CZECH REPUBLIC: UNLIKELY ATTENDANCE AT

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001432 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NCE ERIC FICHTE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KTIA EWWT ANET AORC PREL ECPS IMO INMARSAT EZ SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: UNLIKELY ATTENDANCE AT INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION SAFETY COMM MEETING REF: STATE 183434 ¶1. In response to reftel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Multilateral Economic Relations Deputy Director Jaroslav Stepanek said the Czechs do not normally send a representative to the committee meetings of the International Maritime Organization (IMO),and Stepanek himself only attends the IMO Assembly every other year. He acknowledged that the Czechs have sailors at sea and that safety and security are important issues, but informed the level of his government's participation is not likely to increase. ¶2. Ministry of Transportation Department of Navigation and Waterways Director Vit Simonovsky confirmed that Czechs will not attend the late November IMO safety committee meeting in Istanbul due to a lack of funds. Likewise, London-based permanent representatives or embassy officers will not attend the meeting. GRABER