SOVA URGES MCC ROADS IN TRANSNISTRIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CHISINAU 000663 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PBTS PINR KMCA MD SUBJECT: SOVA URGES MCC ROADS IN TRANSNISTRIA CHISINAU 00000663 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador Michael D. Kirby for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Minister for Reintegration Vasile Sova urged the USG to move ahead with including Transnistrian (TN) roads in the Moldovan MCC compact. Sova said the biggest disappointment for TN "President" Smirnov would be a U.S. decision to finance these roads. Such a decision could turn the situation around, weakening the TN administration. Sova accepts having U.S. road experts carry out preliminary studies in Transnistria at this stage, without requiring that GOM experts be included. Sova does not want a TN "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" (MFA) representative to travel to Washington, but would accept an "internal" (inside Moldova) coordinating role for the TN MFA. Sova said that the GOM and President Voronin see a strong need for rebuilding these roads. End Summary. MCC Roads in TN Would Weaken Smirnov -------------- ¶2. (C) In his farewell meeting with Ambassador Kirby on June 24, Minister for Reintegration Sova urged the USG to move forward on including the Transnistrian section of roads in the MCC compact program. Sova said that President Voronin was very emphatic about the need to rebuild these roads. (However, President Voronin has yet to express his views on the details of how to work with Transnistria on MCC issues.) ¶3. (C) Sova believes that after so many years of receiving orders from Russia, the biggest disappointment for Smirnov would be for the USA to finance road reconstruction, which Smirnov knows is necessary for economic development. Thus, argued Sova, the very fact of a positive USG decision could turn the situation in Transnistria around by weakening the TN administration. ¶4. (C) Sova said it was already clear that Smirnov's position is not as strong as it was five years ago. Transnistrian business circles and Russian investors were interested now in access to European markets. GOM Would Accept Internal Role for TN MFA -------------- ¶5. (C) Ambassador Kirby noted that the Transnistrians had insisted upon the involvement of "Deputy Foreign Minister" Yastrebchak as TN chief liaison for the MCC compact. The Ambassador had clearly stressed to TN 
representatives in a June 16 meeting that TN MFA leadership would be unacceptable. However, TN MFA "Deputy Minister" Sergey Simonenko told us on June 20 that this issue had been discussed again "at the highest level" (i.e. with Smirnov) and that the TN position remained the same: a TN MFA official would have to be the chief liaison for MCC compact activities, American experts were welcome to inspect TN roads, but Chisinau experts and government officials could not visit TN. ¶6. (C) Sova maintained that the GOM would not accept a TN MFA official's traveling to Washington and pretending that the United States was recognizing TN independence. However, said Sova, the GOM would not object if a TN MFA official played an internal coordinating role between Tiraspol and Chisinau officials. GOM Willing to Forego Road Inspection at this Stage -------------- -------------- -- ¶7. (C) The Ambassador noted that the Transnistrians had promised unimpeded access for American MCC road experts, but had stubbornly refused to allow Moldovan specialists. Sova responded that at this stage it would be necessary for the U.S. experts to carry out preliminary studies on TN roads. He was confident that, as work progressed, Moldovan CHISINAU 00000663 002.2 OF 002 experts would be allowed to visit some months later. Unity of Program: GOM Signature for All of Moldova -------------- -------------- - ¶8. (C) The Ambassador noted that he had consistently told the Transnistrians that the USG considered the region to be part of Moldova, and thus Transnistria was being included in MCC as part of the Moldova compact program. He stressed three USG goals for MCC: (1) a unitary program for all of Moldova; (2) the usefulness of MCC compact for breaking down barriers between the two sides of the Dniester; and (3) the removal of internal barriers to permit free movement along MCC-reconstructed roads. ¶9. (C) The Ambassador noted that once the American Congress allocated money for these roads, funds would be returned to the U.S. Treasury and be lost if the project failed. When the MCC board made its final decision, the Board would need assurances that the TN roads could indeed be renovated. Sova concluded by urging that the Transnistrian road project not be eliminated because of current "noise" from Tiraspol, stressing again that a decision to go ahead with the roads would turn the Transnistrian situation around. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) The Government of Moldova is pushing hard to sign an MCC compact agreement before the elections. The GOM is now clearly ready to make some compromises with Transnistria to help make this happen. Sova's shift in position on allowing a TN MFA representative to participate as internal coordinator, and in not insisting on having Moldovan road experts inspect TN roads immediately, reflect this new willingness to compromise in order to keep the project on track. ¶11. (C) Sova admitted that he has yet to secure support for his proposal on how to deal with Transnistrian authorities on MCC issues. However, he undertook to sell his position this week to Prime Minister Greceanii and President Voronin and to confirm their support to us. ¶12. (C) Post recognizes the difficulties of including a "frozen-conflict" region in an MCC compact. This effort is setting a ground- breaking precedent. We strongly believe that the difficulties, uncertainties and frustrations of including Transnistria in an MCC compact are significantly outweighed by the real impact of our efforts: the Transnistrians made a high-level policy decision to engage with the U.S. Government; Moldovan experts from both sides of the river are working together on health, agricultural and civil society projects and will now engage on transportation issues; and Chisinau officials are becoming more flexible in their dealings with Tiraspol. Perhaps most importantly, renovating the two roads across Transnistria will open a previously closed, isolated region and reconnect Transnistrians with Moldova and the outside world. KIRBY