POLAND'S "TRUTH-TELLER" CANDIDATE FOR COE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 000345 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/CE E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/31/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM COE PL SUBJECT: POLAND'S "TRUTH-TELLER" CANDIDATE FOR COE SECRETARY GENERAL REF: A. STRASBOURG 08 ¶B. WARSAW 107 Classified By: Political Counselor Dan Sainz for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Poland's candidate for Council of Europe (COE) Secretary General has done it all. Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz has served as prime minister, foreign minister, justice minister, and parliamentary speaker; he has also run twice for president. A moderate social democrat, he is one of the few leaders who could unify the Polish left and challenge the current ascendancy of Poland's center-right parties -- a likely factor in Prime Minister Tusk's decision to seek his "exile" in Strasbourg. Cimoszewicz, whose two children live in the United States, favors strong trans-Atlantic relations, as well as increased engagement with Russia and Belarus. PM Tusk may ultimately be forced to choose between Cimoszewicz's COE candidacy and the prospect of having a Pole with closer political views -- former Polish PM Jerzy Buzek -- as President of the EU Parliament, since Poles are unlikely to capture both jobs. Cimoszewicz, who prides himself on being a "truth-teller," is charming in private, but often comes across as arrogant and moody in public. END SUMMARY. WHO IS WLODZIMIERZ CIMOSZEWICZ? ¶2. (U) Poland's candidate for COE Secretary General, Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, is one of Poland's most prominent and accomplished politicians. He has served as prime minister (1996-1997),foreign minister (2001-2004),deputy prime minister and justice minister (1993-1995),and parliamentary speaker (2005). He ran for president twice and, until recently, was considered a leading candidate for president in 2010. Cimoszewicz also served twice in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. As Foreign Minister, he chaired the COE's Council of Ministers for six months. ¶3. (U) Born in 1950 in Warsaw, Cimoszewicz received a Ph.D. in legal sciences from Warsaw University in 1978. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University in 1980-1981. Cimoszewicz was a member of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) from 1971 until 1990, but did not join its successor party, Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (SdRP). In 1999, he joined SdRP's successor, the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD),stating that he wanted to take the new party in a new direction. Cimoszewicz is still a member of the SLD, but has recently distanced himself from the party in the wake of growing fragmentation on the Left. Cimoszewicz was first elected to the Sejm (lower house of parliament) in 1989 and served four successive terms. ¶4. (C) Cimoszewicz has long sought to portray himself as the "milder" face of Poland's post-Communist Left, underscoring the distance between himself and his controversial, often scandal-ridden left-wing colleagues. He has repeatedly expressed disgust with corruption and influence-trading in Polish politics. He actively cultivates an image as a statesman, intellectual, and center-left reformer who rises above partisan politics. Cimoszewicz has repeatedly claimed to be an independent politician -- one driven to tell the truth, no matter how harsh, even to his friends. Cimoszewicz is married and has two adult children who live in the United States. He speaks fluent English. POLITICAL VIEWS ¶5. (C) Cimoszewicz is an avid proponent of strong trans-Atlantic relations, but has also called for recent (right-leaning) Polish governments to exercise restraint to avoid alienating other EU and NATO members, as well as Russia. Cimoszewicz sharply criticized Poland's decision to sign a Missile Defense agreement with the U.S., claiming that it paid "too high a political price" in terms of its relations with Russia. Cimoszewicz has advocated increased engagement with Russia, stating that the risk of future political instability outweighs the dangers of Russian authoritarianism. He favors closer relations with Belarus for similar reasons. As Polish Foreign Minister, Cimoszewicz strongly backed Poland's involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. WIDELY RESPECTED, BUT OFF-PUTTING ¶6. (C) Widely respected, Cimoszewicz is not without his quirks. In