Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BRATISLAVA31
2007-01-18 06:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Bratislava
Cable title:
FM KUBIS ON AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO, CUBA, VENEZUELA
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 PP RUEHWEB DE RUEHSL #0031/01 0180631 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 180631Z JAN 07 FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0606 INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0056 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0004 RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0026 RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0016
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000031
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2012
TAGS: PREL CU VE KO AF LO
SUBJECT: FM KUBIS ON AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO, CUBA, VENEZUELA
-- AND FICO
REF: A. STATE 4834
B. STATE 5652
Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for reasons 1.4 b and d.
Afghanistan
------------
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000031
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2012
TAGS: PREL CU VE KO AF LO
SUBJECT: FM KUBIS ON AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO, CUBA, VENEZUELA
-- AND FICO
REF: A. STATE 4834
B. STATE 5652
Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for reasons 1.4 b and d.
Afghanistan
--------------
1. (C) Ambassador delivered message in ref A to Foreign
Minister Jan Kubis on January 17. Kubis told the Ambassador
that Prime Minister Robert Fico still planned to travel to
Kandahar, Afghanistan on January 25. Kubis would then travel
to the January 26 Informal NATO Ministerial. Although Kubis
would not say so definitively, all indications are that Fico
will use the opportunity to announce that Slovakia will
comply with NATO's request to relocate its troops to
Kandahar, and also to participate in the Hungarian (later
Czech) PRT. HZDS Vice-Chair Milan Urbani told the Ambassador
that the coalition council (three governing parties) had
already agreed to the move. Fico had previously invited the
Ambassador to accompany him to Afghanistan. Kubis informed
the Ambassador that the GOS had decided it would be more
prudent to take the U.S. Defense Attache instead. (Comment:
So that Fico would be seen taking the decision himself, not
under pressure from a foreigner.)
Kosovo
--------------
2. (C) Ambassador also reiterated ref B points on Kosovo.
Kubis promised that PolDir Miroslav Lajcak would give us a
detailed briefing (DCM will meet him on January 18) on his
recent meetings with Tadic and Kostunica. He said his main
message to the Serbs was that Belgrade should not count on EU
disunity; the EU countries "know how to compromise" (i.e. to
reach internal consensus). Since PM Fico and President
Gasparovic have been less supportive of Ahtisaari and the
prospect of independence, Ambassador asked Kubis if they were
also on board. Kubis paused before saying, "in the end, they
will support it," although we might hear some nationalist
comments from the two that do not accord with our view.
Venezuela
--------------
3. (C) Kubis said he had convinced Fico not to go to
Venezuela, as had been rumored in the press, bluntly asking
if Fico wanted to see photos of himself next to Hugo Chavez
and Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad plastered all over the
international media.
Cuba
--------------
4. (C) Staff from the Prime Minister's office have told us
that Fico has made it standard practice to attend as many
embassy national day receptions as possible. Nonetheless,
his appearance at the Cuban embassy on January 12 created an
uproar, and was a departure from past MFA policy of
representation at the office director level. Kubis told the
Ambassador he had tried to disuade Fico from attending, but
was not successful, and said Fico had been genuinely
surprised at the critical reaction of the media. (Comment:
If he was surprised, it was only because of bad staff work--a
real problem here. On the other hand, Fico's popularity
rating among Slovak citizens is higher than ever, and higher
than the previous government ever enjoyed.)
Comment: No Change in Foreign Policy?
--------------
5. (C) Kubis tried to assure the Ambassador that Slovakia's
policy to Cuba had not changed. The Slovak Ambassador in
Havana has clear instructions to continue engaging with
dissidents, and Slovak Ambassador to Washington Rastislav
Kacer will make a statement in support of human rights on
Radio Marti along with the Czech Ambassador. At a dinner
hosted by the Ambassador January 16, Deputy Prime Minister
Dusan Caplovic said that acts such as Fico's impending trip
to Libya (now postponed until February) were counterweighted
by acts such as his own attendence at conferences on the
Holocaust and other human rights events. Caplovic explained
that in this way Slovakia could maintain a "balanced" foreign
policy, staying within the limits of EU norms. Fico's Chief
of Protocol recently told the DCM that the PM was still
"developing" and that it took time for leaders to move from
the domestic realm to considering their international
commitments. Unfortunately, Fico's foreign policy moves
still appear more "schizophrenic" than "balanced." All that
said, we intend to use the PM's attendance at the Cuban event
to influence the GOS to take further steps to demonstrate its
pro-democracy bona fides on the issue.
