CZECH COMMENTS IN ADVANCE OF THE OCTOBER EU GAERC

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000654

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

VILNIUS FOR MINSK
EUR/ERA JGIAUQUE, EUR/CE FOR ATRATENSEK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/10/2013
TAGS: EUN EZ EG PGOV PREL PHUM ZI BO GG
SUBJECT: CZECH COMMENTS IN ADVANCE OF THE OCTOBER EU GAERC

REF: STATE 108064

Classified By: Acting Polec Counselor Martina Strong for reasons 1.4 (b
) and (d).


1. (SBU) Summary: Emboff met with Magdalena Janesova of the
Czech MFA Department of Common Foreign and Security Policy
prior to the October 13 EU General Affairs and External
Relations Council (GAERC). While the Czechs positively view
recent developments in Georgia, Uzbekistan, Belarus and
Zimbabwe, they remain skeptical about the intentions of some
of these governments and thus, the Czechs support a cautious
EU approach. End Summary.

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EU Cautiously Positive about Developments in Georgia
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2. (C) The Czechs noted that the EU Monitoring Mission (EUMM)
has provided updates to the EU member states, which affirm
that the Russians have been withdrawing from the buffer zones
in Georgia. (Note: The Czechs have five officials from the
Ministry of Interior participating in this mission, with
another five committed to join soon. End Note.) While the
draft GAERC conclusions on this subject are fairly positive
(welcoming the October 16 talks in Geneva, the October 22
Donor's conference and noting EU appreciation for progress so
far),much remains bracketed - contingent on how the further
withdrawal of Russian troops proceeds. Janesova noted that
within the EU the Czechs pressed to add to the conclusions a
reference to Georgian "territorial integrity." With respect
to the suspended EU negotiations on its Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Russia, Janesova commented
that some EU member states have expressed interest in
restarting negotiations if all goes well during the Geneva
talks. The Czechs, however, see the PCA as important
leverage with Russia and would not want the EU to act too
quickly to resume these negotiations.

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Uzbekistan - Partial Lift of Sanctions Likely
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3. (C) According to Janesova, the EU has not yet reached a
decision on whether to make permanent the currently suspended
visa ban against Uzbekistan. Like the majority of the EU
member states, the Czechs support lifting the visa ban. The
lone hold-out (the Dutch),however, would like to see more
progress by the Uzbeks. Janesova predicts that if agreement
is not reached at this GAERC, it is likely to occur next
month. On the Uzbek arms ban, Janesova stated that the
Czechs are firmly against lifting this EU ban, as are most of
the EU members.

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Belarus: EU Plans to Lift Visa Ban
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4. (C) In response to the mixed signs of progress in Belarus,
Janesova commented that like the U.S., the EU is planning to
take a measured approach. The Czechs have made the "painful
decision" to support EU consensus to conditionally lift the
visa ban because they decided that this will help the EU to
engage the Belarussians. In the conclusions, the EU will
emphasize the conditional nature of this suspension based on
Belarus progress to implement democratic reforms and address
concerns about media freedom. The EU also plans to call
specifically for changes in the recently adopted media law.

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EU Plans to Watch Zimbabwe Closely on Implementation
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5. (C) The EU plans to give the Zimbabwe government a bit of
space to implement the September 15 power sharing agreement.
Thus, these GAERC conclusions will take note of the
agreement, call for the formation of the Government of
National Unity, and emphasize that the EU stands ready to
support Zimbabwe as it implements this agreement. The EU
will also announce the release of humanitarian assistance
(around 10 M euros). On a bilateral basis, the Czechs have
made a decision to provide approximately 5M crowns (330,000
USD) in humanitarian assistance. This has not yet been
publicly announced, as the Czechs are having some difficulty
finding an NGO to partner with in Zimbabwe.
Graber