VORONIN AND LUPU TO MOSCOW YET ONCE

S E C R E T CHISINAU 000878 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UMB E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM PINR RS MD SUBJECT: VORONIN AND LUPU TO MOSCOW YET ONCE AGAIN Classified by: Ambassador Asif J. Chaudhry for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) In a November 16 meeting with Ambassador, Foreign Minister Iurie Leanca said that he had learned that Russian President Medvedev had invited both ex-President Vladimir Voronin and Presidential candidate Marian Lupu to Moscow "within the next three days" in order to try to persuade the Party of Communists (PCRM) to vote for Lupu. According to Leanca, the Russians would discuss with Lupu the question of what guarantees he could offer Voronin. The Russians intended to offer Voronin a senior CIS position, particularly Lebedev's job as Executive Secretary of the CIS, as a way to guarantee Voronin's immunity while providing for his international visibility. ¶2. (S) Leanca said that both he and Prime Minister Filat were upset and concerned about why the Russians were putting so much effort into trying to get Lupu elected as President. They wondered what Lupu would give the Russians in return, and expressed concerns that just when Moldova was finally formulating an independent foreign policy, the Russians might gain influence through Lupu. ¶3. (S) Leanca acknowledged that it would not be a problem if Voronin left Moldova for this CIS job, or if his son Oleg Voronin got immunity from prosecution, but Leanca said that Lupu should have discussed these issues with his Alliance partners first before agreeing to go to Moscow. Leanca felt that Lupu's failure to confide in his partners in advance revealed problems in the Alliance, causing Filat to worry that if Lupu became President he (Lupu) would have no inentive to keep Filat on as Prime Minister, and mght dump him to form a left-center coalition wit the Communists. ¶4. (S) Leanca repeated that e and Filat remained concerned about what the Rusians would want in return for their support for upu for President. They wondered whether a Presient so openly supported by Moscow would really pt Moldovan interests first. CHAUDHRY