REGIME PNG'S TEN U.S. DIPLOMATS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000313 SIPDIS AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS SENSITIVE SIPDIS KYIV FOR AID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL CASC OFDP BO SUBJECT: REGIME PNG'S TEN U.S. DIPLOMATS REF: A) Vilnius 277 and previous B) Merkel-Moore telcon 04/30/08 C) Boehme-Moore telcon 04/29/08 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) When Charge delivered Washington's refusal to submit to diplomatic staff cuts demanded by Belarus (refs A, B),MFA Americas Department Chief Vadim Lazerko delivered him with a list of ten U.S. diplomats declared "persona non grata" and ordered to depart the country by 1500 local time May 3. Charge immediately requested a meeting May 1 to present additional information from Washington and closed the meeting by reiterating the USG's grave concern for the well-being of imprisoned AMCIT Emanuel Zeltser. End summary. Charge to MFA -- Hell No, We Won't Go -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Charge and A/DCM met with Ambassador Vadim Lazerko and Counselor Pavel Shidlovskiy of the MFA's Americas Department Wednesday, April 30 to deliver Washington's response to Belarus' April 23 demands that the U.S. Embassy again cut staff by ten. Charge sternly delivered points from ref B and C insisting on the release of Belarus' three political prisoners and refusing to submit to its demands to cut U.S. Embassy staff. He noted as instructed that the forced drawdown of staff would eliminate our ability to work with Belarus on issues of human rights and migration, with serious consequences for our bilateral relations, including bilateral trade. ¶3. (SBU) In response, Lazerko presented Charge with diplomatic note No. 12-06/8850-N. The note states that since the U.S. refused Belarus' proposal for mutual staff cuts -- a request that conforms to Section 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations -- the MFA "has been forced" to declare ten U.S. diplomats "persona non grata" with 72 hours to depart Belarus. Lazerko also passed Charge a separate list of the PNG'd diplomats: -- Defense Attache Keith Detweiler -- First Secretary Louis John Crishock -- First Secretary Kirby Nelson -- Second Secretary and Vice Consul Stephen Kovacsics -- Attache Jeffrey Allyn Athy -- Attache Brandon Gibbs -- Attache Eric Veverka -- Attache Justin Collum -- Attache Crystal Madkins -- Attache Mark Lillman (Note: The final five attaches are post's Marine Security Guard Detachment. Since the detachment must leave Belarus as a group, this list essentially means that DetCmdr GySgt Scott Smart, USMC will depart post as well. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) In addition to these notes, Lazerko passed a list of the five Belarusian diplomats who will remain in the United States at their Embassy and Consulate General in New York. The six Belarusian diplomats to remain are as follows: -- Ambassador Mikhail Khvostov -- Consul General N. N. Lepeshko -- Counselor O. I. Kravchenko -- Counselor S. I. Dulub -- First Secretary (Consular Affairs) A. V. Kozhan -- Driver V. A. Sanko [Note: The Belarusian list -- printed on the back of a declaration of bilateral relations between Belarus and Cuba -- notes First Secretary Kozhan will depart May 9, and that Third Secretary SIPDIS (Consular Affairs) O. V. Popov will replace him May 10. End note.] Charge Repeats Call for Release of Zeltser -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Charge also forcefully raised the Department's alarm at the rapidly deteriorating condition of imprisoned AMCIT Emanuel Zeltser, repeating the Department's call for Zeltser's release on humanitarian grounds. Lazerko thanked the Charge for this information and noted that the Belarusian Embassy in Washington had transmitted a diplomatic note to the Ministry earlier in the day with the same information. Lazerko promised to share the information with "all interested bodies" but made no substantive response to the request. Charge Addresses Independent Media VILNIUS 00000313 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Following this meeting and internal Embassy consultations, Charge held a press conference with representatives of the independent media. He underlined that the USG's prime concern remained the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. Comment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The eleven diplomats impacted by this decision have already begun preparations to depart Belarus. Post thanks the Department and Embassy Vilnius for their significant assistance in this difficult time. Moore Cloud