CZECHS PLAN TO CHANGE STYLE, BUT NOT SUBSTANCE, OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000057

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NOFORN
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EUR/NCE FOR ERIC FICHTE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2017
TAGS: PHUM PREL CU EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS PLAN TO CHANGE STYLE, BUT NOT SUBSTANCE, OF
THEIR CUBA POLICY

Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mike Dodman
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary. The Czech government plans to take no special
action in response to the inevitable announcement of Castro's
death. The Czechs will simply continue supporting the
peaceful democratic opposition in Cuba, and searching for
ways to persuade the EU to do more. However, the Czechs fear
their "Enfant Terrible" reputation within the EU has been
counterproductive. Therefore, the Czech government plans to
change the style, but not the substance, of its policy
initiatives in future EU negotiations on Cuba. End summary.


2. (U) Poloff met with MFA Director of the Americas
Department Jakub Skalnik and Deputy Petr Janousek on January
22 to discuss what the Czech government plans to do when
Castro dies.


3. (SBU) Skalnik said the Czech MFA has not yet prepared a
statement to be released upon news of Castro's death.
However, he said now that newly appointed FM Karel
Schwarzenberg (an ardent supporter of the democratic
opposition in Cuba) is in place, his department will begin
working on one.


4. (C/NF) Skalnik added that the EU has prepared a statement
(Janousek believes the Finnish presidency drafted it),but
has declined to share the text with EU member states. Both
the Finnish and German presidencies have explained that they
fear someone (i.e., Spain) will leak the statement to the
Cubans.


5. (C/NF) Beyond the issuance of a statement, no specific
action is planned in response to Castro's death, and Czech
policy on Cuba will not change. However, the MFA believes a
"cosmetic" change to the Czech approach on Cuba is necessary.
The Czechs believe their "enfant terrible" image has hurt
their efforts to promote meaningful change of EU common
policy. Therefore, the Czechs plan to tone down their style
and focus on consensus building. When asked how this plan
might be achieved practically, Skalnik explained that the
Czechs will let other outspoken critics of the Castro regime
(he specified the Dutch, the Danes, the British, the Poles,
and finally the Hungarians) speak first when the subject of
Cuba comes up. The Czechs will then lend their support and
contribute additional thoughts if necessary. Skalnik
emphasized that the change is in style, not substance.


6. (C/NF) Comment. We believe the "cosmetic" change described
by Skalnik is just that: a genuine attempt to enhance the
effectiveness of Czech efforts to help the Cuban people. We
also note with interest that apparently both the Finnish and
German presidencies believe that Spain's interest in Cuba is
so strong that Spain cannot be trusted to preserve the
confidentiality of the EU statement prepared for Castro's

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death. End comment.
GRABER