MFA WARNS EMBASSY NOT TO INTERFERE IN BELARUS'

C O N F I D E N T I A L MINSK 000489 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/07/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL BO SUBJECT: MFA WARNS EMBASSY NOT TO INTERFERE IN BELARUS' INTERNAL AFFAIRS REF: A. MINSK 440 ¶B. MINSK 457 Classified By: Ambassador Karen Stewart for reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On June 7, Deputy Foreign Minister (DFM) Viktor Gaisyonok called Ambassador to the MFA to complain that Embassy officials' regional travel was one-sided and interfered in the internal affairs of Belarus. He warned that if such activities continue, the GOB could "take appropriate measures." Subsequently, Gaisyonok walked back from his thinly veiled threat by agreeing with Ambassador that regional travel and meetings with a wide range of actors are vital functions of any diplomatic mission. Ambassador, while noting that the Embassy will take into consideration GOB concerns, pressed Gaisyonok to recognize that we regularly meet with the local authorities on our trips and that our diplomatic activities do not constitute interference. Gaisyonok thanked Ambassador for the State Department's recommendation to renew the Jackson-Vanik waiver. End summary. GOB Views Embassy's Regional Travel as Interference -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) On June 7, Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Gaisyonok called Ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the GOB's displeasure with Embassy officials' regional trips during the past several months. According to Gaisyonok, Embassy officials' avoidance of meetings with local officials and insistence on meetings with "radical" political opposition and youth groups in the regions "have created a picture of interference in the internal affairs of Belarus." ¶3. (C) Gaisyonok claimed that he possessed approximately 20 recent examples of such trips and cited Belarus Desk Officer's March trip to Borisov and the Deputy Chief of Mission's (DCM) trips to Mogilyov and Soligorsk in April and May, respectively, as some of the most egregious examples. Gaisyonok accused the DCM of conducting an unauthorized meeting with imprisoned youth activist Artur Finkevich and "participating" in an unsanctioned demonstration on the anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster during his trip to Soligorsk. Gaisyonok reminded Ambassador that her officers must behave in accordance with their diplomatic status. He warned that if such practices continue, the GOB "would be forced to take steps in accordance with the Vienna Convention." ¶4. (C) Ambassador flatly rejected Gaisyonok's characterization of the DCM's attendance at the Chernobyl demonstration, stressing that Embassy officials observe but do not participate in demonstrations. Ambassador firmly stated that she believed her staff had not violated their diplomatic status or international agreements, noting that Belarusian diplomats in the United States are free to travel to any U.S. city and meet with whomever they like. She added that she hoped that we could "walk back from this" before the GOB "takes any steps" that could force the USG to respond in kind. ¶5. (C) While acknowledging the importance of regional travel in augmenting diplomats' knowledge of their host countries, Gaisyonok expressed his hope that all future visits would be planned in coordination with local authorities so that the trips would not be so "unilaterally focused." Ambassador explained to Gaisyonok that Embassy officials meet with a wide-range of civil society and government representatives in order to broaden our understanding of Belarus. Ambassador noted that the USG would always be interested in meeting with political contacts, but that such meetings should not be viewed as interfering in Belarus' internal affairs. She explained that it was our practice to meet with authorities the first time we travel to a new city but not necessarily during every subsequent trip to that city. She added that we would consider additional meetings with local officials on our regional trips, given the importance of getting varied perspectives, but that we would set our own schedules. DFM Expresses Gratitude for Jackson-Vanik Waiver Extension -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) While stressing that sanctions are detrimental to productive bilateral relationships, Gaisyonok expressed his gratitude for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recommendation to extend the Jackson-Vanik waiver for Belarus. Ambassador noted that the Department's recommendation was consistent with past Jackson-Vanik waiver decisions and largely based on Belarus' record on freedom of emigration. She added that the Department took into consideration the GOB's release of political prisoners (ref A) and its leniency towards detained youth activists (ref B) and that we look for a continuation of these recent steps. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Although the topic of the meeting was not announced beforehand, the GOB's lecture on our behavior during regional trips was not surprising given the letter we received from the Mogilyov Regional Authorities on June 5. The letter expressed similar concerns about our past travel practices and recommended coordination with the local authorities in planning an upcoming trip to Lukashenko's birthplace. However, neither Gaisyonok nor the Mogilyov Governor noted that the Embassy attempts to include a meeting with the local authorities on nearly all of our trips. Local officials, however, are reluctant to meet with us especially if they cannot control the schedule. ¶8. (C) Despite Gaisyonok's thinly veiled warning, we plan to continue our travel to the regions. That the Belarusian KGB went to the effort to document our active travel schedule for the MFA only demonstrates the value of meeting Belarusians outside of Minsk. However, for purposes of preserving our direct contact with opposition activists and civil society representatives in the regions, we will also increase our interaction with the local authorities. Stewart