PM FICO AND PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC ON AFGHANISTAN,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BRATISLAVA 000417 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2014 TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS YI KO RU UNSC PHUM LO SUBJECT: PM FICO AND PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC ON AFGHANISTAN, KOSOVO, MD, AND MORE REF: REFTEL BRATISLAVA 00416 Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ) ¶1. (C)Summary. Paragraphs 4-12 contain notes from the Ambassador,s July 19 Meeting with PM Robert Fico. Paragraphs 13-19 contain notes from the Ambassador's July 18 meeting with President Gasparovic. SUMMARY OF THE MEETING WITH PM FICO -------------- ¶2. (C) The Ambassador met PM Robert Fico for their regular bimonthly breakfast on July 19. The PM told the Ambassador that he: - would support a motion in Parliament to expand and change the mission of Slovak military forces in Afghanistan; - thinks the EU will be able to reach a common position on Kosovo that will allow for recognition in the event a UNSCR cannot be reached; - will nominate FM Jan Kubis to be a European Commissioner in 2009; - would have the full support of his government if he wanted his personal opposition to Missile Defense to become official policy; - Was not aware of the recent announcement that Yukos Finance would be auctioned off, but did not think such a move would undermine the GOS' ability to influence a future sale of the 49 percent Transpetrol stake. - is able to protect Slovak Information Service from HzDS Chairman Vladimir Meciar's intrigues. SUMMARY OF THE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC -------------- --- ¶3. (C) The Ambassador had breakfast with President Ivan Gasparovic on July 18. The President told the Ambassador that he: - supports a more robust Slovak commitment to Afghanistan; - believes bilateral recognition of Kosovo is impossible for Slovakia; - hopes to receive a positive response before September to his request for a White House visit in November/December; -continues to support President Bush's vision for a free Iraq and warned that a quick pullout would be disastrous. End Summaries. -------------- PM FICO -------------- AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶4. (C) The PM energetically endorsed DefMin Frantisek Kasicky's recent statement that Slovakia will focus on overseas missions in Afghanistan, Cyprus and the Balkans. Fico said Kasicky and his staff are preparing options and that he, Kasicky, Slovak PermRep to NATO Igor Slobodnik and FM Jan Kubis would meet to discuss options and agree on a plan when the government returns late summer. Fico said any plan that would change the mission or the number of soldiers would require parliamentary approval, but he said he would gladly submit a proposal to parliament and believes it would be approved. Fico commented "We have no problem with Afghanistan." KOSOVO -------------- ¶5. (C) In the prior day's meeting Fico discussed Kosovo with Italian PM Romano Prodi and found they share exactly the same position - that there can be no bilateral recognition of Kosovo without either a UNSCR or a common EU position. Fico seemed confident, however, that the EU would be able to reach a common position despite the reservations of Spain, Cyprus, Romania and others. When pressed by the Ambassador on his optimism, Fico said "it was a great tragedy for the EU to be split on Iraq. But Iraq is thousands of kilometers away. Kosovo is within Europe, and its problems must be resolved by Europeans. I believe we can come up with a common EU position and despite the parliamentary debate here, we will join that position. We owe our success here to the EU, and we must all be part of the EU solution." (Note: Fico did not specify what such a common position might be. End note.) FM KUBIS BRATISLAVA 00000417 002 OF 004 -------------- ¶6. (C) Fico shrugged off persistent rumors (REFTEL) that Kubis is looking for new work or at risk of being replaced because of disagreements within the government. Fico said he is satisfied with the job Kubis is doing, but also recognized that Kubis is "an intelligent kind of guy (who) thrives best in a multilateral atmosphere." Saying the Ambassador was the first person to hear his plan, Fico confided that he intends to make Kubis a European commissioner in 2009, when the Barroso Commission is due to leave office. Fico said he publicly supported Kubis in front of all the Slovak Ambassadors at a recent conference and expressed confidence that Kubis would stay in his position at MFA through 2009. MISSILE DEFENSE -------------- ¶7. (C) The Ambassador lamented that, in reply to a question from an Italian journalist on July 17, Fico had again expressed his "personal" opposition to U.S. MD plans. Fico said that his personal opinion is actually that of his government as well and said that if he ever brought the issue to the government to create an official position the vote would be 16 to 0 in opposition to MD bases in the Czech Republic and Poland. In response to the Ambassador,s offer of a classified briefing on the Iranian missile threat, Fico said that while it would be fine to show the government such information, it is even more important to change the views of the Slovak public which does not believe the threat is real because of the number of times the US has cried wolf on terrorism over the last six years. ¶8. (C) Fico asked the Ambassador whether the Czechs would accept MD. Fico said Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) leader Jiri Paroubek believes elections will be called in the near future and Fico believes MD is a political winner since "it separates the government from the opposition, and is opposed by the majority." He preferred not to know if Paroubek's private opinion was different from a politically expedient position, but was going to ask Paroubek during their meeting on July 20. Fico said he believes in his heart that MD is wrong, that it should be a collective NATO or EU decision, and not bilateral. Rhetorically, Fico asked "why are we a member of NATO if we don,t discuss these things that are clearly related to the defense of Europe?" TRANSPETROL -------------- ¶9. (C) Ambassador noted the recent announcement that Yukos Finance would be auctioned off in August, and asked if Fico felt, as MinEcon Jahnatek does, that the Russians had reneged on the