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