AUSTRALIA GROUP: SLOVAKIA HOPES FOR U.S.-EU

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000369

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

ISN/CB, EUR/PRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC LO
SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA GROUP: SLOVAKIA HOPES FOR U.S.-EU
COORDINATION IN ADVANCE OF JUNE MEETING

REF: SECSTATE 70409

Classified By: Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee per E.O. 12
958, reasons 1.
4(b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. The Russians have approached Slovakia twice
to seek support for their bid to join the Australia Group.
For both practical and political reasons Slovakia is not
inclined to support Russian membership. It is Slovakia's
impression that the U.S. is looking for a reason not to
support Russian membership. The Slovaks hope the U.S. and EU
will coordinate a position on this issue in advance of the AG
Plenary. End Summary.


2. (C) Poloff delivered reftel talking points and non-paper
to Karol Mistrik, Director of the Arms Control, OSCE and
Counter-Terrorism Department at the Slovak MFA. Mistrik said
the Russian Embassy had approached him twice in the past
month about the upcoming AG Plenary; the Embassy had let him
know that Russian representatives would be in Paris to follow
the meeting.


3. (C) Mistrik said the Russians mentioned only practical
issues related to their border controls and ability to
fulfill the obligations of AG membership. Later on, however,
when Mistrik was discussing Slovakia's political objections
to Russian membership, he mentioned Russia's blocking of
Slovakia's application to join the Missile Technology Control
Regime (MTCR) and it was apparent that he had discussed
reciprocal support for the two countries ambitions with the
Russians. Mistrik said he told the Russian representative
that reciprocity would be difficult since Slovakia was not in
a position to sway many members of the AG with respect to
Russian ambitions.


4. (C) Mistrik expressed his belief that the U.S. was asking
allies to present information on Russia in order to find a
reason to deny them membership. He said Slovakia did not want
to go out on a limb in opposing Russian membership because of
the delicacy of their bilateral relationship. He said the EU
is already working on a coordinated position vis-a-vis
Russia's AG ambitions and that he hoped the U.S. and EU would
be able to coordinate in advance of the AG Plenary as well.


5. (U) Recalling a graph the US delegation had shown at the
last two meetings indicating that greater membership yields
lesser effectiveness, Mistrik implied that the idea of the
graph was not well thought-out given the US desire to see
other treaty-based bodies expand their membership. (Comment:
Poloff understood this as a reference to EU expansion. End
Comment.) Mistrik said he was considering asking Slovakia's
mission in the U.S. to approach the USG directly with these
issues, or that alternatively he might contact his own
counterpart informally.
VALLEE