAK PM MIKULAS DZURINDA'S MARCH 13
MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT


Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D
).


1. (C) Madame Secretary, when the President welcomes Slovak
Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda to the White House on March
13, he will be welcoming a true friend of the United States.
Dzurinda has intentionally and very vocally worked to advance
U.S. interests in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, even
as he has advanced Slovak national interests and turned
Slovakia's economy into an example of free-market reform.
His Transatlantic outlook has made Slovakia a valuable ally
in the region, within NATO, the EU, and, most recently,
within the UN Security Council.

A LEADER IN TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY...
--------------


2. (C) Slovakia is one of the places where the U.S. and
Europe work best together; it is one of the linchpins holding
fast the Transatlantic relationship. Slovakia maintains an
active and constructive role in transformational diplomacy in
its immediate neighborhood and beyond. Under Dzurinda's
leadership, Slovakia continued its close partnership with the
U.S. in the Global War on Terror (GWOT) by sending Slovak
troops to serve abroad in Afghanistan and Iraq. Dzurinda
took these initiatives even though it was not the politically
popular thing to do in Slovakia, or in Europe.

...NURTURING THE TRANSATLANTIC PARTNERSHIP
--------------


3. (C) During his visit with the President, Dzurinda plans
to emphasize the importance of Transatlantic cooperation.
More importantly, Dzurinda misses no opportunity to take his
EU colleagues to task for being insufficiently supportive of
such cooperation. He does not believe that any EU member
should have to choose between friendship with the U.S. and
friendship with the rest of Europe. He intentionally took a
friendlier approach toward UK PM Blair's EU budget proposals
than his Visegrad-4 colleagues, partly in deference to his
appreciation for Blair's emphasis on the Transatlantic
partnership.


4. (C) It is fitting that Dzurinda's visit comes shortly
before elections in Belarus and Ukraine, where the Slovak
government and NGOs are assisting reformers and developing
civil society. Slovakia is taking the lead in organizing
election observers from the Visegrad-4 countries for the
Belarus vote, and will have an important role in devising the
EU response to the conduct of the election. The Dzurinda
government is also grappling with Moscow's attempts to
increase Russian involvement in the gas pipelines that
traverse Slovakia to provide energy supplies to western
Europe. PM Dzurinda would be pleased to provide his views of
Slovakia's relationship with Russia and his own assessment of
Russian President Putin.

A BATTLE ON HIS HANDS
--------------


5. (C) Prime Minister Dzurinda is in a tough spot
politically: with impending elections June 17, he is
trailing in Slovakia's polls, has lost a longtime coalition
partner, and is likely hoping that the optics of the White
House visit will improve his image as a statesman and a
leader back home. He will definitely bring up the topic of
the visa waiver program (albeit in a less direct, less
forceful manner than some of his V-4 colleagues),and will be
hoping for public acknowledgment that progress is being made
on the roadmap announced jointly with President Bush during
his visit to Slovakia in February 2005. In addition to
reaching milestones on the roadmap (for example, the signing
of an extradition treaty),our Embassy is working with the
Slovaks on specific benefits -- such as mutually lengthening
various visa reciprocity schedules -- short of immediate
entry into VWP that can provide benefits to average Slovaks.
We will continue to work these smaller issues in the run-up
to March 13, and will suggest how we can publicize this
progress. The GOS recognizes the difficulties in moving
along the roadmap, but also believes that we can do more to
soften political resistance within Congress.

CLOSE UNSC COOPERATION, BUT CAUTION ABOUT KOSOVO
-------------- ---


6. (C) We are off to a very fast and productive start with
Slovakia as a new, non-permanent member of the UNSC. They
are proactive, seek out our positions on the issues, and

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usually concur. A/S Silverberg visits here March 6-7 to
cement this cooperation.


7. (C) A Slovak foreign policy priority that the PM is
likely to raise with the President is the western Balkans.
The Slovaks are concerned that the U.S. and others are
pushing too hard and too quickly for Kosovo independence.
Specifically, they think we need to be more attentive to the
steps needed to bring Belgrade along as a willing and
invested negotiating partner. This was a highlight of
Foreign Minister Kukan's meeting with you last October, and,
as Kukan told you then, Slovakia is willing to help in
efforts with Belgrade. Meanwhile, Slovak diplomacy is
producing meaningful benefits on related issues in the
region. MFA Political Director Miroslav Lajcak, appointed by
Javier Solana as the EU's "facilitator" on the Montenegrin
referendum, is bringing the parties together skillfully on a
compromise formula for conducting the referendum in May.

LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR A KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMY
-------------- --------------


8. (C) Part of Dzurinda's visit to the U.S. will focus on
emphasizing the importance of developing education and
research -- particularly in science and technology. We are
currently finalizing the draft of a new Science and
Technology agreement that we will present to the Slovak
government to symbolize our joint interest in enhancing
cooperation in these fields. Sound and innovative
pro-private sector economic policies have put Slovakia on the
map as a good place for FDI. That FDI has benefited Slovaks,
but Slovakia needs to attract more investment and raise the
technological level of that investment in order to compete
and grow quality employment opportunities. Dzurinda also
wants to emphasize his support for improving Slovakia's
higher education system.

CHARTING A COURSE
--------------


9. (C) Under Dzurinda's leadership, Slovakia has made
significant progress exporting freedom and democracy, and
Dzurinda would now like to leave a lasting legacy by moving
Slovakia forward towards a knowledge-based economy. The
Prime Minister hopes that his visit to Washington will help
institutionalize the progress and direction he has charted
for Slovakia, to help cement the special relationship between
Slovakia and the United States regardless of the results of
June elections.
VALLEE