CZECHS AT GYMNICH: SUPPORT SANCTIONS FOR IRAN;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 001065

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2016
TAGS: PREL EU IR KNNP PARM PGOV UN EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS AT GYMNICH: SUPPORT SANCTIONS FOR IRAN;
DRAGGING FEET ON UNIFIL

REF: A. STATE 143323

B. PRAGUE 1060

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mike Dodman
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summery. MFA Director of the CFSP Department said EU
foreign ministers will informally discuss Iran, Lebanon, and
EU-Russian relations at the upcoming Gymnich meeting. No
final conclusions are expected to be made. On Iran, the
Czechs will support sanctions against Iran if it fails to
comply with UNSCR 1696. On Lebanon, the Czechs are still
considering a troop commitment to UNIFIL, but are taking a
long-term view; a commitment may not come before the second
half of 2007. On Russia, the Czechs support renegotiating the
PCA, but urge focus on the practical application of the
agreement. End summary.


2. (C) Poloff met with MFA Director of the CFSP Department
Vaclav Balek on August 31, to discuss the September 1 Gymnich
meeting and deliver Ref A talking points on Iran. Balek said
the foreign ministers will discuss Iran, Lebanon and
EU-Russian relations at the meeting, which he described as a
brainstorming session. No firm conclusions on these issues
are expected.

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Iran
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3. (C/NF) On Iran: Balek said the Czechs have always taken a
hard line on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Although the Czechs
have not seen Iran's response to the P5 1 offer, the text
will be discussed in depth at the Gymnich meeting. The Czechs
will support referral of Iran to the UNSC for sanctions if,
as is expected, Iran does not comply with UNSCR 1696 by today
(August 31). The Czechs think UNSC consensus on next steps is
crucial, as Iran will seek to create and exploit any
divisions among UNSC members. Among EU member states sitting
on the UNSC, Balek predicted UK will support the imposition
of sanctions, and France while taking a tough stand, may urge
further negotiations with Iran before voting to impose
sanctions.

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Lebanon
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4. (C) On Lebanon: The Czechs see the role in EU in Lebanon
as important and long-term, and expect that EU troops will be
the "backbone" of the new UNIFIL mission. Accordingly, Balek
said Czech troops will serve in Lebanon "sooner or later."
Czech MFA has recommended in favor of committing troops to
UNIFIL, but the MOD has argued against, citing budget
constraints and the impact of the commitment on other foreign
missions as obstacles (Ref B). The decision will be made by
the new Czech government. However, Balek said he thought this
issue will not/not be among the first priorities of the new
government. He also said recent discussions within the MFA
have been focused on the mid- or long-term view. Thus, he
predicted a Czech contribution to UNIFIL would be made later
rather than sooner; perhaps in the second half of 2007.


5. (C) In addition to direct troop contribution, the Czechs
are considering other ways to support the UNIFIL mission,
such as by providing training or equipment to the Lebanese
Army. In addition, although the MFA has previously stated
that commitment to UNIFIL must not impact commitments to
other foreign missions, Balek said the Czechs are considering
the possibility of redeploying Czech troops currently
stationed in Bosnia. The argument in support is that Bosnia
is stable, and the bulk of the work performed there is
policing. The Czechs could therefore redeploy some troops to
Lebanon where the need is greater. (Note: this option is not
necessarily inconsistent with the goal of not affecting other
missions. Previously planned Czech troop rotations will soon
slightly reduce the total number of Czech troops deployed in
the region, making it possibly to redeploy them in Lebanon.
End note.)

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PRAGUE 00001065 002 OF 002


Russia
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6. (C) The Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation (PCA)
will be the third topic of discussion. The Czechs are willing
to renegotiate the agreement, as it is outdated, but believe
the practical application of the agreement is more important
than the institutional framework.

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Comment
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7. (C) Comment. The MFA understands the importance of
supporting Lebanon, and will continue to advocate for
commitment of troops to UNIFIL and/or military assistance to
the Lebanese Army. As Balek said, the Czechs must back their
words with actions to be credible. However, turbulent
political and pragmatic realities (e.g., a new government,
MOD budget cuts, current commitments to other missions that
stretch the number of available troops) could delay the final
decision, and limit the size and nature of the commitment. We
expect the Czechs to provide substantial funds (by Czech
standards) for humanitarian assistance to Lebanon in the
short term. However, discussions with MFA and MOD officials
in recent days have forced us to conclude that a Czech
commitment to UNIFIL, while likely, may be disappointingly
slow in materializing. End comment.
CABANISS