Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07LJUBLJANA317
2007-05-21 07:11:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

DAS MADISON VISIT: SLOVENES EAGER TO GET SMART ON

Tags:  PREL PHUM PGOV CU EUN SI 
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VZCZCXYZ0168
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLJ #0317/01 1410711
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 210711Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5816
INFO RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA PRIORITY 0005
C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000317 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SSADLE AND EUR/ERA NICOLE OTALLAH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV CU EUN SI
SUBJECT: DAS MADISON VISIT: SLOVENES EAGER TO GET SMART ON
CUBA, LATIN AMERICA


Classified By: CDA for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000317

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SSADLE AND EUR/ERA NICOLE OTALLAH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV CU EUN SI
SUBJECT: DAS MADISON VISIT: SLOVENES EAGER TO GET SMART ON
CUBA, LATIN AMERICA


Classified By: CDA for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary. Slovenian government officials, academics,
and media were eager to learn about USG views on Cuba and
Latin America during the May 7-9 visit of DAS Kirsten
Madison. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) officials told
Madison they have little expertise on issues in the Western
Hemisphere but are working to "get smart" on the region in
preparation for Slovenia's more global role as President of
the European Union in 2008. On Cuba, MFA officials talked of
the need for a unified EU position based on the priority of
human rights. On Latin America, MFA officials briefed
Madison on Foreign Minister Rupel's recent visit to the
region and on plans for future engagement, including the
upcoming EU-Latin American Community Summit (EU-LAC) next
year. A luncheon and academic coffee rounded out a visit
that was largely focused on getting Slovenes up-to-speed on
USG views on the region and offering them a chance to begin
exploring Cuban and Latin American issues more substantively
with the U.S. At the highest levels Slovenian officials are
looking for information, suggestions and assistance. Ongoing
contact will allow us to influence the Slovenian perspective,
advance U.S. foreign policy interests, and push Slovenia to
avoid the tendency to adopt a position of neutrality, and
take a strong, positive role on Cuba and other topics during
its leadership of the EU. End Summary.


2. (U) Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kirsten Madison
visited Ljubljana May 7-9, 2007 to discuss Cuba as well as
Central and South American issues with officials from the MFA
and Parliament, academia, and the media. Her messages on
Cuba and the region helped clarify USG positions and were
well received at all levels.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
GOS: Interested in Cuba, but Lacking Experience and Expertise
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3. (C) MFA officials were eager to meet with DAS Madison and

hear her insights on the state of the Cuban transition,
especially her assessment of opposition groups, the regime,
and the path forward. Ambassador Roman Kirn, Director of the
Americas Department (and former Slovenian Ambassador to the
United Nations),was well versed on general aspects of USG
policy towards Cuba, but he was also interested in learning
more about the internal situation in Cuba and USG activities
on the island.


4. (C) Kirn said Slovenia and the EU should send a clear
message of their expectations, but that the EU lacks unity on
the issue and is having difficulty defining a common
position. Kirn was curious about reactions to Madison's
visits in other EU capitals and said the EU "must be united
on the need to have access to the opposition." However, he
also stressed that communication and dialogue with the Cuban
government is of utmost importance. Kirn noted that Cubans
do not seem to be having difficulty gathering support around
the world, especially given their chairmanship of the
Non-Aligned Movement. Despite extensive Cuban public
relations campaigns in Europe, Kirn said the Cuban regime is
probably not influencing many in EU.


5. (C) Kirn focused extensively on the need for practical
steps to move Cuba forward, commenting repeatedly on the need
for incentives to get the Cuban government to allow more
openness. However he felt that the EU has few if any
incentives, and that the EU can "send a message of support
but cannot change anything." In contrast, he felt the US has
obvious incentives and "needs to be creative" in using them.
Kirn said that there was a certain degree of frustration
within the EU regarding the decade old common policy and felt
that if the policy was not resulting in change, than maybe it
should be reconsidered. He said it was important that the
U.S. and EU speak about the "behavior" of the regime, not
about "regime change." Kirn asked about the U.S. embargo and
reiterated that Slovenia was very supportive of references to
Cuba and Latin America in recent joint U.S.-EU statements.
Director General of Multilateral Affairs Anita Pipan and
State Secretary Andrej Ster echoed Kirn's comments as did
Jozef Jerovsek, Chair of the Parliament's Foreign Policy
Committee. Jerovsek was complimentary of USG efforts to
prepare for the Cuban transition in advance, and was
particularly interested in getting a readout on the
organization of the opposition on the island, the current
mindset of the Cuban regime, and how the USG thinks events
will proceed in the near future.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Sponge" Slovenia: Seeking Expertise on Latin America Before

