VZCZCXRO8152
RR RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPG #0295/01 0811454
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 221454Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7117
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0009
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 0011
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHUB/USINT HAVANA 0046
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 1706

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000295 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE; CHARLES SHAPIRO, WHA/FO; CALEB MCCARRY, 
WHA/CCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2016 
TAGS: PREL KDEM CU VE XM EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS EXPRESS CONCERN FOR FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN 
VENEZUELA, CUBA, AND LATIN AMERICA GENERALLY 
 
Classified By: Acting DCM Michael Dodman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
---------- 
¶1. Summary 
---------- 
 
(C) On March 16, WHA PDAS Charles Shapiro met with 
representatives of Czech NGO People in Need (PIN),parliamentarians, MFA officials, and private citizens 
actively engaged in democracy promotion in Cuba. The Czechs 
expressed their commitment to Cuba and Latin America 
generally, and echoed U.S. concerns for the future of 
democracy in Venezuela. The MFA hosted a meeting for Shapiro 
of the LatAm Directors of the Visegrad-4 (the Czech Republic, 
Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary) to compare notes on Latin 
America.  Shapiro invited them to participate in the proposed 
International Cuba Democracy Fund, to work for a stronger EU 
common position on Cuba, and to support Guatemala's candidacy 
for the GRULAC seat on UNSC. End summary. 
 
----------------------- 
¶2. People in Need (PIN) 
----------------------- 
 
(U) Note: PIN is the largest NGO in Central Europe, and is 
widely respected for its active promotion of human rights and 
democracy in Cuba, Belarus, Burma, Iraq, the Balkans and 
elsewhere. PIN is funded by the GOCR through the Czech MFA's 
Transformation Cooperation Unit (TRANS), and as well as by 
USAID, NED, the Westminster Foundation, the EU and by 
donations from private Czech citizens. Septel will describe 
current PIN projects in Cuba. 
 
(C) PIN rep Igor Blazevic (Human Rights Director) explained 
that former President Havel established the Czech policy of 
active opposition to the Castro regime, a policy continued by 
the many Havel proteges now working at the MFA and in PIN. 
Blazevic noted the June parliamentary elections could 
possibly result in a minority government supported by the 
Czech Communist party, which could result in a change of the 
Cuba policy. In April the Czechs will invite to Prague both 
NGOs and foreign ministers from a number of countries active 
in COLAT, including Spain, with an eye toward influencing the 
EU common position on Cuba. Blazevic said some Latin American 
countries may be open to discussing the possibility of a 
transition to democracy in Cuba, but in his experience are 
more willing to speak freely if the U.S. is not present and 
U.S. Cuba policy is not a focus of the discussion. Blazevic 
said PIN is concerned about the situation in Venezuela, 
largely because of the connection to Cuba. While PIN is not 
active in Venezuela, it has met with Venezuelan NGOs such as 
Sumate. 
 
------------------------- 
¶3. Czech Parliamentarians 
------------------------- 
 
(C) Shapiro met with Vladimir Lastuvka (CSSD), Chair of the 
Foreign Relations Committee, and Petr Bratsky (ODS), an MP 
active on Cuba issues. Shapiro stated that the primary 
problem in Latin America is poverty and exclusion and that 
the U.S. wants to work with governments who wish to grow 
their economies, reduce poverty, and incorporate the 
marginalized into the political process. Shapiro said that we 
seek a democratic transition in Cuba, not a succession from 
one communist regime to another. Referring to the thousands 
of Cubans who studied and worked in the now defunct 
Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Lastuvka said Czechs feel a 
historic connection to Latin America and that he supports 
Czech and U.S. efforts to promote democracy in Latin America. 
Lastuvka was skeptical that democracy could thrive in the 
face of unrelenting poverty. Bratsky, a passionate supporter 
of Cuban democracy, said he visited Cuba the previous week 
and met with Cuban dissident Oswaldo Paya, other dissidents, 
and family members. He described the conditions in Cuba as 
appalling and getting worse.  Both expressed concerns about 
how a transition in Cuba might unfold and feared violence. 
 