one-on-one or small-group settings, Cimoszewicz is charming, open, and rational. In public appearances and official meetings, however, Cimoszewicz often comes across as WARSAW 00000345 002 OF 002 stiff, arrogant, and unwilling to compromise. As prime minister in 1997, Cimoszewicz demonstrated little compassion for the victims of that year's historic floods, stating coldly that those affected should have insured themselves. In 2005, Cimoszewicz stepped down as SLD's presidential candidate at the last minute after he was wrongly accused of lying on his financial statements -- although such accusations are routine occurrences in Polish politics. Cimoszewicz did more than pull out of the race: he withdrew from political life for two years, retreating to his house in the Bialowieza forest near the Belarusian border. Cimoszewicz was elected to the Senate (the upper house of parliament) in 2007. As the only senator on the left, he does not caucus with other senators and is technically considered an independent. SURPRISING, BUT SAVVY CHOICE ¶7. (C) Prime Minister Tusk's March 5 nomination of Cimoszewicz as Poland's candidate for COE Secretary General caught many in Poland by surprise, especially SLD and the bloc of center-left parties challenging SLD for primacy on the left (ref B). A spokesman for Tusk, who heads the center-right Civic Platform (PO),said the nomination proved the governing coalition can rise above party politics. Government officials said Cimoszewicz's political experience, his involvement in two decades of Poland's post-Communist transition, and his thorough knowledge of European issues, made him the most qualified Polish candidate for the position. ¶8. (C) The nomination was criticized by the opposition. On the right, President Kaczynski has refused to support the nomination of a former Workers' Party politician. On the left, many feel betrayed. In the weeks before his nomination, Cimoszewicz had been working to convince SLD and other center-left parties to forge a common list of candidates in June's European Parliament elections. When SLD refused, Cimoszewicz announced he would not be a candidate. SLD party leaders allege that Cimoszewicz had been negotiating among left-wing parties at the same time he was in talks with Tusk on the COE nomination. Cimoszewicz's removal from the fray effectively ensures the left will remain divided, at least through June's EP elections. The nomination most likely strikes Cimoszewicz from the short list of prominent, untainted left-wing politicians who might have posed a threat to Tusk in the 2010 presidential elections. THE DIFFICULT ROAD TO STRASBOURG ¶9. (C) As the center-left nominee of a center-right government, Cimoszewicz might eventually emerge as a consensus candidate. His strong pro-U.S. positions are tempered by his vocal criticism of Missile Defense and his support for increased engagement of Russia. MFA personnel tell us support from Germany and Luxembourg will play a key role in advancing Cimoszewicz's candidacy. In fact, MFA Deputy Director of Protocol Janusz Niesyto predicted Luxembourg PM Juncker will end up being the kingmaker. ¶10. (C) According to Niesyto, neither Tusk nor FM Sikorski -- despite their success in navigating the EU bureaucracy in Brussels -- have strong enough personal relationships with European leaders to be able to pick up the phone and lobby for Cimoszewicz. Even if they did, the GOP will likely have to choose between Cimoszewicz as COE Secretary General and former PM Jerzy Buzek, himself a PO member, as EU Parliament President. The chances are slim that a Pole would be elected to both positions. Although having Cimoszewicz at the head of the COE for five years would benefit Poland, Tusk might prefer to have a Pole affiliated with PO (and with the European People's Party, where Tusk is working to build Polish influence) at the head of the European Parliament. However, Buzek faces his own challenges: Niesyto acknowledged that Buzek's chances may have been hurt by the rise of Italian Mario Mauro as a contender for EP President. ¶11. (C) One indication of lukewarm GoP support for Cimoszewicz is the decision not to name a prominent "campaign manager." Foreign Minister Sikorski chose former Polish Ambassador to NATO Jerzy Nowak to orchestrate his own campaign for NATO Secretary General, but the MFA appointed a mid-level diplomat from its international relations department to run Cimoszewicz's campaign. According to Niesyto, Cimoszewicz has a network of personal friends throughout Europe who are lobbying on his behalf. ASHE