AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PARLIAMENT'S DEFENSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000660 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL LH SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PARLIAMENT'S DEFENSE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN Classified By: Ambassador Anne E. Derse for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: During Ambassador Derse's introductory meeting with him, Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense Chairman Arvydas Anusauskas said his committee's members unanimously agreed that they would not allow their investigation into an alleged CIA prison in Lithuania to harm relations with the United States. He also said the investigation was being done primarily for domestic reasons. Anusauskas welcomed the new American strategy on Afghanistan, and the Ambassador thanked him for Lithuania's steadfast partnership there. Anusauskas said Lithuania wanted NATO members to speak with one voice on Russia and make Russia honor its commitments, and expressed concern that Russia is increasing its hold over media in Lithuania and neighboring countries. End summary. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador paid an introductory call December 4 on Arvydas Anusauskas, chairman of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense. That committee is in the midst of an investigation into allegations first made by ABC News that Lithuania hosted a CIA prison for terrorism detainees in 2004-05. Anusauskas opened the meeting by asking the Ambassador what effect the investigation would have on bilateral relations. The Ambassador noted only that it is our policy not to comment on intelligence matters. Anusauskas then explained that "the committee members all agree that the Euro-Atlantic relationship is crucial, and this investigation can do no harm to the Euro-Atlantic relationship." He also said that the committee members all understood that cooperation between the United States and Lithuania was important, and that the investigation was being done primarily for domestic reasons. "It is to see if Lithuanian laws were violated, because if these things did happen, they should have happened with political consent." Anusauskas said the investigation was supposed to end in two weeks, after which the full Seimas will hold hearings, but he said the committee members were uneasy about the timeline because they still had many witnesses to interview. Afghanistan -------------- ¶3. (C) Anusauskas said Lithuania welcomed the new Afghanistan strategy and increase in troop levels. "What we need in Afghanistan is a turning point, so many more good things can happen," he said. The Ambassador agreed, saying that the new strategy was designed to equip the Afghan government to exercise greater control and legitimacy by helping it to provide increased security, services and economic development to the people. Anusauskas said the Lithuanian-led PRT in Ghor Province would welcome a presence by the Afghan national army. "Now there is not a single bit of the army there because the situation is seen as stabilized," he said. "With a stronger military presence, the local government would be stronger and better able to manage." ¶4. (C) Anusauskas also lamented the fact that budgetary constraints have limited Lithuania's power to expand its civilian development efforts in Afghanistan, and wondered whether aid from other countries might help to ease Lithuania's burden and "to compensate Lithuania for its losses and expenses at a time of financial crisis." He said that Lithuania has had to decrease its participation in other NATO missions to focus its meager resources on Afghanistan. "I'm not saying that the 20 million dollars that goes for the Afghanistan mission is unbearable, but it is important, especially because we must take a political stance now and explain to the public the importance of our NATO actions." ¶5. (C) The Ambassador told Anusauskas that the United States greatly appreciated what Lithuania has been doing in Afghanistan, particularly in light of its budget difficulties. She listed several areas in which the USG has assisted Lithuania, including that USAID has provided 6 million USD for construction of a runway at the Chaghcharan airport; the United States is sending an agricultural specialist to Ghor in December; and the USG has provided heaters and some other aid at a hospital the Lithuanians are renovating in the province. Russia and NATO -------------- ¶6. (C) Anusauskas said that the recent shift in missile defense plans has become more and more clear to Lithuania and in his opinion is making Europe more secure. He said the Baltic states "continue to be safe," but also continue to worry about Russia. "We want larger NATO partners to take account of smaller partners -- and here I am speaking of France -- because their trying to find friends in Russia seems to be a dangerous development for us. Our interaction with Russia is, and NATO's interaction with Russia should be, (directed toward) making Russia honor its commitments." ¶7. (C) Anusauskas said Lithuania's political contacts with Russia are much more numerous than they were four years ago. "But this doesn't mean we have fewer problems in our interactions. We try to settle them, but new ones crop up all the time." Because Russia is not a WTO member, he said, it feels free to discriminate against countries such as Lithuania on trade matters. "I stress that we are a NATO and EU border country. This is important. This also translates into effort with the general public to make sure they have pro-democratic thinking. People are ready to turn away from democracy, so the situation in Lithuania is tense." Russia and media -------------- ¶8. (C) Anusauskas said it was unfortunate that most aid for democracy development in Lithuania has ended, especially because Russia has recently been pouring money into propaganda efforts. Russia has allocated millions of dollars, he said, "to get into the information space of the Baltic states. They want to be on the air, get their programs disseminated, make an impact on the minds of our people. Russia is comfortable with its investments in the Lithuanian media market, and, unfortunately, Western investors have almost entirely left." He said the Russian efforts have been increasing for the past five years and have been "particularly intense" this year. "What we see happening is information attacks in Lithuania, where previously we saw information attacks in Russia. Then they were shaping Russian public opinion, and now they're trying to shape Lithuanian public opinion in line with Kremlin standards." He said, "If our media could get support from other democracies, it would be easier to resist the influx of information with anti-Democratic values from the East." ¶9. (C) Anusauskas said Lithuania tries to help neighboring countries such as Belarus. "We should never forget who our neighbors are. Democratic development and citizenship development are very important in our neighbors and in our own country." The Ambassador thanked Anusauskas for Lithuania's efforts to carry democratic values and freedom to neighboring states. ¶10. (C) Comment: Anusauskas, insistence that the domestic focus of the investigation into the alleged prison will not harm Lithuanian-American relations is optimistic. The appearance of the story in September already caused the new President to block the GOL,s earlier agreement to resettle a Guantanamo detainee. On Russia, Foreign Affairs advisor to the President Darius Semaska recently noted GOL concern that Russian interests had purchased the major media group in Latvia, which controls several important publications in Lithuania. DERSE