SLOVAKIA: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH FM LAJCAK

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BRATISLAVA 000406 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/CE STATE FOR ISN/RA E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/21/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV LO HU BH SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA: CHARGE'S MEETING WITH FM LAJCAK REF: A. A) STATE 95073 ¶B. B) BRATISLAVA 402 BRATISLAVA 00000406 001.2 OF 003 CLASSIFIED BY: Keith A. Eddins, CDA, State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary. Charge d'Affaires Eddins met with Foreign Minister Lajcak on September 18, prior to Lajcak's departure for the U.S. Lajcak reviewed his recent trips to Moscow and Minsk. Other topics included Afghanistan, Iran, Slovak-Hungarian relations, the Balkans, and Guantanamo detainees. Lajcak said he would be bringing two proposals on Afghanistan to Washington; agreed with ref a points on Iran; expressed displeasure with a recent interview by Hungarian FM Balazs; shared a non-paper on Bosnia which he intends to discuss with Balkan experts in Washington; and indicated potential openness to further discussion on Guantanamo detainees. Lajcak reiterated that Prime Minister Fico would like to visit the U.S., even if the proposed November timeframe slips to next year. There are "many reasons to keep him (Fico) on board," he added. End Summary. Afghanistan -------------- ¶2. (C) FM Lajcak will bring with him to DC two "proposals" on Afghanistan, which would be approved by PM Fico before Lajcak's departure to the States. Lajcak nodded affirmatively in response to Charge's query as to whether the proposals were related to an OMLT and the deployment of Slovak Special Forces. Lajcak reiterated, however, that no formal commitment or mandate change would be forthcoming until after Slovak elections in June ¶2010. He agreed with Charge that, given necessary lead times for training, equipping, etc., a solution needed to be found to allow preparations to begin sooner than mid-2010. (Comment: Unfortunately, the GOS seems no farther along in its thinking about how to square this circle. DAO and ODC representatives have repeatedly explained to MOD counterparts that the bulk of the training and equipping they seek from the U.S. will not be available until Slovakia has given us more than an oral expression of intent to deploy. As for the proposals, we will be surprised if they turn out to be materially different from what the GOS has been telling us they would like to do for the last year or so.) Iran -------------- ¶3. (C) Charge conveyed ref a demarche regarding Iran. Lajcak concurred and agreed to include similar points in his UNGA remarks, although he noted that the precise language would have to be harmonized with the EU's agreed position. Kosovo/Bosnia -------------- ¶4. (C) The Slovaks will meet with Kosovar delegation on margins of UNGA (ref b). Lajcak told Charge that he opposed the current MOD plan to end KFOR participation - a decision he implicitly denied was linked to Slovakia's position on recognition. He said he had an agreement from PM Fico and the President that a Slovak drawdown proportionate to that of KFOR reduction was the preferred way to go. He stated that the Slovak PermRep to NATO was pursuing this option. Lajcak said he intended to put forward some ideas on BiH, about which he is very concerned, during a roundtable with Balkan experts on 9/21. He provided a Food for Thought paper (emailed to CE and SCE),which he has asked Ambassador Burian to disseminate in advance of the roundtable. (Comment: At a September 17 reception, MFA PolDir Slobodnik told Charge that FM Lajcak is developing his own policy initiatives on Bosnia and that he expected him to remain very active on this issue.) Moscow, Minsk Visits -------------- ¶5. (C) Lajcak confirmed reports that President Medvedev will visit Bratislava in April. The Russians have expressed interest in concluding a joint declaration aimed at combating what they referred to as "historical revisionism" of World War Two, e.g., efforts to equate Russia with Germany in terms of responsibility for the start of the war. Lajcak assured Charge that the Slovaks would be very cautious that any potential declaration was fully consistent with Slovakia's NATO and EU membership. As for deliverables for the meeting, Lajcak mentioned two old initiatives: the construction of a cyclotron and cooperation in military armaments production. ¶6. (C) He described Russian FM Lavrov as upbeat on U.S.