WORKING WITH THE BRAZAUSKAS GOVERNMENT: LOOKING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VILNIUS 000053

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/19/2021
TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS AMGT EINV LH
SUBJECT: WORKING WITH THE BRAZAUSKAS GOVERNMENT: LOOKING
BACK AND FORWARD

REF: 05 VILNIUS 57

Classified By: DCM Tom Kelly for reasons (b),(d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: One year ago, we laid out a plan to
strategically engage the newly elected coalition government
headed by veteran politician Algirdas Brazauskas (reftel).
Despite political tumult within the coalition, we succeeded
in enlisting the new government to support key U.S.
objectives, especially in mobilizing the government to
support the Global War on Terror and to promote democracy in
the former Soviet Union. In this message, we revisit our
engagement strategy with the GOL; examine our progress; and
provide a plan to further advance our bilateral agenda in

2006. End Summary.


2. (C) The Brazauskas government took office in December

2004. A few weeks later, we sent Washington our plan to
advance the following key objectives:

1) Support for U.S. Initiatives within Europe and beyond
2) Support for Democracy at Home and Abroad
3) Closer U.S.-Lithuanian Economic Ties
4) Bilateral Law Enforcement Cooperation
5) Improving Embassy Operating Conditions


3. (SBU) We engaged quickly and intensively with the new
government, and on the issues that matter most, we succeeded
in making Lithuanian support for U.S. objectives even more
stalwart. Ambassador Mull has met with every single Cabinet
member, and frequently consults with key decision makers like
President Adamkus, PM Brazauskas, Foreign Minister Valionis,
and Defense Minister Kirkilas. Mission interactions with
government leaders are guided by Ministry-specific work plans
that track progress on the issues that matter to U.S.
interests.


4. (SBU) In areas such as promotion of U.S. investment,
encouraging transparency and tolerance, and cultivating
Lithuania's next generation of leaders, however, we think
that we can do even better in 2006. Below is our work plan,
organized by major policy goal, for the engagement of
government leaders and the pursuit of Mission objectives.

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Active in Global War on Terror
--------------


5. (C) Our preeminent priority in 2005 was to maximize
Lithuania's contribution to global peace and security. We
enlisted the new government to help us on a number of issues
essential to U.S. foreign policy objectives. Little more
than a month after it took office, the GOL agreed to lead a
Provincial Reconstruction Team in Chagcharan, Afghanistan, a
forbidding region that larger NATO allies declined to cover.
121 Lithuanian soldiers have brought security and order to
this mountainous region. In Iraq, the new government
reaffirmed Lithuania's troop commitment to the multinational
coalition in Iraq, and stated publicly that Lithuanian troops
will remain on the ground as long as necessary.


6. (C) We aim to build on these accomplishments in 2006 by
sustaining and reinforcing public support for Lithuania,s
participation in these multinational operations. In
Afghanistan, we will encourage the GOL to redeploy a Special
Forces detachment this Fall. In Iraq, we will encourage
follow-through on the Lithuanian commitment to participate in
the coalition's burgeoning training mission with Iraqi
security forces. We also intend to push for Lithuania's
continued development of niche capabilities within NATO, and
to work with Parliament to encourage adequate defense
spending to pay for them.

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Building democracy abroad...
--------------


7. (C) The new government also championed freedom closer to
home in 2005, reaffirming its predecessors' commitment to the
promotion of democracy and Western values within the former
Soviet Union. We worked with the Foreign Ministry to
organize a meeting in Vilnius between the Secretary, FM
Valionis, EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Solana, and
Belarusian opposition groups that was covered by media around
the world. We also helped Lithuania plan and carry out a
Defense Ministers' meeting (with Secretary Rumsfeld's
participation) to bring NATO members and Ukraine closer
together.

8. (C) This year, we will continue to encourage and praise
GOL's active role in promoting democratic institutions and
human rights in its neighbors in Eastern Europe and the
Caucasus. Our current focus is working with the GOL to
prepare a successful summit meeting of the Communities for
Democratic Choice in Vilnius this May; we hope for high-level
USG participation. At the same time, we will seek to
restrain impulses in some parts of the government to pursue
an inappropriate engagement strategy with the Lukashenko
regime. At the end of the day, we expect that the GOL will
play a constructive role in monitoring the March elections in
Belarus and keeping other governments focused on the
importance of building democracy there.