VALLEE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2012
TAGS: PREL CU VE KO AF LO
SUBJECT: FM KUBIS ON AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO, CUBA, VENEZUELA
-- AND FICO
REF: A. STATE 4834
B. STATE 5652
Classified By: DCM Lawrence R. Silverman for reasons 1.4 b and d.
Afghanistan
--------------
1. (C) Ambassador delivered message in ref A to Foreign
Minister Jan Kubis on January 17. Kubis told the Ambassador
that Prime Minister Robert Fico still planned to travel to
Kandahar, Afghanistan on January 25. Kubis would then travel
to the January 26 Informal NATO Ministerial. Although Kubis
would not say so definitively, all indications are that Fico
will use the opportunity to announce that Slovakia will
comply with NATO's request to relocate its troops to
Kandahar, and also to participate in the Hungarian (later
Czech) PRT. HZDS Vice-Chair Milan Urbani told the Ambassador
that the coalition council (three governing parties) had
already agreed to the move. Fico had previously invited the
Ambassador to accompany him to Afghanistan. Kubis informed
the Ambassador that the GOS had decided it would be more
prudent to take the U.S. Defense Attache instead. (Comment:
So that Fico would be seen taking the decision himself, not
under pressure from a foreigner.)
Kosovo
--------------
2. (C) Ambassador also reiterated ref B points on Kosovo.
Kubis promised that PolDir Miroslav Lajcak would give us a
detailed briefing (DCM will meet him on January 18) on his
recent meetings with Tadic and Kostunica. He said his main
message to the Serbs was that Belgrade should not count on EU
disunity; the EU countries "know how to compromise" (i.e. to
reach internal consensus). Since PM Fico and President
Gasparovic have been less supportive of Ahtisaari and the
prospect of independence, Ambassador asked Kubis if they were
also on board. Kubis paused before saying, "in the end, they
will support it," although we might hear some nationalist
comments from the two that do not accord with our view.
Venezuela
--------------
3. (C) Kubis said he had convinced Fico not to go to
Venezuela, as had been rumored in the press, bluntly asking
if Fico wanted to see photos of himself next to Hugo Chavez
and Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad plastered all over the
international media.
Cuba
--------------
4. (C) Staff from the Prime Minister's office have told us
that Fico has made it standard practice to attend as many
embassy national day receptions as possible. Nonetheless,
his appearance at the Cuban embassy on January 12 created an
uproar, and was a departure from past MFA policy of
representation at the office director level. Kubis told the
Ambassador he had tried to disuade Fico from attending, but
was not successful, and said Fico had been genuinely
surprised at the critical reaction of the media. (Comment:
If he was surprised, it was only because of bad staff work--a
real problem here. On the other hand, Fico's popularity
rating among Slovak citizens is higher than ever, and higher
than the previous government ever enjoyed.)
Comment: No Change in Foreign Policy?
--------------
5. (C) Kubis tried to assure the Ambassador that Slovakia's
policy to Cuba had not changed. The Slovak Ambassador in
Havana has clear instructions to continue engaging with
dissidents, and Slovak Ambassador to Washington Rastislav
Kacer will make a statement in support of human rights on
Radio Marti along with the Czech Ambassador. At a dinner
hosted by the Ambassador January 16, Deputy Prime Minister
Dusan Caplovic said that acts such as Fico's impending trip
to Libya (now postponed until February) were counterweighted
by acts such as his own attendence at conferences on the
Holocaust and other human rights events. Caplovic explained
that in this way Slovakia could maintain a "balanced" foreign
policy, staying within the limits of EU norms. Fico's Chief
of Protocol recently told the DCM that the PM was still
"developing" and that it took time for leaders to move from
the domestic realm to considering their international
commitments. Unfortunately, Fico's foreign policy moves
still appear more "schizophrenic" than "balanced." All that
said, we intend to use the PM's attendance at the Cuban event
to influence the GOS to take further steps to demonstrate its
pro-democracy bona fides on the issue.
VALLEE