VICE PRESIDENT'S MEETING WITH CZECH

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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

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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

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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