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O 111452Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7323
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000505 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR SECRETARY RICE FROM AMBASSADOR CABANISS 
ALSO FOR S STAFF, EUR/FO, EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EZ OVIP PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR CZECH FM SVOBODA'S MAY 16 MEETING 
WITH SECRETARY RICE 
 
REF: PRAGUE 482 
 
¶1. (SBU) Madame Secretary, This is your first bilateral 
meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda.  I have 
found him to be a strong and committed supporter of 
transatlantic relations.  Under Svoboda's leadership, the 
Czechs have become trailblazers in supporting democracy and 
promoting human rights in countries of importance to the 
United States.  The Czechs are with us on the ground in Iraq 
and Afghanistan.  Although Svoboda's future after next 
month's elections is uncertain, we do not expect any 
significant shifts in Czech foreign policy.  I hope you will 
use this meeting to (1) encourage the Czech government to 
continue its pro-democracy activism in countries like Cuba, 
Belarus, and Iraq; (2) acknowledge Czech contributions to the 
GWOT and deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans; 
(3) thank the GOCR for its contribution to Radio Free 
Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).  The Czechs have assured us 
that they intend to touch on visas only lightly during your 
meeting. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The United States and Czech Republic enjoy excellent 
bilateral relations.  The Czechs are strong supporters of 
transatlantic relations and the Global War on Terror. The 
Czechs play important roles on issues such as the EU arms 
embargo against China, where they are among the countries 
least in favor of lifting restrictions, and democracy 
promotion in Cuba and Belarus, where they are among the most 
active supporters of human rights.  They view NATO as the 
cornerstone of their foreign and security policies; while 
they are working with their EU partners to make ESDP a 
reality, they insist that this not come at the expense of 
NATO.  The Czech Republic is scheduled to hold the rotating 
EU presidency for the first time in 2009.  They are also 
vying for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council, 
beginning in 2008. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
A Leader and Partner in Democracy Promotion 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) CUBA: Among EU countries, the Czech Republic is the 
most active promoter of human rights in Cuba. Czech efforts 
include providing on-island assistance to political prisoners 
and their families, teaching Cuban dissident groups about the 
Czechs, own peaceful transition to democracy, and raising 
international public awareness about ongoing human rights 
abuses in Cuba. Within the EU, the Czechs are recognized as 
the leader of efforts to craft a common policy that actively 
supports peaceful dissidents and limits official contacts 
with the regime. 
 
¶4. (U) BELARUS: Here, too, the Czechs are emerging as a 
catalyst for EU efforts to support the democratic opposition. 
The Czechs supported a strong EU-U.S. statement denouncing 
Belarusian dictator Lukashenko before the recent presidential 
election, and supported travel restrictions on Lukashenko and 
key members of his regime after the election was declared 
fraudulent. Additionally, the Czechs plan to spend 
approximately $1 million in 2006 on projects in Belarus that 
will increase access to independent media, support human 
rights and the democratic opposition, and provide assistance 
to those persecuted by the Lukashenko regime. 
 
¶5. (U) IRAQ: Czechs have spent over $5 million in Iraq in 
humanitarian aid and democracy programs since 2003. This 
year, in addition to other humanitarian assistance, the 
Czechs plan to spend $600,000 on a medevac program that 
provides life-saving cardiac surgery to Iraqi children (and 
material assistance to their families).  The Czechs opened a 
new cardiac center in Basra in March 2006, and spend nearly 
$500,000 on a training center in Jordan devoted to rebuilding 
Iraqi civil society by training Iraqi journalists, 
representatives of Iraqi NGOs, and Iraqi government officials 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
Punching Above Its Weight on Military Deployments 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶6. (U) The Czech Republic currently contributes close to 1000 
soldiers, observers, monitors, specialists, and civilian 
police to missions throughout the world.  Militarily, the 
Czechs are involved in U.S., NATO, EU, and UN operations in 
Iraq, Afghanistan, and in the Balkans.  In Iraq, the Czechs 
have 100 military police training Iraqi security forces in 
Basra. A Czech Special Forces detachment will deploy to 
Afghanistan May 15th, for the second time, to fight under 
U.S. command. The Czechs maintain 17 ISAF specialists in 
 