EU-Latin America Summit
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6. (C) At all levels, MFA officials said Slovenia has few
bilateral issues and very little expertise on South and
Central American affairs but that it wants to learn more
about the region and increase bilateral ties. Pipan served
in Slovenia's only embassy in the region, Buenos Aires, and
is one of the few high level MFA officials with experience in
South or Central America. She briefed on Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel's trip to Latin America in April, calling it
"an opportunity to get to know the region and to establish
contacts" before the EU-LAC Summit. He visited Argentina,
Chile, and Peru and held bilateral meetings with colleagues
from a half dozen other countries on the margins of the
EU-Rio Group meeting in the Dominican Republic. FM Rupel
will be returning to the region to visit Brazil in early June
and Mexico later this year; the Foreign Minister of Costa
Rica will be in Slovenia in late May. Pipan welcomed DAS
Madison's visit, asking for more information on USG positions
in the region and saying that Slovenia would be a "sponge"
soaking up information from allies.


7. (C) Madison briefed on President Bush's recent trip to
Latin America, trends in the region, and Cuba. Pipan's
analysis tracked with Madison's statements, with Pipan noting
that in general, the GOS sees two poles emerging in Latin
America: one with a liberal, free trade, forward looking,
pragmatic, and results-oriented perspective, while the other
pole has an interventionist perspective with political
rhetoric "a la Castro." Pipan said FM Rupel found Latin
American leaders to be "very self confident," particularly in
regards to economic, trade, and energy issues. She said
leaders were more apprehensive on issues of social cohesion
and were particularly cautious on Cuba, advocating gradual
steps and a peaceful transition without outside pressure.


8. (C) Pipan noted that as President of the EU, Slovenia will
be the co-chair of the next EU-Latin American Community
(EU-LAC) summit which will be held in Lima, Peru May 16 and
17, 2008 and include the 27 EU states and 33 countries from
South America and the Caribbean. She said that the priority
issues are likely to be social justice and climate change,
while issues like energy security, migration, and effective
multilateralism and regional integration may also be
discussed. Pipan said the region seems to be interested in
stronger cooperation with the EU and that the meeting may
allow the EU to offer its perspectives and assistance on the
challenge of regional and subregional integration.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Slovenian Newspaper, National Radio Cover Visit of DAS Madison
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9. (U) Fourth largest national daily "Vecer" (print run of
58,000 with a readership of 141,000) titled its interview
with DAS Madison "Positive Role of U.S.A. is Well Understood
in South America" and subtitled it "People Who Work for
Freedom in Cuba Wish Peaceful Transition and Reconciliation
with All Citizens." The interview, carried May 12 on the
newspaper's foreign policy page, covered DAS Madison's visit
in a straightforward manner and included a straight
translation of questions regarding Hugo Chavez and Venezuela,
Cuba, and U.S.-EU cooperation in Central and Latin American
issues. The taped radio interview with DAS Madison for Radio
Slovenia (three stations with a combined reach of 400,000)
will most likely air on Saturday, May 19.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Czech, Hungarian, Polish Ambassadors Join DAS Madison and COM
to Weigh in on Cuba
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10. (C) COM hosted a spirited luncheon for DAS Madison with
State Secretary Ster, Ambassador Kirn, the MFA's working
level Cuba staffer Natasa Furlan, and the Czech, Hungarian,
and Polish Ambassadors to Slovenia. Given the positive
engagement on Cuba from some of Slovenia's central European
peers, COM invited them to deliver a unified message that
Slovenia should take a proactive role on democracy promotion
in Cuba during its EU Presidency, and promote a policy that
is in line with the U.S. and central European mindset rather
than that of the Spanish.


