CZECHS SUPPORT U.S. VIEWS ON SECURITY, DEMOCRACY,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 001524 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/09/2016 TAGS: PREL KDEM HR EZ SUBJECT: CZECHS SUPPORT U.S. VIEWS ON SECURITY, DEMOCRACY, AND HUMAN RIGHTS DURING U/S DOBRIANSKY'S TRIP TO PRAGUE Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mike Dodman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky traveled to Prague December 5-6 to address security issues at the Global Futures Forum. In addition, Dobriansky met with Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar to thank the Czechs for their cooperation with the United States, particularly in the area of democracy and human rights. Other topics disussed with Pojar included (1) the UNHRC (the Czechs will run again for a 2009 seat, despite the disappointing performance of the Council); (2) reforms for the Community of Democracies (Pojar supported the idea of a small secretariat based in Europe and the theme of "Democracy and Development"); (3) Cuba (Pojar was not hopeful that EU will develop a common position on a mid- and long-term approach to Cuba); (4) Ukraine (Pojar agreed that ongoing western dialogue with PM Yanukovych is key); (5) the North Korean Worker Program in the Czech Republic (unfortunately, here to stay in the short term),and (6) priorities for the Czech EU presidency (Czechs will likely focus on transatlantic relations, EU accession for countries in the Western Balkans, and stability in Eastern Europe). During her brief visit, U/S Dobriansky also toured Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and gave interviews on the U.S. commitment to democracy and women's rights in Afghanistan. End summary. ¶2. (U) During her visit to Prague, U/S Dobriansky met Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar, Director of the MFA's Transformation Unit Gabriela Dlouha, and other MFA officials. Dobriansky was welcomed to RFE/RL by Acting President Jeffrey Trimble. She conferred with leading Czech security analysts, Prague Security Studies Institute (PSSI) Executive Director Oldrich Cerny (former head of the Czech Foreign Intelligence Agency) and PSSI Director Jiri Schneider (former MFA Political Director, and former Czech Ambassador to Israel). Finally, she dined with leading members of Czech civil society, including Simon Panek, Co-founder and Director of Czech NGO People in Need; Jan Urban, former dissident leader; Michael Diedring, Director of the CEELI Institute; and Vladimira Dvorakova, professor and political analyst at Prague School of Economics. The guests described ways their organizations are assisting democracy advocates in Cuba, Iraq, and Ukraine. -------------- At Conference, U/S Called for Partnerships to Combat Threats to Global Security -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Dobriansky visited Prague primarily to speak at the Global Futures Forum, a conference co-sponsored by Prague Security Studies Institute aimed at increasing international cooperation on intelligence in response to global security threats. Dobriansky urged participants to increase intelligence cooperation to respond more effectively to undemocratic/failed states, and to environmental degradation and resource constraints. She stressed the importance of forming public and private partnerships in response to combating global security threats including terrorism, the spread of infectious diseases, pandemics, human trafficking, and other threats. Finally, she urged security/intelligence professionals to become advocates for their issues at the highest levels of their own governments, and to network with professionals in other countries. -------------- At MFA, U/S Discussed the Importance Democracy and Human Rights -------------- ¶4. (C) Dobriansky met with Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar, the Director of the MFA,s Transformation Unit Gabriela Dlouha, and the Deputy Directors of the Americas and Human Rights Departments. They discussed the disappointing performance of the UNHRC, possible ways forward for the Community of Democracies, the current situation in Cuba, the importance of western dialogue with the current leadership of Ukraine, the Czech government's approach to the North Korean worker program, and the Czech Republic's priorities for its upcoming EU presidency. ¶5. (C) UNHRC: Dobriansky asked Pojar for practical suggestions from the Czech Republic on ways the performance of the UNHRC can be improved. Pojar agreed the UNHRC has been a "disaster" is its first term, but had no suggestions on how to reform it. Despite his personal frustration and low expectations, he said the Czech Republic has decided to run PRAGUE 00001524 002 OF 003 for another seat on the Council for the 2008-2011 term. Human Rights Department Deputy Director Martin Boucek urged the United States to run for a seat as well, noting that the lack of U.S. participation is "felt." Dobriansky disagreed that U.S. participation would improve