Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PRAGUE506
2006-05-11 14:54:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Prague
Cable title:  

CZECHS SUPPORT CUBA DEMOCRACY FUND; SEARCH FOR

Tags:  PREL KDEM CU EZ 
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VZCZCXYZ0007
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHPG #0506/01 1311454
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 111454Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7326
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0060
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0140
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000506 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE; WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM CU EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS SUPPORT CUBA DEMOCRACY FUND; SEARCH FOR
WAYS TO COOPERATE ON CUBA

REF: A. 2005 PRAGUE 1560


B. PRAGUE 0504

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000506

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE; WHA/CCA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2016
TAGS: PREL KDEM CU EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS SUPPORT CUBA DEMOCRACY FUND; SEARCH FOR
WAYS TO COOPERATE ON CUBA

REF: A. 2005 PRAGUE 1560


B. PRAGUE 0504

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


1. (C) Summary. Gretchen Birkle, DRL/FO Senior Coordinator
for Global Democracy Strategies, and Paul Bonicelli, USAID
Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy,
Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, met with Czech MFA
officials and Czech NGO representatives April 10. They
discussed the proposed International Cuba Democracy Fund
("Cuba Fund") (ref A),and opportunities for joint
cooperation on Cuba and Latin America generally. The Czech
MFA reiterated its support for the Cuba Fund, and the Czech
NGO International Committee on Cuban Democracy (ICDC)
proposed to serve as the Fund's secretariat. End summary.


2. (C) On April 10, 2006, Gretchen Birkle and Paul Bonicelli
met with Gabriela Dlouha, Director of the Czech MFA's
Transformation Cooperation Unit (TRANS); Igor Blazevic,
Director of Human Rights for Czech NGO People in Need (PIN);
and Jakub Hladik, assistant to former Czech President Vaclav
Havel and representative of the ICDC. Birkle and Bonicelli
also attended a panel discussion on Cuba arranged by the
Embassy. Panelists included Caleb McCarry, the State
Department's Cuba Transition Coordinator (from Washington by
video conference); Jakub Skalnik, the Czech MFA's Director of
the Americas Department; and Igor Blazevic, of PIN.

--------------
TRANS-PIN Cooperation on Cuba
--------------


3. (C) Gabriela Dlouha, Director of the Transformation
Cooperation Unit (TRANS),explained the MFA relies primarily
on PIN to promote democracy and provide humanitarian aid in
Cuba. (Note: TRANS provides grants to NGOs such as PIN, who
in turn promote democracy and human rights in "priority"
countries identified by the Czech MFA, including Cuba,
Belarus, and Iraq. According to Dlouha, the MFA may add
Venezuela and other countries to the list of priority
countries in the future. End note). Dlouha said PIN is a
reliable partner for "on-island" programs because PIN has
extensive experience and success working in Cuba. PIN also

cooperates with the MFA in less-traditional ways. For
example, the MFA, PIN, and the ICDC co-hosted a conference on
Cuba in Prague on April 25-26 (ref B). Attendees included
European NGOs working in Cuba, and MFA officials from Spain,
Poland, and Slovakia. The goal of the conference was
two-fold: (1) provide a private forum where Czech and Spanish
officials 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.

--------------
The International Cuba Democracy Fund
--------------


4. (C) Dlouha reiterated Czech support for the proposed Cuba
Fund. She said it may build political consensus among
contributors (preferably the U.S., Latin American countries,
and EU member states),and hopefully strengthen the will of
the EU collectively to change conditions in Cuba. In Dlouha's
view, the political impact of the fund is more important than
the amount of money contributed to it. (She also noted the
need for an institutional European democracy fund to support
the work of NGOs in closed countries.)


5. (C) In a separate meeting, Igor Blazevic, Director of PIN
and advisor to the ICDC, said the ICDC proposes to serve as
the secretariat of the Cuba Fund. According to Blazevic, the
ICDC proposal is as follows:

--- ICDC would provide a small staff to manage the Fund,
e.g., an executive director, a grant manager, and an
accountant to control finances. The staff would be composed
of current and former PIN employees.

--- A board of directors would be formed. Directors could be
representatives of contributing countries, NGO institutions,
and/or members of the ICDC (members are international
luminaries, such as former President Vaclav Havel, who have
the ability to shape public opinion). The board would
determine over-arching policy goals and funding priorities.

--- The ICDC recommends that the Fund should support: (1)
on-island projects that are implemented, at least partially,
with the support of civil society in Cuba; (2) programs that
raise support for Cuban democracy in Latin American
countries; and (3) programs that encourage regional and
international dialogue focused on "shaping the approach" to
the Castro regime. (The ICDC believes it would be best if the
Fund was not used to support scholarly research, academic
fellowships and scholarships, humanitarian aid, refugees,
micro-finance schemes, business development, or the sciences.)


6. (C) Birkle said the Department is in the process of
sourcing money that can be earmarked for the Cuba Fund.
Blazevic said the ICDC is prepared to form the legal
organization for the Fund, and can provide concrete terms
about its services as the secretariat if Washington signals
interest in proceeding.

--------------
Areas of Possible Future Cooperation
--------------


7. (C) The Czechs remain enthusiastic and committed partners
on Cuba. In the course of the meetings with Birkle and
Bonicelli, the following areas of possible cooperation were
identified as worthy of further discussion:

--- PIN could offer its on-island expertise to monitor DRL
projects in Cuba, or develop programs for DRL focused on
assisting women or youth in Cuba.

--- The Czechs could provide a briefing on Czech lessons
learned that may be useful for AID/DRL project planning
(e.g., advise on handling sensitive privatization issues.)

--- The Czechs and the USG could co-sponsor a low-profile
conference for Cuban exile groups to help them explore common
ground and possibly broker a coalition.

--- U.S. congressional representatives could form delegations
with Czech MPs to travel to Latin America to discuss
democracy and the Czech experience with their counterparts
(Dlouha expressed strong interest in this possibility).


8. (U) This cable has been cleared by Gretchen Birkle and
Paul Bonicelli.
CABANISS