Putin/Fico deal, from their meeting in May. Fico said he was unaware of the auction and denied he had made any deal with Putin. Ambassador pointed out that buying Yukos Finance means that the purchasing party would get control of YF's claims to Transpetrol without obtaining GOS approval and that the Poles, Gazprom, or even Americans are potential buyers. PM said it was too risky and complicated for a Slovak bid and opined that the GOS had sufficient legal protections going forward. Ambassador asked if PM feels that Putin would demand that a Russian buyer meet the four Slovak conditions. Fico said he could not imagine such a scenario. Ambassador noted the benefits of a Slovak-friendly buyer in resolving problems with Yukos International. (See SEPTEL or REFTEL) SLOVAK INFORMATION SERVICE (SIS) -------------- ¶10. (C) Fico said that HzDS Chairman Vladimir Meciar cannot understand why the PM does not use the SIS in the same way Meciar himself did. Fico believes Meciar is concerned he will use the SIS to uncover all the 'business' that politicians from the co-ruling HZDS and Slovak National Party (SNS) are engaged in. Fico brushed off the concern saying that "first of all, I already know all their business from other sources. Second, I subscribe to the old Slovak proverb, 'the gun I use on others can easily be turned on me.'" Fico called Magala a long time friend and said he runs SIS independent of political interference. Fico said he is aware that Meciar will continue to fight to get his own person into SIS and is planning an attempt to lower the SIS budget to 600 million Slovak crowns in the fall. Fico stated, however, that he can outwit Meciar by giving him the budget cut and then returning the money to Magala through the MOD and the MOI. VISAS BRATISLAVA 00000417 003 OF 004 -------------- ¶11. (C) The Ambassador praised Fico for his realistic public statements on the Visa Waiver Program and briefed the PM on the recent appointment of congressional conferees for the 9/11 bill. Although the Ambassador said there was hope for very cautious optimism, the PM agreed it would be best to avoid raising public expectations. ROMA -------------- ¶12. (C) Fico said the last time he visited his cottage he, his son, and bodyguards played (and lost) a game of soccer with a group of 10 year-old Roma children. The Ambassador mentioned the Embassy's outreach to Roma children through sports diplomacy and asked why the PM does not have a more robust and visible program to assist the Roma. Fico said it is useless to try to change the behavior of Roma over the age of 30, and that all efforts, particularly housing and education, should be concentrated on the young. With reference to the program of the 18th century Austro-Hungarian King Joseph to separate Roma children from their parents, Fico posited that schools which keep the kids out of their villages have the best chance of success "except that other Europeans would crucify me if I expressed such an opinion publicly." Fico said that on his return from vacation in September, he would look for opportunities for the Ambassador, himself, and their two sons to play soccer with Roma children. -------------- PRESIDENT GASPAROVIC -------------- AFGHANISTAN -------------- ¶13. (C) Gasparovic reiterated his long-standing support for robust NATO engagement in Afghanistan. He said that MoD is currently reviewing options, and that he is strongly urging engagement, including more rapid responses to specific requests. The President apologized for not having helicopters available for donation in response to a recent request. In response to the idea of a Slovak AMT (see paragraph 4) the President said it is an interesting idea, but that he would defer to military experts. KOSOVO -------------- ¶14. (C) Gasparovic maintains his hard line position on Kosovo, noting that bilateral recognition would be impossible for Slovakia. He suggested that Kosovo is a mess because of the failed politics of a previous US Secretary of State (Comment. Albright. End comment.) and bemoaned the lack of action by the coalition in response to initial attacks on Kosovar Serbs. Gasparovic said the future of both Kosovo and Serbia is in the EU and said he would support their integration. TRANSPETROL -------------- ¶15. (C) Gasparovic was unaware of breaking Transpetrol developments. He had expected Fico to "harvest the crop that he had planted with Putin." The President,s preferred option has always been Slovak government control. WHITE HOUSE VISIT -------------- ¶16. (C) The Ambassador noted interest from the Slovak Embassy in Washington for a November/December visit by Gasparovic to the White House. Gasparovic said he hopes he will know if this is possible before September. If a November/December White House visit was realistic, Gasparovic said he would turn his September UN visit over to PM Fico. OVERSTAY -------------- ¶17. (C) The Ambassador noted that the two Slovaks who had received U.S. tourist visas with referrals from him seemed to have overstayed and are likely now illegally in the U.S. The President was stunned but claimed he may have seen one recently at the Bratislava airport. The Ambassador emphasized that if the visitors overstayed, it would be an unfortunate incident in light of the debate on the Visa Waiver Program. NEW LAWS ON FORESTS BRATISLAVA 00000417 004 OF 004 -------------- ¶18. (C) The President proudly mentioned his recent signing of a New Law on Forests, and suggested the law is inspired by similar protective measures in the US. (Note. Former PM Dzurinda, who is leading a public campaign against the anti-cyclist provisions of the law, told the Ambassador the President would sign the bill because he is controlled by "private hunting interests." End note.) IRAQ -------------- ¶19. (C) The President asked whether the US congress is prevailing over President Bush in the Iraq debate. The Ambassador said it was unlikely that the Congress could muster 60 votes in advance of the September Petraeus/Crocker report, that President Bush is committed to a free Iraq and progress is being made, for example in Anbar Province. Gasparovic urged President Bush to hang tough, and said a pull out would be disastrous. He repeated his support for an international conference of the leaders of the coalition partners to discuss the next steps. (Note. It is unclear whether Gasparovic still considers Slovakia a coalition partner. End note.) VALLEE