CODEL Cardin Advances Human Rights Agenda in Bratislava

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000097 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/CE, EUR/PGI, G, DRL, H STATE PLEASE PASS TO USAID, DOJ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM LO SUBJECT: CODEL Cardin Advances Human Rights Agenda in Bratislava REF: 08 Bratislava 407 BRATISLAVA 00000097 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. SUMMARY: During a one-day trip to Bratislava, Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Senator Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) met with newly appointed Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, former Ambassador to the U.S. Martin Butora, and members of the Jewish and Roma communities. Throughout his meetings, Senator Cardin reiterated U.S. concerns about the status of minorities in Slovakia, particularly Roma, and urged strong political leadership on the protection of human rights. End Summary. Meeting with Foreign Minister Lajcak ¶2. Foreign Minister Lajcak told Senator Cardin that he is focused on the economic crisis, believes that Slovakia has achieved all of its strategic foreign policy goals and continues to prioritize its membership in the EU and NATO. Slovakia has decided to make Afghanistan its largest development assistance recipient, and will double its presence there shortly. Lajcak told Cardin that he made his first foreign trips as Minister to Prague and Budapest to underscore the broad cooperation with Slovakia's closest neighbors, despite tensions with the Hungarians. ¶3. Senator Cardin thanked Lajcak for Slovak contributions in Afghanistan, agreed that economic security is of utmost importance. He lamented bilateral tensions between Hungary and Slovakia, but expressed appreciation for the positive message Lajcak conveyed by making an early visit to Budapest. In his capacity as Helsinki Commission Chairman, Cardin explained that the main focus of his agenda was human rights issues: the status of the Roma population, anti-Semitism, freedom of the press, and corruption. ¶4. Regarding the Roma population, Senator Cardin queried Slovak officials on the absence of any Roma in Parliament or the Cabinet. He said he hopes that Slovakia can be a leader in the region on improving integration of the Roma and political participation. He also urged Lajcak to encourage Slovak authorities to disclose information about past incidents of forced sterilization of Roma women. Lajcak asserted that the Roma are not united politically, which makes it difficult for them to effectively achieve higher positions in the government. Lajcak acknowledged that serious challenges remain, but said the government is working with the NGO community, especially on Roma education. Deputy Prime Minister for Human Rights and Minorities has developed a horizontal priority, by which one-quarter of all EU funds are devoted to Roma community from 2007-2013. Lajcak said the Roma issue needs to be addressed on a regional basis as well, and noted that he had discussed it with Hungarian FM Goncz. ¶5. Regarding anti-Semitism, Senator Cardin said political leadership is critically important, and he "would never understand" Minister of Justice Harabin's anti-Semitic comments in September 2008 to Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) MP Daniel Lipsic in a session of Parliament (reftel). Lajcak responded that the Slovak criminal code has zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, and said the government dissolved anti-Semitic organizations in attempts to eliminate extremism. Cardin said that the OSCE is concerned about the legacy of corruption that continues to affect the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and urged the Slovaks to take advantage of international community technical assistance before the problem affects Slovakia's business climate. Lajcak agreed that the problem was difficult to eradicate, but said the Slovak Government is committed to prosecuting all known cases of corruption. ¶6. Senator Cardin conveyed disappointment regarding Slovakia's restrictive press law of 2008. Cardin said the law could have a chilling effect on what is reported, and set a bad example for other emerging democracies that are following Slovakia's lead. Lajcak said he does not believe the law has had a negative effect on press freedom, adding that it was necessary to address the "broader problem of vulgarization of the press." Nonetheless, he pledged to raise it in his introductory call with the Minister of Culture. Senator Cardin said that the extreme Slovak National Party (SNS)'s participation in the government, especially at the helm of the Ministries of Education and Culture, sends the wrong message about the government's commitment to the protection and promotion of minority rights. Lajcak said the government is committed to maintaining the status quo for the Hungarian minority. Non-Governmental Perspectives ¶7. At a working lunch with prominent think-tank analysts, Senator Cardin discussed the minority situation in Slovakia. Former Slovak Ambassador to the United States Martin Butora said that the current government does not see Slovakia's vibrant civil society as a resource, but instead as a threat, and has actively "blacklisted" some of Slovakia's most respected NGOs. President of the Institute BRATISLAVA 00000097 002 OF 002 for Public Affairs (IVO) Grigorij Meseznikov gave the delegation an overview of the Roma situation, and described the many factors (lack of community unity and political representation, segregation, and ineffectual government housing, education, and employment programs) which continue to hamper their equality of opportunity. ¶8. In a meeting with members of the Jewish Community, Senator Cardin said that the government has been quick to note that laws against anti-Semitism are strict, and that they have disbanded several anti-Semitic organizations. He then asked representatives of the Jewish community what, if any, practical restrictions they experienced. Jaro Franek, spokesman of the Union of Slovak Jews, said the situation in Slovakia is no longer dramatic, but they remain concerned about Minister Harabin's comments, which most members of Parliament did not consider anti-Semitic. All members of the community agreed that while there were few examples of open anti-Semitism in Slovakia, most of the population is desensitized to Jewish concerns and does not realize what constitutes anti-Semitism. Senator Cardin said that he found this disturbing and that the political leadership needs to be more actively engaged in combating anti-Semitism. ¶9. During a discussion with members of the Roma community, Senator Cardin explained the role of the Helsinki Commission, noting that the OSCE remains concerned about the education, healthcare, employment and housing of the Slovak Roma. Cardin asked the group to provide its views of the government's efforts. Former Roma Plenipotentiary Klara Orgovanova welcomed Senator Cardin's interest, and said that since Slovakia's EU accession in 2004, external pressure on the government to address the plight of Slovakia's estimated 400,000 Roma has decreased. Orgovanova also said while political participation of the Roma has decreased, there are now more Roma experts. Note: Per Orgovanova, in the first Czechoslovak Parliament there were Roma MPs, but now there are none in the Slovak Parliament, and the number of Roma political parties has decreased from 18 in 1990 to two relatively dysfunctional parties today. End Note. ¶10. Senator Cardin said that political leaders will not incorporate Roma issues into their agenda unless the Roma are a part of their consituencies, and asked what could be done to organize the Roma more effectively so that they are a viable political force. Zuzana Kumanova, a Roma community organizer, said that most of the Roma population is illiterate, under-aged, and poverty-stricken, and thus unable to focus on strategic issues. ¶11. Senator Cardin asked how the government could improve education. Marek Hojsik, of the Roma Institute, said reform of the entire educational system is needed, as parents are expected to augment formal education, which is very difficult to guarantee in marginalized populations and regions. Senator Cardin said that a similar situation existed in the U.S., but was improved with the Head Start program, which targets vulnerable populations. The activists said that such a program exists in Slovakia called "wide open schools" but suffers from poor implementation at the local level. ¶12. Senator Cardin asked if there was any integration of Roma issues into the platforms of any of the mainstream political parties or if any of the candidates in the upcoming Presidential election had reached out to Roma groups. The activists said that unfortunately, Roma issues are a very unpopular topic in Slovak society and as such, it would be a very risky campaign strategy for a mainstream politician. Orgovanova said that some Roma are manipulated by majority politicians to serve as token advisors but do not effectively represent Roma needs. COMMENT ¶13. Embassy Bratislava heard from several interlocutors in the NGO community that they were very pleased to have Senator Cardin address the human rights agenda with the Slovak Government. In an era where many Slovak human rights and democracy NGOs feel like they have lost the international community's attention due to Slovakia's EU membership, continued high-level U.S. interest in minority issues is welcomed and respected. ¶14. This cable has been cleared by CODEL Cardin.