CZECH EU PRESIDENCY: COMMENTS ON UPCOMING FEBRUARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000103 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/ERA WLUCAS, EUR/CE FOR ATRATENSEK E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/20/2014 TAGS: EUN EZ PGOV PREL IS SU HR XG SUBJECT: CZECH EU PRESIDENCY: COMMENTS ON UPCOMING FEBRUARY GAERC REF: A. 19 FEBRUARY PRAGUE DAILY ¶B. 17 FEBRUARY WEISFIELD E-MAIL Classified By: Deputy POLEC Counselor Martina Strong for reasons 1.4 (b ) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: On February 20 emboff spoke with Magdalena Janesova of the Czech MFA Department of Common Foreign and Security Policy in advance of the February 23-24 EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC). Of note were her comments on: Gaza, Afghanistan, the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership Initiative and Sudan. End Summary. -------------- EU Engagement on Gaza; Will Condemn Adam Settlement -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Janesova noted that as EU co-sponsor of the March 2 Conference on Humanitarian Assistance in Sharm al-Sheik, Czech FM Schwarzenberg will attend and speak at the event. Preparations for this event will be the central focus of FM Schwarzenberg's meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas on February 22 (Ref A). The Czechs also noted that there should be an opportunity to hold a Quartet meeting on the margins of this event. Regarding the possibility of a Hamas-Fatah "technocratic government," Janesova noted that like the U.S., engagement with Hamas is a Quartet Principle redline the EU does not plan to cross. ¶3. (C) On a related note, Janesova stated that the EU has demarched Israel about the Adam settlement and that Israel Deputy Director General for Europe, Rafi Barak, has confirmed now that Israel has established the Adam settlement. This settlement is 800-900 meters from any other existing settlement, and according to Janesova, the EU is working on a declaration condemning this step and calling for Israel to reconsider since the EU considers this a "clear violation of the roadmap." While this declaration is still being circulated within the EU, she commented that at the moment it is "quite strong." -------------- Afghanistan -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Janesova noted that the EU is in accord with the U.S. on what is needed to achieve success in Afghanistan - civilian sector assistance, including election support, governance and rule of law reform, police reform and long-term development. She indicated that there will be a broad discussion of these elements by the FMs on February 23. With respect to the EU Police Mission (EUPOL),she stated that there is a "force generation" document that the FMs will discuss, which makes 12 recommendations on how to get from 180 EUPOL staff to the full compliment of 400. She noted, however, that the real difficulty has always been convincing people (particularly civilians) to join missions, especially when they face difficulties getting their original jobs back upon their return. -------------- Informal PD Luncheon - to discuss staffing EU civilian missions -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Janesova noted that the Czechs are planning for the EU Political Directors to informally discuss EU civilian expert missions more broadly over lunch on February 23. She noted that while the difficulties standing up EUPOL in Afghanistan may have triggered the need to discuss this topic, there are broader implications. She cited anticipated difficulties recruiting new people for the EU monitoring mission in Georgia, which is not quite so "sexy" a mission any more. According to Janesova, the EU has a real problem recruiting judges and police for Africa. Rhetorically she queried, "How do you convince an European judge to work on rule of law issues in Congo or Guinea-Bissau?" -------------- The Western Balkans - Kosovo, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Kosovo: In response to our query about the EULEX operational capability, Janesova noted that it was likely to reach full operational capability only around the end of March. The Czechs agree that customs, courts and police remain key issues. Janesova indicated that the EU is paying attention to the institutionalized coordination, particularly as it relates to ICR Feith and EULEX HOM de Kermabon. She also commented that the EU has noticed an improvement in coordination and the Feith has the full backing of the EU. PRAGUE 00000103 002 OF 003 ¶5. (SBU) Serbia: Janesova commented that related to the establishment of an office in Belgrade, Peter Sorensen technically is not the personal representative of Solana, but rather a representative of EULEX based in Belgrade. The EU, however, is fine letting Belgrade think of Sorensen as Solana's personal representative. On the issue of the Serbian Stabilization and Association Agreement, the Czechs note the Dutch remain steadfast on the need for Serbian compliance with the ICTY before they will support any further movement on the SAA. She noted that all the way up through Czech PM Topolanek, they have engaged the Dutch. She suggested that if the USG would like to see movement in this area, we too might want to engage the Dutch and Belgians. She also noted that PM Topolanek will engage German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a discussion of the Western Balkans on February 22 in Berlin. ¶6. (C) Bosnia: Janesova noted that with the upcoming Peace Implementation Council (PIC) scheduled for March, the EU recognizes that it will be difficult to come to agreement to close the Office of the High Representative (OHR). The EU recognizes the lack of progress on the "5 plus 2" objectives, and USG concern about State and Defense property. Signaling that the EU may see things slightly differently than the USG, Janesova commented that there may be room for nuance when it comes to the State and Defense property since what constitutes a "sustainable solution" is very much open to interpretation. She did reaffirm that the EU wants to see the OHR closed soon, and pointed to the June PIC as the next most reasonable time frame to revisit the topic. With respect to the EUSR candidates to replace Miroslav Lajcak, she noted that Sir Emyr Jones Parry is the "hot candidate." Apparently there have been rumors (and only that),that he would be unable to start on March 1. Since the EU wants someone who knows the region and will be able to start early, if these rumors are true, Janesova opined that he may not get the nomination from EU High Rep Solana. The second contender is evidently an Austrian candidate. ¶7. (SBU) Croatia: Janesova noted that the three Slovene issues on the table hampering progress on Croatian accession remain (1. the border concern related to a Slovene seaside port which falls within the territorial waters of Croatia; ¶2. The Ljubljana Bank nationalization effects on the accounts of Croatian nationals; 3. the issues related to waste disposal from the nuclear power plant in Slovenia.). According to Janesova, the European Commission involvement to mediate the border dispute has been helpful. Nonetheless, "the intransigence of older EU member states" and lack of enthusiasm for enlargement has meant little other progress has been made toward Croatian accession. ¶8. (SBU) Macedonia: With respect to Macedonia, Janesova thanked the USG for our efforts to press PM Gruevski on the name issue. The EU has seen little sign of flexibility in this sphere by the Greeks or Macedonians, however. She hopes, nonetheless, that the EU can make progress on visa liberalization as the Macedonians are "the best prepared" of the countries in the Western Balkans. With respect to the upcoming March elections, she noted that the EU has made clear what is expected of Macedonia. ¶9. (SBU) Albania: Janesova noted the EU has demarched the Albanians regarding their Lustration Law and that the EU has offered law experts to assist. Now the EU is working to identify the law experts to assist Albania rectify this problem. (Note: There is an EU-Albania Troika Ministerial the morning of February 24 in Brussels. End Note.) -------------- Eastern Partnership Initiative -------------- ¶10. (SBU) The Czechs are pleased to hear of our support for this initiative and they too think that the EPI could be an effective tool to develop democratic and economic institutions in these countries. With respect to Belarus, the EU has not seen many signs of improvement or adoption of reforms and Janesova noted that more and more EU member states are becoming vocal in their opposition to inviting Lukashenka to participate in the May 7 EU-Eastern Partnership Summit. The Czechs anticipate that much will depend also on whether Belarus decides to recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia. -------------- Sudan -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Janesova noted that the EU is not expecting the International Criminal Court (ICC) to act before the GAERC PRAGUE 00000103 003 OF 003 meeting February 23, although should the ICC do so, the EU FMs are prepared to issue a statement. The EU considers the ICC is an independent body and does not wish to interfere or hamper in its functioning. Thompson-Jones