CZECH DPM VONDRA ON UPCOMING VISIT OF PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000121

SIPDIS

STATE FOR T, EUR/FO, EUR/CE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/03/2019
TAGS: EZ OVIP PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: CZECH DPM VONDRA ON UPCOMING VISIT OF PRESIDENT
OBAMA

Classified By: CDA MARY THOMPSON-JONES FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In a March 3 meeting which included DFM
Tomas Pojar and other key Czech officials, Czech DPM Alexandr
Vondra reiterated the Czech government's appreciation for and
excitement over the April 4-5 visit to Prague by President
Obama. He expressed the Czech government's full commitment
to making the visit a success. In discussing Czech views on
the agenda, Vondra noted that the bilateral agenda will
necessarily have to include a discussion of missile defense,
given that this issue has been a key theme of U.S.-Czech
relations over the past two years. With regard to the
U.S.-EU informal summit, the Czechs envision the centerpiece
to be a discussion of climate change and energy security,
followed by the broader Middle East including Iran, and other
issues that may "spill over" from the G-20 and NATO summits,
such as Afghanistan/Pakistan and the economic crisis. Vondra
urged close coordination in preparing the Prague agenda,
especially with regard to missile defense, which will be of
intense interest, both internationally and domestically, and
will drive certain decisions concerning the ratification of
the U.S.-Czech missile defense agreements in the Czech
parliament. END SUMMARY.

--------------
MISSILE DEFENSE: NEED FOR "COMMON LANGUAGE"
--------------


2. (C) In light of the press reports regarding the letter
from President Obama to President Medvedev, DPM Vondra kicked
off the March 3 meeting by noting the need for close
coordination between the United States and the Czech
Republic, especially in the period before and during
President Obama's visit when the media, both domestic and
foreign, will be more focused than ever on missile defense
(MD). Vondra urged that the U.S. and Czech governments work
to "find common language" on MD and be well prepared for the
media onslaught, including the Russians' intentionally
generated leaks and headlines. DFM Tomas Pojar added that the
Russians will continue to "fine tune the media" through
stories like the one in the Russian newspaper Kommersant, and
it would be important to respond. Note: The Czechs were
deeply appreciative of President Obama's March 3 statement
on MD, following his meeting with PM Gordon Brown. DFM Pojar
called EUR Assistant Secretary Fried and NSC Senior Director
McFaul to thank them and discuss the matter further. End Note.


3. (C) Ever the realist, Vondra noted that the Czech
government understands that the policy review underway in
Washington that concerns MD would likely not be finished
before President Obama's visit in early April. In Vondra's
view, there are two options for how to handle MD during the
visit: 1) a statement of support, which would indicate that
in light of the continuing threat from Iran and other
countries, the United States and its NATO allies would move
forward with MD, but at the same time pursue diplomatic
dialogue (in Vondra's' words: the "speak softly but carry a
big stick" option); or 2) restatement of the current U.S.
position. As FM Schwarzenberg told Secretary Clinton in
February and as Vondra repeated in the March 3 meeting, the
Czechs would definitely prefer the first option, but
according to Vondra, they can work with the second as well.
Again, Vondra and others from the Czech side stressed that
with either option, advance preparation and coordination on
the public message will be key. What the Czechs seek to
avoid, Vondra emphasized, is being "taken by surprise."


4. (C) For the Czechs, this is important not only from the
public relations perspective, but also because what will be
said about MD during President Obama's visit will be a factor
in how the Czechs manage the ratification of the two MD
agreements -- the Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement and the
Status of Forces Agreement -- which are still pending in the
Lower Chamber of the Czech parliament. The MFA's Political
Director Martin Povejsil added that MD also remains important
in the NATO context and will be an issue for the NATO Summit
in Strasbourg. According to Povejsil, the United States and
the Czech Republic should work together prior to the
Strasbourg Summit to ensure that no ground is lost on NATO's
Bucharest MD commitment. Furthermore, the MFA's Security
Policy Director Veronika Kuchynova-Smigolova emphasized the
Iran and its actions should not become the sole measure of
the ballistic missile threat. She noted that the NATO threat
analysis focused not only on Iran, but also on other threat
sources.


PRAGUE 00000121 002 OF 002


-------------- -
U.S.-EU SUMMIT: LOOKING FOR "QUALITY" OUTCOME
-------------- -


5. (C) Vondra noted that he would be discussing the EU's
proposals for the U.S.-EU informal summit agenda on March 4
in Brussels. He expected that energy security and climate
change would likely be on the agenda, since they would not be
addressed during the G-20 and NATO Summits preceding the
Prague event. Povejsil added that they were also considering
a discussion of the broader Middle East and Iran, as well as
"spill over" issues from London and Strasbourg. For example,
while the economic/financial crisis would be addressed at the
G-20 Summit, the Czechs realize that this issue would likely
be on the agenda for the Prague Summit as well, since not all
of the EU-27 will have been at the G-20. Vondra and his team
offered few details on how the "informal" summit would be
structured, given that there are not many precedents, but
Vondra was clear that they would be pressing for a high
"quality" outcome, most likely a joint press statement.
Vondra quipped that "we should hire a poet," who could truly
capture this moment of opportunity when the leaders of the
United States and the EU "relaunch the trans-Atlantic
relationship."

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


6. (C) The March 3 meeting served as the Embassy's first
opportunity to focus on the substance of President Obama's
upcoming visit with the key Czech officials who will be
driving the agenda on the Czech side. Vondra and his team
are clearly focused on maximizing the visit's impact both
domestically and within the context of the trans-Atlantic
relationship. The rest of the Czech government is moving
forward with preparations, and everyone has so far provided
us with maximum support. Even President Klaus and PM
Topolanek are putting aside their differences and are meeting
on March 4 to coordinate on this visit. There will be
several opportunities in the next few weeks to work with the
Czechs on the agenda, including the March 6 Foreign
Ministerial Troika and especially Vondra's own visit to
Washington on March 23. Vondra signaled that developing the
"common language" on MD will be one of his chief priorities
during his Washington trip. The Czechs are not losing sight
of the fact that the bilateral agenda is broader than MD
alone. However, as Vondra stated "if we do not address it,
the media will ask in the very first question."
Thompson-Jones