PRAGUE 00000505  002 OF 003 
 
 
Kabul, fulfilling EOD engineering, demining, and 
air-traffic-control missions. The Czechs, as part of their 
ISAF commitments will take over command of operations at 
Kabul Airport on 1 December 2006.  The Czechs contribute 83 
troops and medical staff to the German PRT near Konduz. FM 
Svoboda is a strong proponent within his own government for a 
possible Czech-led PRT for Afghanistan beginning sometime in 
¶2007. In the Balkans, a 500-troop Czech contingent commands 
the Kosovo Multinational Task Force-Center, holding 
responsibility for the security of over half of Kosovo,s 
population. In Bosnia, the Czechs have provided 65 troops to 
EUFOR,s ALTHEA mission. The Czech Republic has 14 observers 
deployed on 5 separate UN missions in Europe and Africa. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Foreign Policy Implications of General Elections 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶7. (SBU) With the June 2-3 general elections less than three 
weeks away, the likely composition of the next coalition 
government is still uncertain.  However, it is clear that no 
single party will receive enough votes to form a majority 
government on its own.  Whoever wins, we expect most of the 
key foreign policy jobs to change hands.  Svoboda's own 
future is uncertain:  his Christian Democrats are likely to 
make it into the new Parliament, but may not be a part of the 
next coalition.  Nonetheless, major changes in foreign policy 
are not anticipated.  The Czech Republic will continue to 
regard NATO as the prominent pillar of the nation's security, 
continue to deploy troops to NATO and coalition missions 
overseas, and continue to promote democracy in totalitarian 
states.  The only scenario in which changes are conceivable, 
though far from certain, would be a minority Social Democrat 
government supported by the Communists -- an arrangement that 
is possible, but is not currently high among most observers' 
predictions. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Visas -- The Sole Bilateral Irritant 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) The only notable bilateral irritant is the visa 
issue.  Like other Central Europeans, the Czechs have been 
pushing strongly for entry into the Visa Waiver Program 
(VWP). Czechs believe they deserve VWP status as an EU member 
and coalition ally.  The visa refusal rate is currently 
around 10% -- the lowest in the region, but well above the 3% 
required for entry into VWP.  Unfortunately, the approaching 
election has turned this into a political issue.  In recent 
months, both the Foreign Minister and Prime Minister have 
made vague promises to "toughen" their approach to the United 
States in order to address what they see as asymmetrical visa 
relations.  In fact, nothing has come of this.  During a 
visit to the Embassy last month, the Prime Minister praised 
the professional quality of our visa operations.  For his 
part, Svoboda has turned his attention to Canada, threatening 
to reimpose visas on Canadians if they do not drop theirs on 
Czechs.  In doing this, Svoboda has actually made some 
positive comments about the United States, acknowledging that 
the USG does not have authority to bring the Czechs into the 
VWP without Congressional agreement, and praising the 
U.S.-Czech Visa Roadmap as proof that the USG is committed to 
seeing progress.  The Czech MFA has assured us that Svoboda 
intends to touch on the visa issue with you only briefly.  On 
the other hand, this will be a central focus of his meetings 
on the Hill. 
 
----------------------------------- 
RFE/RL -- Czech Donation of $1.27 m 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) came to 
Prague in 1995 at the invitation of then-President Vaclav 
Havel.  Many credit this move as &saving8 the radios after 
significant Congressional budget cuts in the mid-1990,s made 
continued operations in their previous headquarters in Munich 
untenable.  During the past 10 years RFE/RL has been housed 
in the former Communist Parliament building at a symbolic 
annual rent of approximately $10.00.  After the September 11 
attacks, the vulnerability of the present headquarters 
threatened the security of the building and its 600 employees 
(of whom approximately 150 are American citizens).  After a 
lengthy search process, Congress approved a site in Prague 
for construction of a new, more secure building for the 
headquarters, and the RFE/RL President signed a 
build-to-lease contract in July 2005 for a building to be 
completed in 2008.  The current Czech government -- and FM 
Svoboda in particular -- has been very supportive of RFE/RL 
 
PRAGUE 00000505  003 OF 003 
 
 
and its mission throughout this process, assigning additional 
police officers to secure the current building, working with 
our intelligence services on credible threats, and braving 
difficulties in bilateral relations with countries such as 
Iran, which has exerted diplomatic and trade pressure on the 
Czech government to end RFE/RL,s Iranian broadcast service. 
To cement their commitment to the radios, the Czech 
government has appropriated a donation of 27 million crowns 
(approximately $1.27 million) to assist in the relocation 
cost.  During his visit to Washington, Foreign Minister 
Svoboda will transfer the donation to the Broadcasting Board 
of Governors in a special ceremony.  I hope you will be able 
to personally thank him for his strong support, as well as 
for the government contribution. 
CABANISS