----------------------------------- 
¶4. Meeting with V-4 Representatives 
----------------------------------- 
 
(C) After lunch with MFA Americas Directorate officials, 
 
PRAGUE 00000295  002 OF 003 
 
 
Shapiro met with Jakub Skalnik, Director of the Americas 
Department, and his V-4 counterparts from the Americas 
Departments of the Slovakia (Director Dusan Kristofik), 
Poland (Deputy Director Jacek Hinz), and Hungary (Director 
Lajos Bozi). The V-4 representatives paid close attention to 
Shapiro's briefing on Latin America, which closely paralleled 
the agenda at the US-EU consultations on Latin America on 
March 13.  Shapiro urged the V-4 countries to promote 
Guatemala's candidacy for the GRULAC seat on the UNSC. 
 
-- On Venezuela, Shapiro urged the V-4 to meet actively in 
capitals and in Caracas with Venezuelan intellectuals, labor 
leaders, opposition politicians, and NGOs to "maintain 
political space." 
 
-- Bozi spoke about the International Center for Democratic 
Transition in Budapest, which aims to share the Hungarian 
democracy transition experience with other countries in 
transition. The Center's director, Ambassador Gyarmati, will 
be looking for meetings in Washington the week of March 20. 
 
-- Shapiro urged the V-4 countries to cooperate on Cuba. He 
mentioned a proposal made earlier in the day by Igor Blazevic 
of PIN to investigate the possibility of mobilizing Cuban 
youth groups. Shapiro also said the U.S. was prepared to 
contribute $400,000 to the proposed International Cuba 
Democracy Fund. (Note: The fund was not discussed further, 
but the Czechs have previously expressed their support for 
it. End note.) 
 
-- Hinz (Poland), Bozi (Hungary), and Kristofik (Slovakia) 
expressed their countries' support for the EU's "dual 
engagement policy" of dealing with both Cuban officials and 
dissident groups. Shapiro pointed out that as a practical 
matter, it not possible to engage with both groups in a 
meaningful way since the regime freezes diplomatic contacts 
when a country begins meeting with dissident groups. (Note: 
The Castro regime does not meet with officials from the Czech 
or Slovak Embassies in Havana for this reason.) Kristofik 
noted that Cuba had informed the Slovakian MFA without 
explanation that it intended to downgrade its embassy in 
Bratislava from Ambassador to Charge. 
 
-- Hinz (Poland) criticized the Czechs for rejecting the 
Austrian proposal to hold two national day celebrations, the 
first for representatives of diplomatic missions and the 
Cuban officials, and the second for dissidents. Skalnik 
dismissed the second day as a "consolation day" that failed 
to provide adequate recognition for the dissidents. 
 
-- All noted that Spain is attempting to pressure the 
Visegrad-4 by conditioning Spain's support for opening the EU 
labor market on "good behavior" on Cuba. 
 
-- Skalnik requested information about U.S. plans to sponsor 
a draft Human Rights Resolution on Cuba in 2006. 
 
---------- 
¶5. Comment 
---------- 
 
(C) The Czechs have the advantage of knowing a communist 
dictator when they see one. Promoting human rights and 
democracy internationally is a key element of Czech foreign 
policy. It is the focus of the MFA's Transformation 
Cooperation Unit $1.3 million budget for 2006, as well as the 
Czech outreach in Cuba, Belarus, Burma and elsewhere. The day 
after Shapiro's visit PIN set up a prison cell on Wenceslas 
Square and politicians, including Foreign Minister Svoboda, 
took turns as political prisoners. On March 18, U.S. 
Ambassador Cabaniss joined FM Svoboda and other Czechs who 
marched in support of Cuba's Damas en Blanco on the third 
anniversary of the arrest of their family members. The Czechs 
are strongly committed to Cuba, and seem willing to increase 
their engagement in Venezuela and Latin America generally. 
This may be a good time to seek opportunities for joint 
cooperation, such as by encouraging PIN to initiate capacity 
building projects in Venezuela, or by arranging contacts 
between activist Czech MPs and their Latin American 
counterparts to discuss their experience with democracy. End 
comment. 
 
¶6. (U) PDAS Shapiro has cleared this cable. 
 
PRAGUE 00000295  003 OF 003 
 
 
CABANISS