11. (C) Czech Ambassador to Slovenia Ivana Hlavsova, a former
head of the Americas Department at the Czech MFA, was
particularly tough in her condemnation of Spanish Foreign
Minister Moratinos' visit to Havana and her assessment of
Cuba's success in dividing the EU. She politely rebuffed


Ambassador Kirn's opinion that the Moratinos visit had some
benefits in terms of dialogue, noting that Moratinos did not
meet with dissidents. While a good deal of discussion
centered around whether the central European transition
experience was relevant to Cuba, all present agreed that that
the EU had a responsibility to act (with the Czech and
Hungarian Ambassadors arguing that central European states
should take a leadership role given their recent totalitarian
past),and that the EU must have "a strong, harmonized voice
on Cuba."


12. (C) All parties were pleased to have a Cuba expert
present and were interested in hearing Madison's take on the
current situation in Cuba, the organization and unity of the
Cuban opposition, and the role of the Cuban Diaspora,
specifically the Cuban-American community. There was
nervousness that the Cuban opposition would splinter as
transition begins, and that the Cuban-American community is
feared as much as looked to for assistance by the Cuban
public. The Czech Ambassador also inquired about the USG
opinion on Latin America's relations with Cuba, what they are
thinking, doing, and saying, and whether they will take a
coherent regional approach after Castro's departure.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Engaging Slovenian Academia on Cuba
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


13. (C) American Studies Graduate Program Chair Dr. Bogomil
Ferfilla, International Studies Graduate Program Chair Dr.
Bojko Bucar, and Defense Studies Chair Dr. Anton Bebler, all
from the University of Ljubljana, were curious about the
current economic, political, and social situation in Cuba,
the state of the Cuban opposition, how USG-Cuban relations
operate, and what the USG is doing to promote democracy in
Cuba. Though all three are generally supportive of U.S.
foreign policy, they criticized the embargo, with Bucar
noting that opening up the system economically caused things
to collapse in central and eastern Europe and that the USG
could similarly prompt change in Cuba with economic openness.
In response to Madison's comments that USG policy is
dependent on positive actions coming from the regime, all
three urged the USG to pursue a policy "leading" instead of
"reacting to" changes on the island. Ferfilla shared his
experiences traveling in Cuba and noted that, like Iranians,
the general population in Cuba seems to be very pro-American.



14. (C) When asked how the GOS will "get smart" on Cuba and
Latin America, the three agreed that Slovenia will look
extensively to larger players within the EU (especially
France and Germany) for guidance and will "farm out" much of
the work to countries with more experience. For example,
they felt that Slovenia would look to Spain for guidance on
Latin America and France for guidance on Africa, saying this
would be "the only way that the GOS can handle the amount of
work." Note: FM Rupel announced in Peru that the GOS will
work on EU-LAC Summit issues through the French Embassy in
Lima because it lacks an Embassy presence there. End Note.
Bucar, with agreement of the others, said that very little
original thinking should be expected out of the MFA during
the EU Presidency.

- - - -
Comment
- - - -


15. (C) Unlike other central and eastern European countries,
Slovenia has remained largely unengaged in Cuba primarily
because it lacks a diplomatic presence. Likewise, its
connection to Latin America is almost exclusively based on
the small Slovenian Diaspora in Argentina. The MFA's strong
interest in DAS Madison's visit highlights the GOS's
curiosity and its nervousness about taking a role on the
world stage and engaging on issues that previously were of
only peripheral interest. DAS Madison's visit, coming just
days after a DVC between FM Rupel and NEA PDAS Jeffrey, is a
further sign that the GOS is open to and appreciative of USG
engagement on a wide range of topics in the run up to the EU
Presidency. At the highest levels, Slovenian officials are
looking for information, ideas and assistance. During his
meeting with Madison, Ster noted that the "challenge of the
EU Presidency is global, and we appreciate an exchange of
information with countries who are in the know." The
positive reception to Madison's message shows how ongoing
contact from the USG will allow us to influence the Slovenian
perspective, advance U.S. foreign policy interests, and push
Slovenia to avoid the tendency to adopt a position of
neutrality on difficult issues and take a strong, positive

role in its leadership of the EU.


16. (U) DAS Madison has cleared on this cable.
COLEMAN