the ability of the UNHRC to carry out its mandate. The problem, she said, is the composition of the current membership. ¶6. (C) Community of Democracies (CD): Dobriansky described recent proposals that could help the CD move forward, including (1) a call by Italy to form a small secretariat for the organization. Rome, Warsaw, Portugal, and Mali have expressed willingness (in varying degrees) to host the secretariat; (2) Czech Ambassador to the UN Martin Palous SIPDIS proposed an international advisory board; (3) Mali proposed a theme to refocus the efforts of the CD: "Democracy and Development;" and (4) Freedom House challenged current membership eligibility requirements, and proposed restricting the number of members to keep out countries with questionable motives (such as Russia, Taiwan, and Venezuela). Pojar responded favorably to the secretariat proposal, noting that the host country should pay the lion's share of the cost. He said he favored Warsaw. He would support Mali's proposed theme, and said the CD should support countries that make clear progress in development efforts. On limiting the number of CD members, Pojar said "it depends." He thought open debate would be important to the success of the proposal. ¶7. (C) Cuba: Dobriansky described a recent meeting in Miami on the Cuban transition attended by Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Czech Ambassador to the U.S. Petr Kolar, Cuban expats and dissidents, and others. Pojar said the Czechs are frustrated on the inability of the EU to respond to the changing situation with a meaningful common policy. He predicted no positive development unless Germany makes the issue a priority, which he thought was unlikely to occur during the German presidency. ¶8. (C) Ukraine: Dobriansky and Pojar agreed on the need to continue engagement with the current leadership in Ukraine. Pojar said the message should be that there is a promising future ahead if Ukraine keeps at least one foot in the west. Pojar said it would also be important to remind Ukrainian PM Yanukovych of statements he has made in Brussels; otherwise he may follow the "Arafat model" of changing his message depending on his audience. ¶9. (C) North Korean Workers: Dobriansky asked Pojar to describe steps being taken by the Czech government to end the North Korean worker program in the Czech Republic. Pojar said, bottom line, there is not much that can be done to end it in the short term because no Czech law or regulation has been broken, the GOCR fears the workers will be punished by the regime if they are forced to return before the term of their visas. Moreover, Czech intelligence has confirmed that the workers do not pose a security threat. Therefore, Czechs have taken the following steps: (1) they have denied a request to increase the number of visas issued (from 400 to 800),(2) they will not renew visas of current visa holders, (3) they have offered the opportunity of asylum to any worker who requests it, and have made clear to the workers that they are free to speak to NGOs, journalists, or anyone who can offer assistance. ¶10. (C/NF) Priorities for Czech EU Presidency: According to Pojar, likely priorities will be: (1) the transatlantic relationship, (2) the EU candidacy of the Western Balkans countries, especially Croatia, and (3) the stability of Eastern Europe, with a focus on Ukraine. Pojar said that, in his view, human rights will not/not be a priority during the Czech Presidency because the country hosting the presidency has an obligation to remain objective. He expressed concern that if the Czechs seek human rights reforms without being able to advocate for them, the votes could go in the wrong direction. -------------- Speaking to the Press, U/S Stressed U.S. Commitment to Afghan Women -------------- ¶11. (U) Dobriansky toured the facilities of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL),and charmed her hosts by accepting an invitation to have tea with members of the Afghan service. During her RFE/RL interview, she explained the U.S. commitment to democracy building and women's rights in Afghanistan. She focused on the areas of education, employment, and health care for women, as well as their involvement in political life. The interview was immediately PRAGUE 00001524 003 OF 003 broadcast in Afghanistan, and parts of her interview were translated and used in more than 20 broadcasts in other countries served by RFE/RL. ¶12. (U) Separately, Dobriansky was interviewed by the senior correspondent of the Czech daily Pravo. During the interview, she stressed the importance of not transplanting democracy-building strategies from abroad; she explained the most effective tools respect the local history and culture. With regard to the rights of Afghan women, she referred to the work of the U.S. Afghan Women's Council, launched by President Bush and Afghan President Karzai. Dobriansky also answered questions on climate change and immigration. ¶13. (U) This cable was cleared by G staff. MUNTER