CZECH EU PRESIDENCY: VISIT BY INTERIOR MINISTER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000138

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

S/WCI FOR CWILLIAMSON, EUR/ERA WLUCAS, EUR/CE FOR ATRATENSEK

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2014
TAGS: EUN EZ EG PGOV PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: CZECH EU PRESIDENCY: VISIT BY INTERIOR MINISTER
LANGER ON GUANTANAMO

REF: A. PRAGUE 91

B. BRUSSELS 159

Classified By: Acting DCM Stuart Hatcher for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) Summary: On March 6 Acting DCM Stuart Hatcher and
emboffs met with Czech Ministry of Interior officials at the
request of the Czechs to discuss the upcoming visit of
Minister of Interior Ivan Langer to the United States March
15-17. While the EU Justice and Interior Ministers, like the
EU FMs in January, have emphasized that it is up to
individual member states to decide whether or not they will
accept former detainees, the EU is still considering how best
to address security considerations related to detainees and
the free movement of persons within the Schengen zone. This
visit offers the USG an opportunity to engage key
interlocutors who have the ability to influence the way the
EU crafts its "umbrella" framework, as well as address the
latest EU questions. End Summary.

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Decision to Take Detainees a Member State Competence, but...
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2. (SBU) Czech Ministry of Interior Security Policy officer
Mlada Princova noted that the EU Justice and Home Affairs
(JHA) Ministerial on February 25-26 was the first chance
Interior and Justice Ministers had to discuss the topic of
Guantanamo detainees, following the January 26-27 discussion
of the EU Foreign Ministers at the GAERC. She noted that at
the JHA Ministerial, which she attended, there was widespread
acknowledgment that this is a member state competency, and
thus the decision to accept detainees will be left to
individual member states.


3. (SBU) Princova did comment, however, that much of the
discussion at the JHA focused on what type of common approach
or "umbrella" the EU might establish to address concerns
related to the free movement of persons within the Schengen
zone. Czech MoI Security Policy Director Martin Linhart
noted that the EU approach may remain as simple as
coordination and information sharing or it could evolve into
a more robust EU common position. (Note: Based on Czech
comments, it appears that the European Commission is more
inclined toward a robust approach than any of the individual
EU member states. End Note.) In addition, the Czechs
pressed for the USG to share as much information as possible
with the EU member states about the detainees, commenting
that this would likely help ameliorate member states "fear of
the unknown" about these detainees.

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Timeline
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4. (SBU) Following the February JHA ministerial, Princova
noted that there have been several subsequent meetings at
lower levels and that these will continue the week of March 9
when both COPS and COREPER (Thursday March 12) meet in
Brussels. After the discussions this week and the visit to
the U.S. March 15, the Czechs expect this issue to return to
COREPER and to be taken up subsequently by the EU FMs at the
GAERC and then the April U.S.-EU JHA Ministerial. Emboffs
referenced Ambassador Williamsons' trips to Brussels and many
EU member states in mid-February and his previous offer to
speak to the COREPER Ambassadors as the EU shapes its
approach, if the EU would find this useful.

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What the Czechs Want from Langer-Barrot Trip to U.S.
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5. (SBU) Czech MoI Security Policy Director Martin Linhart
stated that the Czechs are particularly interested in several
aspects of the detainee issue during the U.S. visit. Several
times during the discussion on March 6 they referenced their
interest in knowing about experiences with ex-detainees.
They are also keenly interested in where things stand with
the current USG review that the Attorney General is chairing,
how the USG sees the next steps, and how many detainees the
USG will accept into our general population. In advance of
the trip to the U.S. Linhart noted that the Czechs are
pulling together a thematic list of questions that they plan
to raise (Note: Linhart shared this list of questions with
Embassy Prague on March 9. These questions, which will be
further refined at COREPER on March 12 are listed below in
para 5. End Note.) Linhart also flagged for us that the EU
would be exploring within COREPER what other types of
assistance the EU might be able to credibly provide and that
they would welcome USG suggestions. (Note: This could

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involve the possibility of support for rule of law training,
work with NGOs in third countries, or even support for
rehabilitation programs in countries taking detainees. End
Note.)

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Preliminary Czech MoI Questions
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6. (SBU) Begin Text from MoI:
Following our Friday discussion on the Guantanamo closure and
the visit of our minister and the European Commission to
Washington, DC, I am sending you the preliminary general
topics for discussion. The aim of the mission is to get the
updated information on the state of play concerning the
Guantanamo detention closure and to give a solid background
for the debates on the EU level. Please, treat the following
topics as informal and preliminary - the discussion of the EU
Member States will be held on 12 March.
-- State of play (review process of detainees' status,
conditions at Guantanamo, timetable, legal basis, following
steps of the US administration concerning particular
categories). Experience collected with detainees already
resettled.
-- Information on the detainees (number, criteria and
conditions under which the detainees were designated for
respective categories, criteria and conditions under which
the detainees were designated as a "low threat"). What
information the U.S. is willing to share on the detainees
that will be resettled in the EU? Are the detainees informed
on their status and situation?
-- Other possible forms of the EU assistance to the U.S. in
Guantanamo closure.
-- Future co-operation - exchange of information, experience
sharing, etc. Will the U.S. cooperate with the countries
willing to accept the detainees (financial assistance, etc.)?
-- Are the international organizations such as the ICRC or
UNHCR already involved in the process of the Guantanamo
closure.
End of Text from MoI.


7. (C) Comment: Based on the comments of Czech MoI
officials, it appears that from now until mid-April could be
the critical time within which the EU begins to really define
an "umbrella" EU framework. How the EU shapes this framework
could greatly enhance or hamper EU member states willingness
and/or ability to accept detainees. This March 15-17 visit by
the Commission and the EU Presidency is an opportunity to
persuade European interlocutors to take a leadership role
within the EU to advance a key USG priority, especially
considering how welcome any signs of progress would be prior
to the April 5 U.S.-EU Informal Summit. End Comment.
Thompson-Jones