DARFUR: SLOVENIAN AID WORKER/PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000533

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, AF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/17/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PINR SI
SUBJECT: DARFUR: SLOVENIAN AID WORKER/PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY IN
JAIL

REF: LJUBLJANA 380

Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson for reason 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary. Slovenian aid worker and sometime
Presidential envoy, Tomo Kriznar, has been sentenced to two
years in jail and a EUR 2000 fine on charges of entering
Sudan illegally, spying and spreading lies about Sudan,
according to Slovene press reports. The press has turned its
scornful pen on both the President's office and the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs for playing hot potato with Kriznar and,
in the process, damaging Slovenia's credibility with the
International Community. After initially seeking to distance
themselves from Kriznar's personal decision to enter Sudan
without a visa, both the MFA and the President's office have
been actively engaged in seeking his release. Thus far, there
has been no indication that the Government of Slovenia or the
President's office will seek assistance from the USG. End
Summary.


2. (U) In February 2006 when President Janez Drnovsek hoped
to travel to Sudan and Darfur to asses the humanitarian
situation, he had engaged with Tomo Kriznar, a Slovene
citizen and long-time aid worker in the region, for advice
and assistance. He also made him an official presidential
envoy for the purpose of the trip and to follow up generally
on Drnovsek's interest in Darfur. The President's trip never
materialized and the request for a visa for Sudan for Kriznar
was also withdrawn by the President's office. Kriznar, armed
with the President's letter proclaiming him a presidential
envoy, traveled to Chad, and, without the President's
approval (though apparently with his knowledge),crossed over
into Sudan earlier this year. In mid July when his situation
became difficult, on the advice of the President's office,
Kriznar turned himself over to AU forces hoping they would
deliver him safely out of Sudan. Instead, they delivered him
to the Sudanese authorities who have since tried and
convicted him for illegal entry, spying and spreading lies.


3. (U) Both the President's office and the MFA have been
clear that Kriznar entered Sudan of his own will and with no
official support. Early on they suggested he had made this
personal decision and that while they were working for his
release, he was to blame for his current situation. After
weeks of assuming the Government of Sudan would simply expel
Kriznar, both the President's office and the MFA have been
forced to engage more vigorously. They have been working
through the German Embassy in Khartoum and with the Sudanese
Embassy in Vienna. Perhaps expressing some frustration at
the lack of direct engagement by the Government of Slovenia,
the German Ambassador to Sudan, Stephan Keller told Radio
Slovenia he thought the MFA should get more politically
involved and send someone down to help. The MFA has said it
is sending its consul from Cairo to Sudan posthaste. The
President's office has also gotten international NGOs Amnesty
International and the Aegis Trust to help raise awareness of
Kriznar's plight.


4. (C) Comment. This case is symptomatic of the disconnect
that exists between President Drnovsek and the Government of
Slovenia, particularly when it comes to foreign affairs.
When Drnovsek was prime minister, he was deeply engaged in
foreign affairs. As president, and particularly in the last
12 months, his interest has remained high. Unfortunately, he
seems neither to value nor to respect the need to consult
with the Government on his initiatives. In return, the MFA
seemed to be happy, in this instance, to see Drnovsek squirm
under withering scrutiny from the press which lambasted
Drnovsek for sending out an envoy without even the little
protection a diplomatic passport could provide, and
questioned the wisdom of his uncoordinated foreign policy
initiatives.


5. (C) Comment Continued: The press has also pointed out
that this lack of coordination and the attempt by both the
President's office and the MFA to dodge responsibility for
Kriznar only lessens Slovenia's credibility as a serious
player in international affairs. While the MFA is acutely
aware of the damage caused to its credibility by Drnovsek's
ill advised foreign policy ventures, Drnovsek, until now, has
refused to accept that his public comments and initiatives
should be vetted by the Government. The case of Tomo
Kriznar, however, drives home the potential negative
consequences of Drnovsek's maverick actions. In light of our
criticism of Drnovsek's engagement on Darfur in June (reftel)
and his advisor's vigorous defense of the President's right
to engage, we are not surprised that they have not reached
out to us for assistance. Drnovsek, perhaps naively,
believed he could manage this without the help of the MFA and

certainly without assistance from the USG. The German
Ambassador in Khartoum also does not seem to have a "get out
of jail free" card for Kriznar and it is clear that the
Government of Slovenia will have to do much more, even in the
lazy days of August, to win the release of their compatriot.
We should be prepared, in any case, for the GOS to approach
us eventually to use our good offices to win the release of
this well intentioned if misguided humanitarian. End Comment.
ROBERTSON