CZECHS SAY CUBA CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000504

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE; WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM CU EZ EUN
SUBJECT: CZECHS SAY CUBA CONFERENCE A SUCCESS

REF: PRAGUE 388

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


1. (C) Summary. The Czech MFA, in cooperation with Czech
NGOs, recently hosted a Conference on Cuba in Prague to
search for common ground with other EU member states active
in Cuba, and share the best practice of European NGOs working
there. The Conference participants included MFA
representatives from Spain and other EU member states, and
European NGOs active in Cuba. MFA participants supported the
development of a "mid-term" position on Cuba focused on human
rights and transition after Castro's death, and agreed that
the European Council should issue conclusions following the
June GAERC that reflect the dire human rights situation in
Cuba. NGO participants urged MFA participants to (1) support
increased access to the Internet for Cubans, (2) monitor acts
of repudiation, and (3) support the Damas en Blanco. End
summary.


2. (C) Poloff met with Stanislav Kazecky, Czech diplomat
expelled from Cuba (reftel),and Jarmila Povejsilova, Czech
MFA Cuba Desk Officer, to discuss the April 25-26 Cuba
Conference held in Prague. Povejsilova confirmed the
Conference had two goals: (1) provide a private forum where
Czech and Spanish MFA officials (as well as officials from
other EU countries) could identify common ground on which to
base a new EU common position, and (2) encourage European
NGOs to share best practices in support of the democratic
opposition, and to share their experience with MFA officials.
Povejsilova said the Conference successfully met both goals.


3. (C) The Conference was hosted by the Czech MFA in
cooperation with Czech NGOs People in Need (PIN) and
International Committee on Cuban Democracy (ICDC). Conference
participants included: (1) MFA representatives from the Czech
Republic, Spain, Poland, and the Slovak Republic; (2)
diplomats representing Swedish, Dutch, and Hungarian missions
in Prague; and (3) European NGOs active in Cuba (see
paragraph 10 below).

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Next Step: Develop Strong Mid-term Position on Cuba
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4. (C) According to Povejsilova, the EU government
participants all agreed the human rights situation in Cuba is
unacceptable and getting worse. While there was no agreement
on how or whether to change the EU common position, the
participants, including Spain, agreed that a common mid-term
strategy on Cuba was advisable. Such a strategy should focus
on human rights abuses and planning for a post-Castro Cuba.
To that end, the participants agreed that following the June
GAERC, the Council should issue a strongly worded conclusion
that reflects the current human rights situation in Cuba.


5. (C) Povejsilova said the Conference provided a useful
opportunity to speak frankly with Spain. Spain conceded that
dialogue with the regime has not brought positive results.
Yet, Spain continues to believe that engagement with the
Castro regime is necessary, at least at some level, because
these officials are likely to remain in the government after
Castro dies. However, Spain also agreed on the need to
support the peaceful opposition and provide material
assistance.

6. (C) On next steps, Povejsilova said the Czechs do not plan
to raise Cuba at the upcoming Latin American-EU Summit in
Vienna on May 12 (although she thinks Cuba could become an
issue when the terms of the joint Summit declaration are
negotiated). Instead, the Czechs will await the release of
the EU Heads of Mission Report on Cuba (expected the week of
May 15). They plan to use the report's recommendations to
advocate for tough GAERC conclusions on Cuba, including: (1)
sharp criticism of the human rights situation, (2)
acknowledgment that dialogue has produced no tangible
benefits, and (3) a recommendation to continue dialogue with
the peaceful opposition and provide material assistance
(including Internet access).


7. (C) Povejsilova said the Austrian Presidency has become a
stronger supporter of human rights in Cuba since January. She
said the Czechs were pleased that the Presidency recently
spoke with the Cuban MFA and condemned Stanislav Kazecky's
expulsion, and the recent attack on a Cuban dissident. (Note:
the Czechs believe, and she thinks the Presidency agrees,
that the Cubans expelled Kazecky in retaliation for the Czech
position on Cuba, not because of anything Kazecky did. End
note.) Povejsilova said the Presidency rejected the Cuban
MFA's statement that the expulsion was a bilateral issue. The
Presidency characterized it instead as an issue affecting EU
solidarity.


8. (C) Kazecky, who attended the Conference's NGO forum, said
NGO participants discussed ways to support the Cuban
democratic opposition, and presented the following
recommendations to EU government representatives: (1) support
increased access to the Internet for Cubans in EU Embassies;
(2) closely monitor acts of repudiation; and (3) focus
programs and support on the Damas en Blanco.

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Comment
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9. (C) The EU attitude toward the Castro regime may be
shifting, albeit at a glacial pace. Following Kazecky's
expulsion in April and the subsequent beating of a well-known
Cuban dissident, the Austrian presidency seems to be focused
on human rights abuses in Cuba. The Czechs appear to be
gaining support from other EU members active in Cuba,
particularly on the need to confront human rights abuses
there. Arguably, Spain's participation in the Conference, and
notably its acknowledgment that engagement with the Castro
regime has been unsuccessful, suggests that even Spain may be
willing to rethink its approach. These conditions could
ultimately lead to a change in the EU common position on
Cuba, although the nature of the change, if any, is unclear.
This may be a good time for the USG to discretely suggest
positions the EU could adopt that would have a meaningful
impact on the regime. (For example, a position that links a
demand for specific human rights reforms to continued
European tourism.)


10. The list of NGO Conference invitees reads like a Who's
Who for future USG on-island programming purposes.

-- Czech Republic: People in Need, Association for
International Affairs, and Pontes (not affiliated with the
Slovak NGO, Pontis Foundation)

-- Germany: The International Society for Human Rights,
Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and Friedrich Ebert Foundation

-- Hungary: Freedom House, and the Hungarian Helsinki
Committee

-- Netherlands: Pax Christi, and Cuba Futuro

-- Poland: Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe,
Helsinki Committee, the Batory Foundation, and the Lech
Walesa Institute

-- Slovakia: Pontis Foundation, and People in Peril

-- Spain: Asociacion Espanola Cuba en Transicion, Encuentro
de la Cultura Cubana, Fundacion Hispano-Cubana, and
Asociacion Iberoamericana por la Libertad

-- Serbia: E 57

-- Sweden: the Swedish International Liberal Center, and the
Swedish Helsinki Committee.
CABANISS