SLOVENIA: RESPONSE TO CUBA LIBERTAD ACT DEMARCHE

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000546 SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CCA DMCFARLAND AND EUR/CE YEAGER E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/10/2018 TAGS: PREL ETRD ETTC CU SI SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: RESPONSE TO CUBA LIBERTAD ACT DEMARCHE REF: STATE 126578 Classified By: DCM Brad Freden, reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (U) On December 8, emboff met with Natasa Furlan, counselor in the MFA's Latin American section, to discuss Slovenia's relations with Cuba. Embassy provides the following in response to reftel questions. ¶2. (C) Slovenia has worked to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba, with an emphasis on the EU "doubletrack" policy advocating engagement with the Cuban government and opposition groups. A low-level Slovenian delegation visited Cuba during Slovenia's 2008 EU presidency, but there have been no recent high-level visits, and none are planned. Slovenia will watch the EU and take its cue from it. ¶3. (U) Slovenia has a limited trading relationship with Cuba--only 128,000 euros in 2008, mostly in the tourism sector. There was no Slovene delegation to the Havana Trade Fair, and no Slovene investment in Cuba. slovenia is also waiting on CUBA to repay approximately $40 million of debt incurred in the 1990s. Slovenia has no bilateral trade agreement with Cuba, and there are no exchange programs between the two countries. Slovenia did not provide any direct aid to CUBA following Hurricanes Gustav or Ike. GHAFARI