Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BUDAPEST147
2008-02-12 14:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Budapest
Cable title:  

HUNGARY DENIES MILLANDER-TURKMENISTAN DEAL

Tags:  PREL ENRG HU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5943
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHUP #0147 0431422
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121422Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
TO RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT PRIORITY 0047
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2502
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000147 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR E, EEB, AND EUR/NCE; PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR
ADAM STERLING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2013
TAGS: PREL ENRG HU
SUBJECT: HUNGARY DENIES MILLANDER-TURKMENISTAN DEAL

REF: STATE 13144 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: P/E COUNSELOR ERIC V. GAUDIOSI; REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000147

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR E, EEB, AND EUR/NCE; PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR
ADAM STERLING

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2013
TAGS: PREL ENRG HU
SUBJECT: HUNGARY DENIES MILLANDER-TURKMENISTAN DEAL

REF: STATE 13144 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: P/E COUNSELOR ERIC V. GAUDIOSI; REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Ambassador Foley met February 12 with Ambassador
Karoly Banai, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to Prime
Minister Gyurcsany.

"UNSTABLE" MIDDLEMAN; "ALARMING" LETTER


2. (C) Ambassador Banai listened intently to reftel points,
asking for our understanding of the volume of gas reportedly
under discussion. He responded immediately to our demarche
by commenting that both the MFA and the Hungarian security
services had described Millander executive Jozsef Kalman as
"insane." He noted that Kalman had been "charged many times
with many things," including tax fraud and drunk driving, and
commented that Kalman had previously undermined a Hungarian
grain sale to Malaysia by falsely representing himself as
empowered to negotiate for the GoH.


3. (C) While reiterating that Kalman is neither "stable" nor
"reliable," Banai confided his concern regarding the letter
signed by Foreign Minister Goncz as "very alarming and very
sensitive" and "a big, big problem." (Note: Goncz is
recovering from what Banai described as minor back surgery
and will not return to the Ministry until next week. End
Note.) Although he assured us that Kalman "does not have the
support of the GoH" and that he is "not aware of any such
contract under consideration," he noted that he "cannot say
that nobody has supported him." He hopes that the FM simply
"did not appreciate the sensitivity and importance of the
matter," and underscored the GoH's commitment to "Nabucco
filled with Azeri gas." Banai undertook to update the Prime
Minister, to look into the matter further, and to keep us
apprised.

ACCELERATING NABUCCO


4. (C) Turning briefly to Nabucco, Banai advised that the
GoH has asked Economy Minister State Secretary Diossy to
serve as their point person on the project and to "be active"
within the consortium to help "accelerate the project" and to
develop "a secure, purely non-Russian source." He also
confided that the GoH would welcome potential Gaz de France
participation in the project. Hungarian officials had
signaled this within the consortium, but Budapest does not
want to be caught between Paris and Ankara.
FOLEY