POLISH SENATORS TO AMBASSADOR: POLAND DESERVES DUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 000121 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/02/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV RS PL SUBJECT: POLISH SENATORS TO AMBASSADOR: POLAND DESERVES DUE CONSIDERATION Classified By: Ambassador Ashe for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. In a February 2 meeting with the Ambassador, members of the Polish Senate's Foreign Affairs Committee urged that progress on building a Polish-U.S. strategic partnership not slow or stop, regardless of the current U.S. Administration's decision on the Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement (BMDA). Committee members insisted that Poland, on the basis of its contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan, deserves to be treated as a "strategic partner" by the United States. Senators expressed hope that the U.S. would not sacrifice the BMDA -- or abandon support for Poland -- on the altar of improved U.S.-Russia relations. The Ambassador assured Committee members that the U.S. relationship with Poland would continue to remain strong and agreed to meet regularly with the Committee to discuss ways to strengthen U.S.-Polish relations. END SUMMARY. POLAND "DESERVES" STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP ¶2. (C) In what was billed as a meeting to thank the Ambassador for his contributions to improving Polish-U.S. strategic cooperation, Senator Leon Kieres (Civic Platform, PO),Chairman of the Polish Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, launched a hearing-like session in which the Ambassador fielded several tough questions on U.S.-Polish relations. Several committee members repeated the refrain that Poland, on the basis of its contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan, "deserves to be treated as a strategic partner." ¶3. (C) Senator Janusz Rachon (PO) argued that, by agreeing to host a Missile Defense (MD) site and by signing the U.S.-Polish Declaration on Strategic Cooperation, Poland's political elite had hoped to make the bilateral relationship more dynamic. "We must now manage public expectations," he added. Senator Maciej Tomasz Grubski (PO) told the Ambassador that Poland had negotiated the BMDA at the risk of antagonizing Russia. He expressed concern that the U.S. not sacrifice the BMDA -- or abandon support for Central European countries -- on the altar of improved U.S.-Russia relations. He suggested more U.S.-Polish dialogue is needed on how to deal with an assertive Russia. ¶4. (C) Rachon noted that Poland and the United States should be natural partners in efforts to revitalize trans-Atlantic cooperation in NATO, particularly with respect to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. He wondered whether there might be a larger role for the United States in the EU's Eastern Partnership initiative. The Ambassador noted Secretary Gates' statements on the need to rethink NATO's strategy in Afghanistan, pointing out that Polish expertise would be especially helpful in this regard. PERSISTENT IRRITANTS - VISA WAIVER PROGRAM, F-16s, IRAQ ¶5. (C) Kieres raised concerns about the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, claiming that Poland is the only close U.S. ally in Europe that has not been admitted to the program. Asserting that "pro-American sentiment in Poland is greater than pro-Polish sentiment in the United States," Grubski said Polish public opinion was "disappointed" with the Polish decision to purchase F-16s, primarily because the benefits of related offset agreements had not yet become apparent. He added that Poland's deployment in Iraq had not yielded economic benefits. Grubski and Kieres hinted that the Administration's focus on addressing the economic crisis might have caused attention to drift away from strategic cooperation with Poland. COMMENT ¶6. (C) Committee members' questions largely reflect public commentary on the state of U.S.-Polish relations, especially concerns that a U.S. decision not to move forward on MD or the Strategic Declaration (code for the rotating PATRIOT deployment) would undercut efforts to build a strategic partnership. We will continue to address proactively these concerns, as well as suspicions that U.S. efforts to improve relations with Moscow will relegate Washington's strategic relationship with Warsaw to the sidelines. Reinforcing this message in high-level meetings with Polish officials and in public statements will also play a key role in assuaging Polish concerns. ASHE