DAS KRILLA REINFORCES PRO-NGO MESSAGE WITH SLOVAKS

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000943 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DRL FOR KRILLA DRL/AE FOR DELL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM SOCI LO SUBJECT: DAS KRILLA REINFORCES PRO-NGO MESSAGE WITH SLOVAKS ¶1. (SBU) During a November 30 - December 2 visit to Bratislava, DRL DAS Jeff Krilla reinforced Embassy concerns about possibly dwindling support for Slovak non-governmental organizations (NGOs), many of which were founded during the 1990s in an attempt to bring an end to the "cronyism" of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar. With Meciar back in the ruling coalition and the Slovak parliament considering a change to a current law allowing citizens to donate two percent of their income tax to NGOs, Slovak activists were finding themselves distracted from high-tempo democracy promotion activities abroad in places like Belarus, the western Balkans, and Cuba, and preoccupied with the prospect of decreasing funding and a lack of government support that could hamstring their agendas. However, after tough lobbying of Meciar's HZDS party and others by NGOs and our Embassy, the Slovak parliament voted December 6 to preserve the current system of support for NGOs, at least until a new system can be put into place next tax year (to be reported septel). SLOVAKS SURPRISED THAT WASHINGTON KNOWS -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Krilla raised the issue of continuing support for Slovak NGOs in all venues, from his media interview with Slovak Radio, to meetings with "old guard" foreign policy advisors in the new government, as well as members of parliament and career diplomats. All had a visibly marked reaction to Krilla's points, particularly when he raised the issue of the two percent financing. Laszlo Nagy, chairman of parliament's Committee for Human Rights, National Minorities, and Status of Women, sat bolt upright in his chair and wrote "two percent" with an exclamation point and a circle around it in his notes. Nagy, whose committee includes Meciar and Slovak National Party head Jan Slota (whose time as Mayor of Zilina earned the city the distinction of being rated "least transparent" in Slovakia),was impressed and excited that Krilla raised the topic. Nagy, who has participated himself in several foreign trips sponsored by NGO activists to promote democracy in Cuba and Belarus, gave us the impression at the time that he would likely flag this Washington interest with fellow members of parliament less friendly to the NGO agenda. He also took the opportunity to thank Krilla for the continued publishing of the annual Human Rights Report (HRR), which Nagy said makes many in Slovakia nervous, but for which many are also thankful. BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS -------------- ¶3. (SBU) During a breakfast which paired leaders from some of Slovakia's flagship democracy promotion NGOs with the foreign policy advisors to the President and Minister of Foreign Affairs (including Pavol Hamzik, former Meciar Foreign Minister),Krilla and the Ambassador took the opportunity to highlight the good work Slovakia's NGOs are doing abroad. The director of Partners for Democratic Change - Slovakia (PDCS) discussed his recent trips to the Middle East and Afghanistan, where PDCS is working to strengthen civil society; the directors of Pontis Foundation and "Citizen's Eye" also noted their activities in Belarus and the western Balkans. COMMENT: We hope that our not-so-subtle congratulations of these groups and their activities in front of influential NGO skeptics from the GOS is gaining traction for the point that a strong NGO sector is a positive partner for European democracies, and not a competitor or adversary. END COMMENT. ¶4. (U) DAS Krilla cleared the substance of this cable. VALLEE