(U) Secretary Rice's April 25, 2008

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 048065 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/01/2028 TAGS: OVIP RICE CONDOLEEZZA MARR PREL PINS NATO CVIS, LG, AF, IZ, RS, GG, UP SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Rice's April 25, 2008 Conversation with Latvian President Zatlers ¶1. (U) Classified by: KURT VOLKER, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS, REASONS: 1.4(b) and (d). ¶2. (U) April 25, 2008, 9:20 - 10:50 a.m., Washington, D.C. ¶3. (U) Participants: U.S. The Secretary Ambassador Charles W. Larson, Jr. Acting Assistant Secretary Kurt Volker, EUR Sean McCormack, PA Steve Beecroft, S Carol Beilman Werner (EUR/NB Notetaker) Latvia President Valdis Zatlers State Secretary Normans Penke Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics Eduards Stiprais, Chief of Staff Andris Pelss, Foreign Policy Advisor Inata Lase, Press Secretary Edgars Trumkalns, Embassy Latvia Notetaker ¶4. (C) SUMMARY. The Secretary met with Latvian President Valdis Zatlers on April 25, 2008 at the Department of State. They discussed potential Georgia and Ukraine NATO Membership Action Plans (MAPs). Zatlers hoped that Latvia was close to gaining entry into the Visa Waiver Program. The Secretary expressed her appreciation for Latvia's contributions to Afghanistan and noted that what was most needed at this point was increased assistance for Afghan citizens. Zatlers agreed, saying that Latvia had committed to sending an OMLT to Afghanistan this fall. On Russia, while the Secretary was optimistic about the effect of confidence building measures related to the proposed U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, she felt that the Russians would not maintain their participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. Zatlers mentioned that Russia had been seeking improved relations with Latvia while fortifying its border. END SUMMARY. -------------- NATO Enlargement -------------- ¶5. (C) The Secretary said that although Georgia and Ukraine had not been granted MAPs at the NATO Summit in Bucharest, she was quite pleased with the official declaration promising they would join NATO one day. Zatlers responded that Russia wanted to prevent Georgia from getting a MAP to influence the upcoming Parliamentary elections there, adding that Latvia would do all it could to help the Georgians with the electoral process. As for Ukraine, he said that the meaning of NATO membership needed to be explained to the population so that they would be more favorable towards it. The Secretary agreed, saying that such information was especially needed in eastern Ukraine, where much of what the population knows of NATO comes from Russian TV. The Secretary mentioned that the Georgians were worried about how not receiving MAP at the NATO Summit would affect Russia's involvement in Abkhazia. She and Zatlers agreed that a MAP is not a promise of NATO membership, but rather a device to encourage development and promote reform so that a country will one day be eligible to join the Alliance. -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶6. (C) The Secretary said that she appreciated Latvia's help in Afghanistan and the statement that Zatlers had made about Afghanistan at NATO. She had recently met with UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan Kai Eide, who had noted the need for an increase in contributions for civilian assistance. Zatlers responded that Latvian troops had told him that the STATE 00048065 002 OF 002 SUBJECT: (U) Secretary Rice's April 25, 2008 Conversation with Latvian President Zatle key to their security lay in increasing such assistance, as it was the Afghan civilians who could identify the enemy among them. The Secretary pointed out the poverty of Afghanistan, comparing its annual budget of $670 million with Iraq's $49 billion. She said that our commitment to the citizens of Afghanistan must be long-term. Zatlers agreed, saying that Latvia had committed to sending an OMLT to Afghanistan this fall. The Secretary stressed the importance of countries such as Latvia providing troops without caveats. Ambassador Pildegovics noted that Latvia would like to offer its ports for the transit of supplies to Afghanistan. -------------- Russia -------------- ¶7. (C) The Secretary reviewed the discussions between Presidents Bush and Putin in Sochi, Russia, which, she said, were generally non-confrontational. She felt that the outcome of the talks on missile defense was better than the final document indicated. The Russians would continue to negotiate the transparency and confidence-building measures related to the missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic until the last moment. On the other hand, it appeared that they did not want to maintain their participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE Treaty). The Russians seemed to view the CFE Treaty and related Istanbul commitments as a "colonial treaty," signed in a moment of weakness. Putin was calm when discussing all issues in Sochi save those related to the CFE Treaty regime. The Secretary assured Zatlers that the United States would continue to negotiate a resolution to the treaty impasse with Russia so as not to be accused of walking away but would remain resolute on the flank agreements. ¶8. (C) Zatlers said that Russia had started to seek contacts at all governmental levels in Latvia. The Latvian government did not know what Russia's long- range plan was in this regard, but it felt it had to react in kind without sacrificing its or its allies' values. At the same time, Russia was fortifying its border with Latvia. The Secretary noted that it is not easy for Russia to deal with its position in the post-Soviet world. Offering improved relations with Latvia indicated that Russia knew that it couldn't go back. In contrast, its relationship with Georgia and Ukraine showed an inability to recognize that reality. Russia was not yet ready to believe that the rest of the world respected it as it is now. The Secretary added that despite anger with Russian behavior at times, it must be fully included in international organizations and processes, as exclusion would only lead to worse behavior. ¶9. (C) Zatlers replied that Russia respected order. When Medvedev was asked who would be responsible for Russian foreign policy, he said he would be, using every means possible to support Russia, only after a pause adding: according to international laws and treaties. Zatlers commented that the Russians were also masters of the "divide and rule" principle, which made NATO unity difficult for them. -------------- Visa Waiver Program (VWP) -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Zatlers pointed out the recent progress that Latvia had made towards gaining entry into the VWP, emphasizing how important it is to Latvian citizens. He said that the visa refusal rate for Latvia had dropped and that the first four months of Latvia's inclusion in the Schengen zone had gone smoothly. Asked by the Secretary where Latvia stood with regard to meeting the technical security requirements, Zatlers said that all requirements had been met, including the use of e-passports. The Secretary commented that after 9/11, we realized that we did not really know who was in the United States and that we needed to increase our security with regard to entry visas. She welcomed the news that U.S. allies such as Latvia were now moving towards membership in the VWP. RICE