ASSISTANT SECRETARIES FRIED AND FLORY MEETING WITH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 000131 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR A/S FRIED; OSD FOR A/S FLORY; NSC FOR DAMON WILSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/27/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL ENRG MASS MARR EINV PL SUBJECT: ASSISTANT SECRETARIES FRIED AND FLORY MEETING WITH POLISH PRIME MINISTER MARCINKIEWICZ Classified By: AMB. VICTOR ASHE FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) State Department Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Dan Fried, and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy Peter Flory, accompanied by Ambassador, EUR DAS Mark Pekala, NSC Senior Director Damon Wilson, and Polcouns, met January 25 with Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz just prior to the start of the third session of the U.S.-Poland Strategic Dialogue (septel). Marcinkiewicz stressed the importance of energy security to Poland and described efforts to diversify Poland's energy sources to increase that security. He and A/S Fried agreed that we need to work together to ensure that the EU stays attentive to the problem and to Eastern questions more broadly. Fried urged support for the democratic forces in Belarus and for the European Radio for Belarus (ERB) project. A/S Flory thanked Marcinkiewicz for his government's decision to extend the deployment of Polish troops to Iraq. End Summary. -------------- ENERGY SECURITY AND EASTERN ISSUES -------------- ¶2. (C) Marcinkiewicz, who was accompanied by his foreign policy advisory, Secretary of State Ryszard Schnepf, and MFA Under Secretary of State Witold Waszczykowski, told Fried and Flory that the Strategic Dialogue was important for bilateral relations and as preparation for the upcoming visit to the U.S. by Polish President Lech Kaczynski, and expressed hope that the visit would bring "new initiatives" to strengthen our relations. Marcinkiewicz turned immediately to energy issues, saying that with the recent Ukrainian gas crisis, Europe is finally "starting to see energy security with Polish eyes," and understanding the importance of the issue. He said Poland is talking to Iraq, Nordic countries, and Kazakhstan, with an eye toward increasing its energy security by diversifying its supply. ¶3. (C) A/S Fried responded that energy security is very much on our minds. We note that Russia restored gas to Ukraine, but this is not the end of the problem. Secretary Rice has publicly stated that the cut-off was an example of Russian political pressure on Ukraine and was of concern to us. The details of the provisional agreement leave us with questions, especially regarding the role of RosUkrEnergo. Europe has awoken to the problem of its reliance on a monopoly, he said, and we hope they stay awake. This issue is just one example of U.S.-Polish cooperation; we need to put our relationship to work for the sake of our common interests and values, and to support freedom and democracy in Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and as far away as Venezuela. ¶4. (C) Marcinkiewicz said Poland is also paying close attention to Ukraine and Belarus. The government believes that economic cooperation with Belarus could have a pay off politically. Investment in Ukraine, he argued, helped strengthen democratic tendencies there, and could do the same for Belarus. In addition, Poland would start radio broadcast to Belarus, would send election observers in March, and was hosting Belarusan opposition candidate Aleksandr Milinkiewicz at the Sejm that day. (Note: A/S Fried meeting with Milinkiewicz reported septel. End Note.) Fried briefly described his just-completed visit to Ukraine, saying we have to be prepared for the same "exciting early years of democracy" that Poland went through. On Belarus, he informed Marcinkiewicz of his planned joint U.S.-EU visit to Minsk, asking his advice on how to proceed. He also told Marcinkiewicz that we hope Poland can support the European Radio for Belarus (ERB) project. With elections coming up in March, we hope the project can be up and running soon. We cannot, he added, miss this opportunity. ¶5. (C) Fried said it is clear Poland and the U.S. have to have a common approach on Eastern questions. We want to work with Poland to help the EU think about these questions in active ways. With Merkel we now have a German leader who understands the history of communism, and so we may be able to work better with the EU on these questions. Marcinkiewicz agreed, saying there is now a chance of "warmth" in German-Polish relations. However, Polish-Russian relations can only be normal, he said, when Poland's energy security is guaranteed through diversification. Energy security for Poland, he added, is a strategic issue, and now it is as well for the EU. -------------- IRAQ -------------- ¶6. (C) On Iraq, ASD Flory expressed appreciation for the Polish government's decision to extend its troop presence in Iraq. Marcinkiewicz said that he and the rest of the government were convinced it was the "natural" thing to do, but added that Minister of Defense Radek Sikorski had had to defend the decision again during the previous night's parliamentary budget battle, outlining the broad range of U.S.-Polish military cooperation. Poland wants to modernize its military, and counts on cooperation with the U.S. to do so. -------------- PLEA FOR U.S. INVESTMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Noting his meeting the previous day with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gutierrez, Marcinkiewicz said that SIPDIS Poland depends on investment to increase the rate of growth, and is open for new investment. The U.S., he said, was in third place in terms of foreign investment, and the government would like to see U.S. investment grow. Poland has well-educated young people and is in the EU, making Poland a profitable place to invest. Fried responded that we support U.S. investment in Poland. Investors weigh the conditions on the ground, not the opinions of the U.S. government in making decision. If the conditions are right, investors will come. Fried expressed pleasure that the F-16 offset program now seemed to be making progress. ¶8. (U) A/S Fried cleared this cable. ASHE