VZCZCXRO3636
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBW RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHVL #0313/01 1230424
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 020424Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2242
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0725

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VILNIUS 000313 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AMEMBASSY MINSK SENDS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
KYIV FOR AID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL CASC OFDP BO
SUBJECT: REGIME PNG'S TEN U.S. DIPLOMATS 
 
REF:  A) Vilnius 277 and previous 
      B) Merkel-Moore telcon 04/30/08 
      C) Boehme-Moore telcon 04/29/08 
 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) When Charge delivered Washington's refusal to submit to 
diplomatic staff cuts demanded by Belarus (refs A, B), MFA Americas 
Department Chief Vadim Lazerko delivered him with a list of ten U.S. 
diplomats declared "persona non grata" and ordered to depart the 
country by 1500 local time May 3.  Charge immediately requested a 
meeting May 1 to present additional information from Washington and 
closed the meeting by reiterating the USG's grave concern for the 
well-being of imprisoned AMCIT Emanuel Zeltser.  End summary. 
 
Charge to MFA -- Hell No, We Won't Go 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Charge and A/DCM met with Ambassador Vadim Lazerko and 
Counselor Pavel Shidlovskiy of the MFA's Americas Department 
Wednesday, April 30 to deliver Washington's response to Belarus' 
April 23 demands that the U.S. Embassy again cut staff by ten. 
Charge sternly delivered points from ref B and C insisting on the 
release of Belarus' three political prisoners and refusing to submit 
to its demands to cut U.S. Embassy staff.  He noted as instructed 
that the forced drawdown of staff would eliminate our ability to 
work with Belarus on issues of human rights and migration, with 
serious consequences for our bilateral relations, including 
bilateral trade. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In response, Lazerko presented Charge with diplomatic note 
No. 12-06/8850-N.  The note states that since the U.S. refused 
Belarus' proposal for mutual staff cuts -- a request that conforms 
to Section 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations -- 
the MFA "has been forced" to declare ten U.S. diplomats "persona non 
grata" with 72 hours to depart Belarus.  Lazerko also passed Charge 
a separate list of the PNG'd diplomats: 
 
-- Defense Attache Keith Detweiler 
-- First Secretary Louis John Crishock 
-- First Secretary Kirby Nelson 
-- Second Secretary and Vice Consul Stephen Kovacsics 
-- Attache Jeffrey Allyn Athy 
-- Attache Brandon Gibbs 
-- Attache Eric Veverka 
-- Attache Justin Collum 
-- Attache Crystal Madkins 
-- Attache Mark Lillman 
 
(Note:  The final five attaches are post's Marine Security Guard 
Detachment.  Since the detachment must leave Belarus as a group, 
this list essentially means that DetCmdr GySgt Scott Smart, USMC 
will depart post as well.  End note.) 
 
¶4.  (SBU) In addition to these notes, Lazerko passed a list of the 
five Belarusian diplomats who will remain in the United States at 
their Embassy and Consulate General in New York.  The six Belarusian 
diplomats to remain are as follows: 
 
-- Ambassador Mikhail Khvostov 
-- Consul General N. N. Lepeshko 
-- Counselor O. I. Kravchenko 
-- Counselor S. I. Dulub 
-- First Secretary (Consular Affairs) A. V. Kozhan 
-- Driver V. A. Sanko 
 
[Note:  The Belarusian list -- printed on the back of a declaration 
of bilateral relations between Belarus and Cuba -- notes First 
Secretary Kozhan will depart May 9, and that Third Secretary 
 
SIPDIS 
(Consular Affairs) O. V. Popov will replace him May 10.  End note.] 
 
Charge Repeats Call for Release of Zeltser 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Charge also forcefully raised the Department's alarm at 
the rapidly deteriorating condition of imprisoned AMCIT Emanuel 
Zeltser, repeating the Department's call for Zeltser's release on 
humanitarian grounds.  Lazerko thanked the Charge for this 
information and noted that the Belarusian Embassy in Washington had 
transmitted a diplomatic note to the Ministry earlier in the day 
with the same information.  Lazerko promised to share the 
information with "all interested bodies" but made no substantive 
response to the request. 
 
Charge Addresses Independent Media 
 
VILNIUS 00000313  002 OF 002 
 
 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Following this meeting and internal Embassy consultations, 
Charge held a press conference with representatives of the 
independent media.  He underlined that the USG's prime concern 
remained the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The eleven diplomats impacted by this decision have 
already begun preparations to depart Belarus.  Post thanks the 
Department and Embassy Vilnius for their significant assistance in 
this difficult time. 
 
Moore 
Cloud