UKRAINE: DFM KHANDOHIY, U/S DOBRIANSKY DISCUSS FM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KIEV 000965 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV KFLU NATO SUBJECT: UKRAINE: DFM KHANDOHIY, U/S DOBRIANSKY DISCUSS FM TARASYUK'S DC VISIT, HOLODOMOR MONUMENT, AVIAN INFLUENZA Classified By: Charge d'Affairs Sheila Gwaltney for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (C) Summary: In a March 3 meeting with Under Secretary Dobriansky and Ambassador, DFM Volodymyr Khandohiy pushed for a Presidential drop-by during FM Tarasyuk's March 9 meeting with the Vice President in Washington. Dobriansky and Ambassador frankly described the poor timing (in view of the unsettled state of a Ukraine-Russia natural gas deal) of Khandohiy's request for favorable USG consideration of a bilateral statement on energy security. Dobriansky said she would check further into the background of what Khandohiy described as a hold-up in the approval process of a "Holodomor" (1932-33 Stalin-induced famine in Ukraine) monument in Washington. Dobriansky suggested that the Ukraine-inspired Community of Democratic Choice meeting in Vilnius should implement a specific program or initiative. She fended off Khandohiy's suggestion to hold a special U.N. General Assembly session on the topic of avian influenza. Khandohiy said the Ukrainian government (GOU) would more actively implement a NATO public education campaign after the March 26 parliamentary and local elections. End summary. Tarasyuk's March 9 Visit to Washington -------------- ¶2. (C) The March 3 meeting with DFM Khandohiy came a day after U/S Dobriansky's meetings with President Yushchenko and PM Yekhanurov, both of which Khandohiy attended (septels). At the end of the March 3 meeting, DFM Khandohiy focused on deliverables for FM Tarasyuk's March 9-10 meetings in Washington. The GOU was pleased that Tarasyuk would meet with the Vice President; Khandohiy delicately inquired about the possibility of a Presidential drop-by. He implied that the Ukrainians were hoping to maintain parity with, or one-up, Russia during Tarasyuk's Washington visit, coming on the heels of Russian FM Lavrov's March 6-7 visit. Dobriansky replied that she was not certain that the President would be in Washington during Tarasyuk's visit. ¶3. (C) Khandohiy also inquired about the possibility of signing a bilateral statement on energy security during Tarasyuk's visit. The Ukrainian government had welcomed the strong and positive USG support during the initial stages of its dispute with Russia over natural gas supplies. Khandohiy sought continuing favorable U.S. support in the form of an energy security statement. Dobriansky and Ambassador stressed that, in the context of the questionable deal with Russia and questions about RosUkrEnergo's role, circumstances did not favor such a statement. Khandohiy urged them to consider the Ukrainian request favorably, pointing out that the supply arrangements for Russian natural gas still had not been conclusively finalized. The Holodomor Memorial -------------- ¶4. (C) Khandohiy asked for State Department support to overcome Department of the Interior/National Park Service opposition to the establishment in Washington of a monument to the victims of the Ukrainian "Holodomor" (the Stalin-engineered famine in 1932-33, leading to an estimated 10 million deaths). The House of Representatives had voted November 16, 2005 in favor of allocating land for the monument, but in order for the bill to be enacted, the Senate needed to have passed a similar measure by February 16. Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oleh Shamshur had testified in favor of the monument during a recent Senate hearing. Unfortunately, the Senate Subcommittee on National Parks had not passed the bill to the Senate floor due to opposition of the National Park Service, which argue that a specific Holodomor memorial was unnecessary since another memorial to victims of communism was under consideration. Dobriansky said she was hearing about the issue of the Holodomor monument for the first time and would look into it when she returned to Washington. Community of Democratic Choice -------------- ¶5. (C) Dobriansky noted that she had arrived in Kiev from Mali, where she attended the launch of the Malian chairmanship of Community of Democracies (CD). At the CD Convening Group meeting in Mali, she had spoken about how Ukraine had given the Community of Democracy mechanism a regional expression by establishing the Community of Democratic Choice (CDC). In the run-up to the next CDC meeting in Vilnius, Dobriansky urged that the primary countries motivating CDC -- Ukraine, Georgia, Lithuania, and Romania -- focus on a concrete initiative or program that would make the CDC relevant to regional needs. This could take the form of a roundtable discussion of best practices that emerging democracies could employ, or the importance of civil society in a new democracy, Dobriansky offered. The theme could be integrated into the CDC meeting. For example, if the role of civil society were under discussion, the CDC could invite NGOs from countries such as Belarus that were struggling to develop democratically. ¶6. (C) Khandohiy said he understood and agreed with Dobriansky's suggestion. CDC organizers were wrestling with the challenge that she had highlighted. While planning remained in the formative stages, they were thinking about possible initiatives regarding the so-called frozen conflicts. Georgia, for one, was dealing with two frozen conflicts on its territory (South Ossetia and Abhazia),while Ukraine and Romania had a direct interest in a frozen conflict in Moldova (Transnistria). Avian Influenza - partnerships and cooperation -------------- - ¶7. (SBU) Khandohiy expressed his appreciation for USG efforts on avian influenza (AI) after Dobriansky briefed him on the concrete measures being taken to improve Ukraine's ability to combat a possible outbreak of AI. She said the issue was not just one of public health, but was also a transborder issue affecting national security. In recognition of this reality, the USG was coordinating its own efforts on AI with the governments of Canada and Mexico; Dobriansky urged Ukraine to consider a similar regional approach based on partnership to the problem. Khandohiy responded that Ukraine had floated the idea of holding a special UN General Assembly session devoted to avian influenza and asked for Dobriansky's views on the merits of this proposal. Dobriansky said a special session would not be necessary in light of the establishment of an international partnership to combat AI. The international partnership brought together representatives of the ministries of agriculture and health from over 88 countries and relevant international organizations. The EU was preparing to hold an international partnership meeting in early June that would also have a focus on the situation in Europe. The United Nations could take up AI, but perhaps this could be done as part of its regular session, Dobriansky suggested. Progress towards NATO: public outreach -------------- ¶8. (C) Khandohiy said a third of the Ukrainian public favored NATO membership, a third opposed it, and a third was undecided. A positive NATO signal on a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for Ukraine would provide the momentum necessary to change undecided votes to positive ones. MFA officials were traveling to various cities and towns of Ukraine, engaging in meetings, seminars, and other efforts to inform the Ukrainian public better about NATO. The GOU had provided the MFA with a modest sum of about $4-5 million for public education outreach. While the funding was aimed primarily at boosting Ukraine's image abroad, the MFA also hoped to implement a domestic education campaign over the 2006-2007 timeframe. The campaign was in low gear for the moment, but the MFA hoped to accelerate it after the March 26 parliamentary and local elections. ¶9. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Gwaltney