CZECHS ON MAY 15 GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000508

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SONYA TSIROS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/11/2016
TAGS: PREL PARM UN EUN MW SR BO IR IZ CG SU LI
EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS ON MAY 15 GAERC

REF: A. STATE 74555


B. STATE 74589

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


1. (C) Summary. At the May 15 GAERC, Czechs expect the focus
will be on the Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa. On
Serbia, the Czechs agree with the EU decision to suspend
accession talks for failure to comply fully with ICTY. They
urge Montenegro to use the Czech-Slovak "Velvet Divorce" as a
model if voters choose independence. On Iran, Czechs urge the
international community to achieve consensus on further
action on Iran. However, if consensus cannot be reached, the
Czechs would consider the possibility of "unilateral action"
carried out by a coalition of the willing, including the U.S.
and the EU. The Czechs are undecided on the question of
providing humanitarian aid to the people of Palestine. On
Sudan, the Czechs urge pressure to bring all parties to the
table to sign the Sudanese peace agreement. Czechs would
consider visa restrictions for those who fail to support the
peace process. End summary.


2. (SBU) Poloff met May 11 with Miroslav Kolalek, Deputy
Director of the MFA's Common Foreign and Security Policy
Department, to discuss the May 15 GAERC and reftel B demarche
on Sudan visa restrictions. The discussion focused on the
Balkans, Middle East, and Africa.

--------------
Balkans
--------------


3. (C) Kolatek said the Czechs generally support the European
Council's draft conclusions on the Balkans. On Bosnia, the
Czechs regret that the Bosnian Parliament was unable to pass
the necessary constitutional reform legislation. The Czechs
regard the strengthening of state structures as a
precondition to EU accession.


4. (C) On Serbia, Kolatek said the Czechs agree Serbia has
failed to fully comply with ICTY. Therefore, the Czechs
support the EU decision to suspend Stabilization and
Association (SSA) talks. However, should a break-through
occur in coming days, the Czechs would support continuation
of the SSA talks with a view toward completing them by the
end of the year.


5. (C) On Montenegro, the Czechs hope the referendum will be
conducted as democratically as possible. If the voters choose
independence, the Czechs will urge both republics to look at
the Czech-Slovak model of division. The goal of division
should be to provide maximum freedom of movement for the
people of both republics, and to foster stability in the
region.

--------------
Middle East
--------------


6. (C) On Iraq, the Czechs support the Council's draft
conclusions, which call on Iraqi political parties to form a
new government by May 27. The Czechs regard a government with
the broad support of the Iraqi people as a precondition to
any discussion about withdrawal of coalition forces. To
prevent further destabilization, any decision to withdraw
must be the result of an agreement between the Iraqi
government and coalition forces.


7. (C) Turning to Iran, the Czechs hope for a diplomatic
solution as a matter of principle. At the same time, they
understand that Iran's actions have made a diplomatic
solution difficult to achieve. The Czechs support a UNSC
resolution under Article 7. Kolalek said the Czechs urge the
international community to try to achieve consensus on
further action on Iran. However, if consensus cannot be
achieved, the Czechs think the possibility of "unilateral
action" carried out by a coalition of the willing, comprised
of U.S., the EU, and like-minded countries, cannot be
overlooked.


6. (C) On Palestine, Kolatek said the EU plans to provide
humanitarian aid directly to the Palestinian people, and the
European Commission is currently considering the type of

PRAGUE 00000508 002 OF 002


mechanism that can be employed to deliver this aid. The Czech
position on the EU plan to provide aid is not fully defined.

--------------
Africa
--------------


7. (C) On Sudan, the Czechs urge the use of pressure to bring
all parties to the table to sign the Sudanese peace
agreement. The Czechs also support a UN operation, and would
consider NATO logistical support of such an operation.
Regarding humanitarian assistance, the Czechs support EU
plans to provide assistance, and believe the Sudanese
government should remove all obstacles to receiving such
assistance. On the question of visa restrictions for members
of the Justice and Equality movement (ref B),Kolatek said
the Czechs would likely be supportive if the movement fails
to support the peace agreement.


8. (C) Uganda and Cote d'Ivoire are on the GAERC agenda, and
Kolatek said the Czechs support the draft conclusions on
these countries. He was not able to comment on the Czech
position on the Democratic Republic of Congo or Liberia.

--------------
Cuba
--------------


9. (C) Kolatek said the Czechs do not plan to raise Cuba,
informally or otherwise, at the May 15 GAERC.
CABANISS