CZECH DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: BURMA AND NORTH KOREA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000085 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/NCE, EAP/BCLTV, AND EAP/K E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/25/2016 TAGS: PREL KDEM BM KN EZ SUBJECT: CZECH DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: BURMA AND NORTH KOREA REF: A. PRAGUE 0058 ¶B. PRAGUE 0066 ¶C. PRAGUE 0068 ¶D. PRAGUE 0046 ¶E. 2005 PRAGUE 1515 Classified By: A/DCM MICHAEL DODMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 B+D. ¶1. (C) Summary. This is the fourth in a series of cables highlighting Czech democracy promotion efforts. The Czechs plan to launch new Czech democracy promotion projects in Burma and North Korea in 2006. These projects are motivated by the GOCR's interest in helping these countries peacefully overthrow their dictators and develop sustainable democracies. As in CUBA and Eastern Europe, the Czechs will likely focus on educating civil society as their primary tool to encourage the spread of democracy. Details of Czech democracy projects in Iraq will be provided septel. See refs A, B, and C for details on projects in Cuba, Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova. End summary. ¶2. (U) Poloff recently discussed Czech democracy promotion and foreign policy in Burma and North Korea with Gabriela Dlouha, Director of Czech MFA's Transformation Cooperation Unit (TRANS),and separately with Jan Fury, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department. Poloff also met with representatives of TRANS' NGO partner, People in Need (PIN), including Igor Blazevic, Director; and Ondrej Soukup and Kristina Prunerova, Human Rights and Democracy Department. BURMA ¶3. (C) According to Jan Fury, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department, the Czech policy on Burma is still being developed internally (the MFA is currently debating the wisdom of opening an Embassy in Rangoon) (ref D). Whatever the outcome of these policy discussions, Gabriela Dlouha, TRANS Director, reported that Burma will be a TRANS priority country in 2006. TRANS will announce the Burma projects it will fund in March 2006. ¶4. (C) Dlouha described the one TRANS project conducted in Burma in 2005: a documentary-making seminar. Surprisingly, the GOB permitted a Czech-Burmese woman to conduct the seminar in Rangoon to a small group of approximately 15 people. The participants produced documentaries on various topics, and in the process learned about the art and philosophy of making documentary films. TRANS provided all the photography equipment and supplies for the project, which participants were permitted to keep after the project's conclusion. Dlouha said she hoped that small, untraditional projects like this would serve as a catalyst to encourage self-expression, and possibly change, in Burma. TRANS may host a reception in February 2006 featuring the work of the filmmakers. ¶5. (C) PIN confirmed that it expects TRANS to be the primary funder of PIN democracy promotion efforts in Burma in 2006. Accordingly, PIN has submitted a number of proposals, including a fact-finding mission to assess the needs in Burma, a possible radio project (similar to the ERB project for Belarus),and a public awareness campaign in Europe. Blazevic said awareness building is a top priority: none of the other Visegrad-4 countries (Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland) is currently focused on Burma. ¶6. (C) To date, PIN has provided only minimal assistance in Burma (without TRANS funding),including providing financial assistance to families of political prisoners, and smuggling essential supplies, such as computer hardware, into Burma. Also, PIN currently is hosting three Burmese interns, who will work in the PIN offices in Prague for three months. NORTH KOREA ¶7. (C) As in case of Burma, the Czechs are still developing their approach to North Korea. They maintain diplomatic relations, and hope to be a force for change through constructive engagement, whether by improving the humanitarian situation or promoting development of civil society, or both (refs D, E). ¶8. (C) On the assistance side, Dlouha says North Korea is a PRAGUE 00000085 002 OF 002 priority country, and she hopes to receive project proposals from PIN and other Czech NGOs for North Korea in 2006. PIN confirms that it is not active in North Korea yet, but it is exploring options. (It was unclear whether PIN submitted project proposals to TRANS for 2006.) PIN said its representatives will attend an NGO conference on North Korea in Norway in May 2006, and PIN hopes to cooperate with one or more Norwegian NGO partners in North Korea in the future. CABANISS