CZECHS EXPAND DEMOCRACY PROMOTION EFFORTS IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000498

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE; EUR/UMB; EUR/ACE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/09/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM BO EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS EXPAND DEMOCRACY PROMOTION EFFORTS IN
BELARUS FOLLOWING THE FRAUDULENT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

REF: A. PRAGUE 00298


B. PRAGUE 00222

C. PRAGUE 00068

Classified By: Acting Political-Economic Counselor
Karen C. Reider for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. Promoting democracy and human rights in
Belarus remains a top foreign policy priority for the Czech
government. Following the fraudulent presidential elections
in Belarus in March 2006, the Czech Parliament voted to
increase funding to support democracy promotion in Belarus
from $106,500 to over $1 million. Czechs will focus on
increasing access to independent media, supporting human
rights, and providing financial assistance to those
persecuted by the Lukashenko regime. End summary.


2. (C) Poloff met with Gabriela Dlouha, Director of Czech
MFA's Transformation Cooperation Unit (TRANS),and Marek
Toman, her deputy, to discuss TRANS projects in Belarus.
Toman confirmed TRANS will spend 57% of its 2006 budget on
nine projects to promote democracy and human rights in
Belarus, reflecting the GOCR's foreign policy emphasis on
Belarus. (In total, TRANS will fund 19 democracy promotion
projects this year in Belarus, Cuba, Iraq, Burma, Ukraine,
Moldova, and the Balkans.)


3. (C) Toman confirmed that following the fraudulent
presidential elections in Belarus, the Czech Parliament
responded by voting to increase funding for TRANS projects in
Belarus by $898,000, from $106,500 to over $1 million.
According to Dlouha, the primary goals of Czech democracy
promotion in Belarus are to (1) increase access to
independent media, (2) support defenders of human rights
(including the pro-democracy opposition),and (3) provide
financial support to people persecuted by the Lukashenko
regime.

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Goal 1: Increase Independent Media
--------------


4. (C) Remembering their own successful experience with Radio
Free Europe, the Czechs remain committed to increasing access
to independent media and information in Belarus. Specific
projects include:

-- Increase previous financial commitments in support of
European Radio for Belarus (ERB),the independent radio
project launched in cooperation with the USG;

-- Support independent newspapers by purchasing advertising
in (1) "Narondnaja Volja," an independent newspaper published
in Russia and distributed in Belarus, and (2) "Arche," an
independent foreign affairs journal. Dlouha said the
advantage of this approach is that it provides financial
support for the newspaper, yet is safe and legal.

--------------
Goal 2: Support Human Rights
--------------


5. (C) TRANS will fund several projects that support human
rights defenders and the pro-democracy opposition in Belarus.
These projects are intended to create support in Belarusian
society for human rights, persuade people not to be afraid to
participate in demonstrations for human rights, build
grassroots capacity for political opposition groups, and
provide support for the elected opposition (e.g., local
deputies who are elected on a pro-democracy platform). Dlouha
explained that the Czech government believes local elections
next year in Belarus may provide an opportunity for the
opposition to occupy more of the political landscape.
Specific projects include:

-- Financial support for Viasna, a human rights organization
based in Belarus. Viasna cooperates with Czech NGO People in
Need (PIN) to support civil society. The support includes
both capacity building training and material support, such as
providing the copy machines requested by opposition leaders.

-- Training for local Belarusian deputies on the principles
of democratic self-governance. PIN and the Czech Union of
Towns and Villages provide the training in the Czech Republic

and Belarus.

-- Teaching the Czech transformation experience to future
Belarusian opposition leaders. For example, TRANS has funded
a transition simulation called "Talking to Power," which will
be taught to five to ten Belarusian dissidents this summer by
former Czech student dissident, Vaclav Bartuska, now a
professor at New York University in Prague.

--------------
Goal 3: Help the Persecuted
--------------


6. (C) TRANS will also provide assistance to those persecuted
by the Lukashenko regime. Specific projects include:

-- Stipends for students who have been expelled from
Belarusian universities because of their political beliefs.
The stipends will cover expenses for up to six months of
study at a Czech university.

-- Financial support for people persecuted by the regime.
This includes payment for legal or medical assistance needed
by the people who were beaten or arrested in connection with
the protests following the election.


7. (C) Comment. Czechs deserve recognition for their
leadership in supporting democracy in Belarus. In addition to
the innovative programs described above, the Czechs have
demonstrated their commitment to Belarusians by consistently
advocating for a strong transatlantic approach to Lukashenko.
They were among the first to recognize and support Alexander
Milinkevich after his election as the common opposition
presidential candidate. They were among the first to call for
sanctions following the fraudulent elections. They have
enthusiastically supported ERB from the beginning. And they
hosted a Council of Europe Conference in February 2006 to
offer members of Milinkevich's common opposition party the
opportunity to confer with parliamentarians, NGOs and
diplomats from the EU (refs A-C).
CABANISS