VICE PRESIDENT'S MEETING WITH CZECH

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000001 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/CE JOHN BERGEMANN E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/30/2019 TAGS: PREL PHUM KDEM EZ SUBJECT: VICE PRESIDENT'S MEETING WITH CZECH PARLIAMENTARIANS, OCTOBER 23, 2009 Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Charles O. Blaha; reasons 1 .4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Vice President Biden met with a group of influential Czech Parliamentarians in Prague on October 23, including two of the signers of the July 16 "Open Letter to the Obama Administration" that expressed the fear that Central and Eastern Europe was no longer important to U.S. foreign policy. The Parliamentarians had a mixed view of the U.S. decision to adopt a new approach to missile defense, but all concluded that the Czech Republic should continue its cooperation with the U.S. on the new architecture. In separate meetings with left-of-center CSSD leader Jiri Paroubek and former Prime Minister and center-right ODS leader Mirek Topolanek, the Vice President discussed missile defense and energy security. END SUMMARY. U.S. Relations with Central and Eastern Europe -------------- - ¶2. (C) The Vice President emphasized that the United States is firmly committed to the Atlantic alliance and NATO. He said he recognized that there was anxiety about U.S. priorities, since the United States faces so many demanding foreign policy priorities, including challenges in Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, and other places. However, the United States continues to view European countries "including Central and Eastern Europe" as its closest allies. We no longer think about what we can do for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, but what we can do with them. ¶3. (C) The Vice President explained the decision to adopt a new phased, adaptive approach to missile defense was based on a changed understanding of the Iranian threat. The new system would provide better security for Europe and would enable the United States to better meet its NATO Article 5 commitments. The United States looked forward to working with the Czech Republic if it chose to make contributions to the new system. ¶4. (SBU) The Vice President described the U.S. "reset" with Russia, saying that the U.S. and Russia had many areas of strategic cooperation. However, as the Vice President emphasized in his February 2009 speech in Munich, the U.S. did not accept the idea of "spheres of influence" and believed all countries have the right to choose their own alliances. Czech Parliamentarians: Mixed Views on U.S. Approach -------------- -------------- ¶5. (C) Senator and former Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra expressed appreciation for the Vice President's visit. He noted that his party voted to deploy Czech forces to Iraq and Afghanistan, and supported the previous missile defense system, but has now paid a price for supporting the United States. He said he was in favor of working with the United States to strengthen NATO and participating in the new missile defense system. ¶6. (C) Schwarzenberg noted that the previous missile defense system enhanced the Czech Republic's ties to the U.S. and to NATO. He was disappointed when the previous system was canceled. Nonetheless, he expressed interest in determining exactly how the Czech Republic could play a role in the new system, and said in spite of the disappointment, he considered the friendship with the U.S. strong. ¶7. (C) CSSD Parliamentarian Zaoralek thanked the Vice President for "suspending" the radar plan. In his opinion, this set the stage for a new beginning for U.S.-Czech relations on a more balanced footing. ¶8. (C) Christian Democrat Pavel Svoboda noted that his party supported the radar because it helped reinforce the idea that Russia did not have the right to maintain spheres of influence. He supported the new missile defense plan for the same reason. Svoboda said the U.S.-Russia "reset" made him nervous. The Vice President reiterated that neither the old nor the new missile defense plan was about Russia. He reiterated that the U.S. rejects the idea of spheres of influence. ¶9. (C) Jan Hamacek of the CSSD said the Vice-President's decision to visit Prague, following President Obama's trip to Prague earlier in the year, was a strong signal of U.S. commitment. Hamacek said the decision to change the missile defense system "corrected a wrong approach." He felt that PRAGUE 00000001 002 OF 003 the U.S. and Czech Republic should not focus on missile defense as the only issue on the bilateral agenda; other topics such as energy security and NATO's efforts in Afghanistan were also important. Meeting with Paroubek -------------- ¶10. (C) The Vice President met with left-of-center CSSD leader Jiri Paroubek, who said he welcomed the U.S. decision to adapt the missile defense architecture. Paroubek said it did not matter if the Czech Republic were part of the missile defense system, because being in NATO provides security. He described the Czech alliance with NATO and the EU as important, but not a hindrance to having strong relations with other countries. His CSSD party hoped to play a role in the Middle East Peace Process, and build stronger relations with the Democratic party in the United States. The Vice President expressed appreciation for Paroubek's views on missile defense, noting that neither the previous system nor the new system was about Russia. The Vice President raised energy security, noting that Europe needed alternatives to Russian energy sources; in the long run, this would foster more competitive practices in Russia, so would be good for Russia and for Europe. Turning to nuclear energy, the Vice President urged Paroubek to consider Westinghouse as a potential supplier for nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic. Meeting with Topolanek -------------- ¶11. (C) The Vice President met with former Prime Minister and center-right leader Mirek Topolanek. Topolanek praised the Vice President's October 22 speech in Bucharest describing U.S. commitment to Central and Eastern Europe, and expressed appreciation for the Obama Administration's efforts to build better relations with Europe. The Czech Republic considers the U.S. its closest ally, and it would support the new missile defense system. Topolanek expressed concern about how the new system would be financed. Topolanek and the Vice President agreed that it would make sense for the Czech Republic to participate in the new system, especially in the scientific and technical aspects of future phases. Topolanek said the Czech Republic wants closer cooperation on Afghanistan. The Vice President and Topolanek agreed that the upcoming High Level Defense Group in Prague should discuss in more detail how the U.S. and Czech Republic could cooperate more closely on missile defense and Afghanistan. Topolanek raised energy security, noting it was important for the Czech Republic to diversify its sources. The Vice President said it was his view that Europe could do much more to protect itself from vulnerabilities of dependence on Russian energy, but agreed that the U.S. was prepared to participate in further discussions of what could be done together. He repeated his advocacy for Westinghouse as a potential supplier of nuclear power plants for Czech Republic. ¶12. (U) PARTICIPANTS United States -------------- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Charge d,Affaires a.i. Mary Thompson-Jones Antony Blinken, National Security Advisor to the Vice President Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, NSC Senior Director for Europe Barry Pavel, NSC Senior Director for Defense Policy and Strategy Pamela Quanrud, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe Sumona Guha, Special Advisor for Europe and Eurasia to the Vice President John Law, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy Prague Charles Blaha, Political-Economic Counselor, Embassy Prague Amy Carnie, External Relations, Political-Economic Section, Embassy Prague Czech Republic -------------- Vaclav Bartuska, Ambassador-at-Large for Energy Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jan Hamacek, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of the Czech Republic Petr Hulinsky, Shadow Defense Minister for the Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Miroslav Kalousek, Parliament of the Czech Republic Petr Kolar, Ambassador to the United States PRAGUE 00000001 003 OF 003 Ondrej Liska, Parliament of the Czech Republic Miroslava Nemcova, Deputy Chair, Parliament of the Czech Republic Karel Schwarzenberg, Senate of the Czech Republic Pavel Svoboda, Parliament of the Czech Republic Jan Vidim, Chair of Defense Committee, Parliament of the Czech Republic Alexandr Vondra, Senate of the Czech Republic Lubomir Zaoralek, Deputy Chair, Parliament of the Czech Republic Lucas