Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09LJUBLJANA274
2009-09-03 14:40:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Ljubljana
Cable title:  

SLOVENIA: PM ASKS FOR BREATHING ROOM RE GUANTANAMO

Tags:  PREL PHUM KDRG SI 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHLJ #0274 2461440
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 031440Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7472
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000274 

SIPDIS

S/GC FOR DANIEL FRIED AND MICHAEL WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDRG SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: PM ASKS FOR BREATHING ROOM RE GUANTANAMO
DETAINEES

Classified By: CDA Brad Freden, Reasons 1.4(b,d)

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000274

SIPDIS

S/GC FOR DANIEL FRIED AND MICHAEL WILLIAMS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2019
TAGS: PREL PHUM KDRG SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: PM ASKS FOR BREATHING ROOM RE GUANTANAMO
DETAINEES

Classified By: CDA Brad Freden, Reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (C) DAS Stu Jones asked Prime Minister Pahor in a private
meeting at the Bled Strategic Forum on August 30 if Slovenia
would be willing to accept one or two Uighur detainees from
Guantanamo. Pahor declined to provide an immediate answer,
staying that he needed to resolve the border dispute with
Croatia before approaching Parliament with another difficult
"ask". He sees an immediate window of opportunity (septel)
for resolving the border dispute and does not feel he can
afford to have another controversial issue on his plate until
agreement is reached or the window closes, likely in a matter
of weeks. DAS Jones offered to have Special Envoy Dan Fried
to meet with Slovenian officials, but Pahor demurred for the
time being.

Comment
--------------


2. (C) Pahor is clearly feeling the strains of leadership as
he tries to manage the simultaneous challenges of the
Slovenia-Croatia border issue, the recession and budget
crisis in Slovenia, and falling approval ratings for his
government. When asked about detainees, Pahor, who had been
focusing on Croatia, blanched momentarily and asked, "Did you
want an answer now?" Jones replied that the important thing
was for Slovenia to say yes, not that it do so immediately.

This message has been cleared by DAS Jones.
FREDEN