SLOVAK TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN, PM FICO,S OVERSEAS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000038

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV AF LO
SUBJECT: SLOVAK TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN, PM FICO,S OVERSEAS
TRAVELS

Classified By: DCM Lawrence Silverman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) PM Fico,s Chief of Protocol Marek Estok (please
protect) told DCM January 19 that Fico has made his decision
about whether to move Slovak engineering troops from Kabul to
Kandahar, although Estok demurred from saying what that
decision is. Fico travels to Kandahar January 25, but it is
not clear whether he will announce the decision then, have FM
Kubis do so the next day at the NATO Ministerial in Brussels,
or hold off longer. However, contrary to earlier signs that
Fico would announce the decision himself, Estok told us that
there was an active consideration of Kubis possibly doing the
honors to an obviously appropriate NATO audience. DCM noted
that Slovakia had missed a chance to speak up at Riga, and
that the announcement of an affirmative decision at the
Ministerial would send a very positive signal in a forum
designed to have NATO allies step further up to the plate to
help the Afghan people.

Believe Me, There's No Pattern to What We're Doing
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2. (C) Estok had asked to meet with DCM to dispel media
reports that the Fico government is adopting a new, less
Western or U.S.-friendly foreign policy orientation.
(Comment: We had been feeding Estok negative international
media reporting on Fico,s attendance at a Cuban revolution
day reception, an early trip to Libya, and a rumored trip to
Venezuela. If the PM did not want to signal any change, we
said, the record should be set straight. End comment.) Estok
told us he had a message for Washington from the PM: He is
not changing Slovakia,s foreign policy orientation. The
Libya trip was postponed when the Libyans suddenly said
Qaddafi was not available due to a parliamentary session the
day of the planned visit. Contrary to initial reports, Fico
will raise the plight if the Bulgarian and Palestinian
medical workers when he goes to Tripoli. Fico has no plans to
visit Venezuela. He would make a Latin American trip in
March to Brazil, Argentina and Chile, "period." We took the
occasion to show Estok media reports of Chavez,s moves to
impose a state of emergency, something directly at odds with
Slovakia,s historically strong support for democracy abroad.


3. (C) Estok had less of a defense for the PM,s attendance
at the Cuban national day reception, except to say that it
was the PM,s personal decision and that he had planned to
attend all national day receptions in Bratislava. We
emphasized that given the GOS,s traditional low-level
attendance at the Cuban event, the PM,s presence was a
reward to the Havana regime, without exacting any price, and
contrary to his own Interior Minister,s "adoption" of a
Cuban dissident. (Comment. As FM Kubis informed the
Ambassador earlier, the GOS has a few activities lined up to
try to show it is on the right side of the Cuban issue. End
comment)

And I Still Want to Go to AMERICA
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4. (C) Despite Fico,s decision not to visit Washington
January 29 at the invitation of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,
Estok told us Fico would like to come in late April or early
May for meetings with the Administration and on the Hill, as
well as to accept invitations from the Chamber and from U.S.
Steel.
VALLEE