VZCZCXRO9462
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHRA #0523/01 1861443
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051443Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3110
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/2016 
TAGS: PREL PHUM NATO UN OSCE IR LG
SUBJECT: LATVIAN POLITICAL DIRECTOR ON NATO, IRAN, UN AND 
OSCE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Catherine Todd Bailey.  Reason: 1.4 (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: In a tour d'horizon with pol/econ chief, 
Latvian PolDir Klava talked about Latvia's goals for the Riga 
summit, Iran, UN and OSCE issues.  Latvia strongly supports 
NATO opening an intensified dialogue with Georgia, and closer 
NATO relations with Georgia and Ukraine will be an important 
barometer for the Latvian public of the success of the Riga 
summit.  Ukraine would be a particular challenge given both 
the internal situation and views among some NATO members, 
Klava thought.  Latvia is trying to engage Iran to express 
its support for the P-5 plus one offer.  Klava was very 
downbeat on the new UN Human Rights Council, saying "we've 
imported the old problems" into a new group, but said Latvia 
was refraining from criticism of the UN at present.  End 
summary. 
 
¶2. (U) Pol/econ chief met for an hour June 30 with Ilgvars 
Klava, MFA U/S and Latvia's political director.  Klava has 
particular responsibility for security policy and 
international organization affairs. 
 
NATO Summit 
------------------ 
¶3. (C) Klava said that how NATO deals with Georgia and 
Ukraine at the Riga summit will be the policy issue of 
greatest interest to the Latvian public.  However, he feared 
that internal EU issues, most notably the areas and pace of 
future EU enlargement, would be a major obstacle to progress 
on the NATO track.  Latvia strongly supports intensified 
dialogue for Georgia, and Klava found in a recent visit by 
Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration minister Bramidze that 
the Georgians have done a good job of "getting their act 
together" although he thought their overall timeline for NATO 
membership was "typically overambitious." 
 
¶4. (C/NOFORN) Ukraine is more difficult.  Latvia would like 
to see Ukraine join the MAP process, but the internal 
situation made it increasingly unlikely that would be 
possible by the summit.  In contrast to Georgia, Ukraine did 
not have its act together and it was increasingly looking 
ungovernable.  Ukraine is also a tough sell with other 
European allies.  Klava related that when the Commander for 
the French Navy was recently in Riga, he asked how Ukraine 
could be separated from Russia and said the only way Ukraine 
would ever be able to join NATO would be if Russia joined as 
well.  This kind of thinking does not bode well, Klava said, 
for action on Ukraine at the summit.  According to Klava, the 
Russians are "sniffing around" a lot on what is planned for 
Georgia and Ukraine at the summit. 
 
¶5. (C) On other summit agenda items, Klava called global 
partnerships "a nice idea" but expressed little enthusiasm. 
He said that the transformation agenda was important, but the 
GOL needed to study what it would cost the Latvian treasury. 
He wants to see a transformation agenda that can be 
implemented, not just "empty phrases." 
 
¶6. (C) In preparation for the summit, Latvia has sent notes 
to Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Sweden 
announcing that there will be restrictions on military and 
non-scheduled commercial flights over Latvia in the second 
half of November.  The notes also say that additional 
security measures may be put in place, with the possible 
assistance of outside security forces. 
 
Iran 
---- 
¶7. (C) The Latvian Ambassador at the UN has been trying to 
find her Iranian counterpart to express Latvia's full support 
for the "P-5 plus one" proposal to Tehran, but the Iranians 
are unwilling to meet, according to Klava.  He has instructed 
their UN AMB to find any possible venue to make the point. 
Klava joked that it was unlikely Iran would respond to the 
G-8 statement before August, just to make us wait. 
 
UN Human Rights Council 
--------------------------------- 
¶8. (C/NF) Klava was very negative about the new Human Rights 
Council, calling it "a mess."  He complained about a lack of 
transparency in the council, even among the EU member states. 
 Latvia wanted to be helpful in defeating the OIC resolutions 
on Israel, but could get no traction, including within the 
EU.  The introduction of these resolutions showed that we had 
"created a new institution, but imported the old problems." 
However, Klava said that Latvia would not speak out on this 
issue as the government was avoiding criticism of the UN 
while President Vike-Freiberga is campaigning for UN SYG. 
 
OSCE/CoE 
-------------- 
 
RIGA 00000523  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶9. (C) Klava was unsure whether Latvia had yet invited OSCE 
observers to its October parliamentary elections, but agreed 
they should do so.  The fact the U.S. was inviting observers 
for its congressional elections would be helpful in making 
the case.  He expected Russia to criticize the elections and 
OSCE observation both for domestic political reasons, but 
also to undercut the OSCE and protect Moscow's friends in 
Central Asia.  Klava also expected Russia to use its 
chairmanship of the Council of Europe in the current session 
to criticize Latvia's treatment of ethnic Russians.  Latvia 
was, however, very pleased by the Council's parliamentary 
assembly's decision to close the post-monitoring dialogue in 
Latvia. 
 
¶10. (C/NF) Comment: Klava spoke candidly on all areas, 
including airing internal GOL differences on managing the UN. 
 He was very concerned that the NATO summit in Riga provide 
tangible items, both in terms of outcome and structure, that 
would show the Latvian public the value of NATO membership. 
Bailey