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...and at Home
--------------


9. (SBU) We also have a responsibility to help Lithuania
develop a more mature and resilient political system itself.
While Lithuania boasts a strong and active democracy,
featuring passionate debate, a vibrant media, and a range of
competing ideas, the year 2005 also cast light on a few
worrisome trends. The year witnessed a troubling media
attack on civil society organizations, and Lithuania's
enduring struggle with corruption and intolerance remained a
source of concern.


10. (SBU) In 2006, we will continue to emphasize these
issues by speaking out in defense of civil society and
enhancing our anti-corruption training programs. We
confronted intolerance in 2005 with a series of public
events, and we will intensify our efforts in 2006 by
featuring the issue as a core theme of our speeches and
outreach programs. We also continued to work closely with
the government to encourage the restitution of former Jewish
communal property confiscated during the Holocaust. The
government is likely to present Parliament with legislation
to effect restitution in the next few months.

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Developing a Positive Agenda on Visa Policy
--------------


11. (SBU) Keeping Lithuania at the frontlines of the global
struggle for freedom will require us to remain responsive to
the issues about which Lithuanians care. The most prominent
in that regard remains the GOL's desire for inclusion in the
Visa Waiver Program (VWP). In 2005, the GOL and we launched
a positive, substantively focused VWP "Roadmap" that reminded
Lithuanians of the VWP's substantive requirements. With our
encouragement, the GOL took significant steps forward in
improving document security and combating fraud. We worked
with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to publicize the
Roadmap, and praised the GOL publicly for its tangible steps
to satisfy VWP criteria ) but also informed the public of
the enduring problem of document fraud and visa overstays.


12. (SBU) In 2006, we will continue to highlight these
issues actively and publicly. House Judiciary Committee
Chair Sensenbrenner's visit here last week got us off to a
good start. We will also focus on other priority areas,
including our work to press the GOL for improved residency
visa procedures for Amcits, and to attract more future
Lithuanian leaders to participate in the Summer Work and
Travel Program.

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Support for Law Enforcement
--------------


13. (SBU) The year 2005 saw substantial progress in our
efforts to support Lithuanian law enforcement. Just months
after Attorney General Gonzalez signed a new extradition
treaty with GOL last June, the Brazauskas government
extradited a Lithuanian citizen to the United States for the
first time. In 2006, we plan to expand our training
initiatives with law enforcement officials and the judiciary
on intellectual property rights. We will also continue our
joint work with the GOL to combat the root causes and
mitigate the effects of trafficking in persons.

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Promote U.S. Economic Interests
--------------


14. (SBU) Our strategy to enlist the new government in our
campaign to boost U.S. investment here drew early dividends,
as Economy Minister Uspaskich traveled to the United States
to woo potential investors. Soon afterwards, Uspaskich
became enmeshed in political troubles, and his Ministry's
attention to our issues dwindled. In 2006, we will seek to
energize his successor and others in the GOL to seek more
American involvement in this dynamic economy. Several
Mission-sponsored initiatives, especially a new S&T agreement
and pending negotiations with the Interior Ministry to
streamline Amcit residency requirements, will support this
objective. We will participate in trade and investment
conferences focusing on the region, and will work with our
partner FCS post in Warsaw to encourage U.S. business
visitors to Eastern Europe to include Lithuania in their
itineraries. We will also team with U.S. businesses to help
them win their share of the commercially significant deals
that come up for bid this year.

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Effective Embassy Operating Conditions
--------------


15. (SBU) In 2005, our collaboration with the new government
substantially improved the work environment for the Mission
community. Working intensively with the Ministry of Finance,
we accomplished a longstanding goal by eliminating GOL
taxation of U.S. assistance. We also addressed several
issues relating to the diplomatic status of Mission
personnel, such as our work with the Tax Inspectorate to
establish a more timely system to disburse VAT refunds to
American staff. In 2006, we will seek GOL support for
further improvements to our living conditions here, including
point-of-sale VAT refunds.

--------------
Conclusion
--------------


16. (C) The new government's first year in office featured
considerable political turbulence, but our principal
interests here were, if anything, enhanced. Lithuania
remains one of our nation's most loyal and consistent allies
on issues that matter to us. In the world's most dangerous
places, Lithuania stands shoulder to shoulder with the United
States. The above work plan outlines our strategy for
preserving the strong friendship we enjoy here, for ensuring
the continued support of GOL on key foreign policy goals, and
for tackling issues of concern that affect U.S. interests in
Lithuania. We are proud as a Mission of the significant
achievements of 2005, and we remain confident that the
strategy outlined here will yield an even stronger and more
durable bilateral relationship in 2006.
MULL