-Russian consultations/relations. Lajcak characterized the Russian reaction to MD decision as positive, and seen as a gesture of seriousness and goodwill. He described familiar Russian BRATISLAVA 00000406 002.2 OF 003 positions on Iran and sanctions, to which Charge reiterated our concern about the risks of inaction. Lajcak confirmed that the EU, despite differing opinions, would not block new sanctions. ¶7. (C) Lajcak expanded on the readout (emailed to UMB and CE) of his meetings in Minsk, particularly Lukashenko's stated frustrations with the Russians. According to Lajcak, Lukashenko complained about Russian unreliability, inability to fulfill or follow through on agreements, and behavior bordering on blackmail. He also talked a good bit about his relations with Medvedev and Putin, accusing the latter of trying to undermine his relations with the former. Lukashenko said Medvedev is very jealous of his presidential prerogatives, but that the current ambiguities in the leadership situation had created a great deal of uncertainty in the Russian system. Hungary -------------- ¶8. (C) Lajcak expressed exasperation about the extent to which the relationship dominated his agenda. He stated that he had been very angry to read an interview in the German press in which FM Balasz was quoted as saying that Slovakia was like a little brother that needed to be taught "European manners," and made a comparison between Fico government and Ceaucescu regime. According to Lajcak, he and Balasz had spoken about the interview and Balazs had told him that he been misquoted, and would issue some sort of clarification/apology on the MFA website. In general, Lajcak said that Balazs has been a very constructive partner and confirmed that the two would meet on the margins of the UNGA to map out implementation of their PM's September 10 11-point agreement. ¶9. (C) In response to Charge's question, Lajcak was unequivocal that Slovakia would not adopt a comprehensive minority law, as has been recommended by COE and now OSCE High Commissioner Vollebaek. Finally, he expressed concern (and, he admitted, a little paranoia) about a recent article in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung drawing parallels between German unification and Hungary's current situation. Explaining the paranoia, Lajcak noted that President Solyom had recently been in Germany, where he had given background interviews to press. Both Lajcak and PolDir Slobodnik conveyed concern about possible invitations from Congress to representatives of ethnic Hungarians to make their case on the language law. Charge told both that we were not aware of any such initiative, but that we would let them know if we heard anything. Ukraine -------------- ¶10. (C) Charge asked Lajcak about the current state of Slovak-Ukrainian relations, which have been strained since the January gas crisis. Lajcak described the situation in Ukraine as "chaotic," which affected his ability to help put relations on a more normal footing. Lajcak said he had invited his Ukrainian counterpart to visit Bratislava in August, prior to Lajcak's travel to Moscow and Minsk, but that the Ukrainian side had postponed the visit until November. Corruption and the Slovak Judiciary -------------- ¶11. (C) At the close of the meeting, Charge spoke positively about the steps that Deputy Prime Minister Caplovic has taken in his capacity as interim Environment Minister to clean up what was clearly a very corrupt ministry. He added that issues related to human rights, good governance, corruption, media freedom, rule of law, etc. may be raised with Slovak officials in upcoming Washington meetings - if not with Lajcak, than with DPM Caplovic, who will be meeting with DRL A/AS Stewart. Charge highlighted continued U.S. concerns about the Slovak judiciary in this context. Lajcak responded that his only information on the situation is via the Slovak media, which is "horrible." He said he was personally not a fan of Chief Justice Harabin, but speculated that Harabin was not as bad as the media made him out to be. Charge rejoined that we speak with many experts in the legal community and the situation is, in fact, quite serious, particularly as it concerns U.S. companies' confidence in a free and fair judiciary. Embassy Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) Nine months into his tenure as Foreign Minister, Lajcak is traveling to Washington and New York mostly comfortable with his position. But he is also still working to ensure that he BRATISLAVA 00000406 003.2 OF 003 will be retained in his ministerial post following next year's Slovak elections, and securing a Fico visit to the White House would go a long way toward achieving that goal. He recently told visiting OSCE High Commissioner Vollebaek (protect) that he was the only Slovak cabinet minister who ever stood up to or otherwise confronted Fico on policy differences, but our take is that he remains much more interested in pleasing the Prime Minister than in challenging him. Nevertheless, Lajcak remains our best -- and certainly most accessible -- senior interlocutor on key national security issues, and is able to engage with Fico on issues such as Afghanistan and Kosovo. EDDINS