CZECH COMMENTS ON PAKISTAN DONORS' CONFERENCE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000786 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/CE FOR ATRATENSEK, SCA/PB FOR MTOWNSWICK E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2013 TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN IBRD IMF EZ EUN SUBJECT: CZECH COMMENTS ON PAKISTAN DONORS' CONFERENCE AND OTHER EVENTS REF: A. STATE 129615 ¶B. PRAGUE 755 Classified By: POLEC Counselor Charles O. Blaha for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Czech MFA Desk officer for Pakistan, Martin Basta, thanked us for our additional details related to a possible Pakistan donors' conference in early 2009. As noted in Ref B, the Czechs, who assume the EU Presidency on January 1, 2009, are working to put things in place related to an EU-Pakistan Troika Ministerial, on the margins of a possible Friends of Pakistan meeting in February. According to Basta, the dates of February 9-10 are under discussion for these meetings in Islamabad. The Czechs are also trying to de-conflict a possible trip by FM Schwarzenberg to the US in early February. With respect to possible pledges, Basta does not anticipates that the GOCR will be in a position to contribute bilaterally, although he does anticipate that the EU as a whole will provide funding via the European Commission. Also of note, Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar commented December 18 to Embassy officials that the UK is pressing hard for an EU-Pakistan Summit before the end of the Czech Presidency in June 2009. This will be discussed by the Czech and British Prime Ministers during their meeting December 18 in London. ¶2. (C) Comment: Czech FM Schwarzenberg will lead EU Foreign Ministers' discussions at the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) on January 25-26 in Brussels for the very first time, and he has expressed an interest in traveling to the US in February, specifically to meet the incoming administration. Thus, post believes FM Schwarzenberg is very unlikely to be willing or able to attend a donors' conference for Pakistan if scheduled in January. Thompson-Jones