SLOVENIA SUPPORTS PRESSING GOR ON ODHIR, BUT NOT

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000705 SIPDIS SIPDIS PASS TO EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM RS SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA SUPPORTS PRESSING GOR ON ODHIR, BUT NOT OPTIMISTIC REF: STATE 153309 ¶1. (C) On November 9, Emboff delivered reftel points to Damjan Bergant, Section Head for OSCE in the MFA Division for International Organizations and Human Security. Bergant stated that Slovenia shares US disappointment in the GOR's approach to the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) observation mission for the December 2 Duma elections. Despite grave concerns with the restrictions the GOR has placed on the observation mission, Slovenia still believes that the mission should go forward because of fears that Russia will refuse to invite future observation missions on the pretext that previous invitations had been refused. ¶2. (C) Bergant observed that the GOR's current approach to the observation mission is clearly an attempt to pressure the OSCE into accepting Russian demands for changes to the ODIHR system. Slovenia is not optimistic that the GOR will change its mind regarding observation of the Duma election. The GOS fears that Russia will adopt a similar approach for the presidential elections in March, a particular concern since Slovenia will hold the EU presidency. ¶3. (C) Bergant noted that Slovenia is also particularly interested in ODIHR's observation of Duma elections because Boris Ferlec, a former Slovenian FM and the MFA's OSCE Task Force Head when Slovenia was chairman-in-office, is to head the mission. Ferlec shares GOS and US concerns, but also believes that the mission should go forward. COLEMAN