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DE RUEHSL #0368/01 1711329
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FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1022
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE IMMEDIATE 0103
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL IMMEDIATE 0038
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE 0648
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RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 0124
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RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA IMMEDIATE 0068

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRATISLAVA 000368 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS YI KO RU UNSC PHUM LO
SUBJECT: FM KUBIS ON KOSOVO, MD AND ISAF 
 
REF: A. BRATISLAVA 275 
 
     ¶B. BRATISLAVA 236 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Rodolphe M. Vallee for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d 
) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary/introduction: In a frank, productive 60-minute 
conversation June 20, FM Jan Kubis told the Ambassador: 
- Slovakia must have a UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 
in order to recognize Kosovo, but allowed that a mission 
under the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) might 
be possible even without Slovakia's support. 
- He appreciated the U.S. reaction to the Russian offer of 
cooperation on Missile Defense (MD) and said there should be 
little further criticism of MD in Slovakia now that NATO has 
given its tacit blessing. 
- Slovakia is in the "pre-initial" phase of working out what 
assets to contribute to ISAF when their current mission in 
Kandahar ends in Summer 2008. 
- PM Robert Fico will attend "The Croatia Summit 2007" in 
Dubrovnik on July 6-7. 
End summary/introduction. 
 
KOSOVO 
------ 
¶2. (C) Kubis said a UNSCR is a "must-have" for Slovakia to 
recognize an independent Kosovo or support an EU Common 
Position, but that Slovakia would never block an ESDP mission 
for Kosovo. Kubis is pleased with the latest (June 20) 
version of the draft UNSCR on Kosovo and said that 
sacrificing "sui generis" language would be "a price Slovakia 
is willing to pay for a UN resolution" that the Russians will 
not veto. 
 
¶3. (C) If a UNSCR is vetoed by Russia, Kubis predicted that 
the "courage and wisdom to move forward" exists in the EU, 
but that doing so on a legal basis will be a dilemma for 
lawyers to work out. Kubis said he has clearly warned the 
U.S. and EU partners that unilateral action is the worst case 
scenario. Without a UNSCR, Slovakia and other unnamed EU 
Member States would be unable to support an EU Common 
Position on Kosovo or to recognize independence. Such 
recognition would have of no chance of surviving an assault 
within the Slovak Parliament. Kubis predicted that 
recognition by the U.S. or EU partners without a UNSCR would 
lead to a split in the EU that could threaten any ESDP 
Mission to Kosovo, but that Slovakia would not be the Member 
State that blocked an ESDP mission for Kosovo. 
 
¶4. (C) Kubis said the read-out he had received from the 
recent Quint meeting in Paris indicated that "no unilateral 
action will be taken." "We need Russia for a Security Council 
Resolution - and we (Slovakia) need a resolution." 
 
¶5. (C) Kubis said that German Chancellor Merkel had 
"intervened" with PM Fico regarding a new proposal for Kosovo 
the PM had addressed in a letter to her and that this issue 
was no longer on the table. According to Kubis the only draft 
papers still being considered for discussion by the European 
Council contain no surprises. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Kubis was very grateful for the close cooperation 
between the U.S. and Slovak Missions to the UN and 
appreciated the concern the U.S. had shown for Slovak 
proposals and sensitivities. 
 
MISSILE DEFENSE 
--------------- 
¶7. (C) Kubis said the recent visit of U.S. experts on MD was 
appreciated and helpful. He has seen that the visit built 
confidence and created political support within both MFA and 
MOD for MD. Kubis was obviously nonplussed that Slovakia had 
been unable to host a classified briefing on MD for lack of 
an appropriate conference room, but he assured the Ambassador 
that the embarrassment had inspired his staff and that MFA 
would have an approved room built as soon as possible. 
 
¶8. (C) Kubis was pleased with the Russian offer to host MD 
assets in Azerbaijan and the U.S. response to the offer - 
which Kubis suggested was likely thought out by the U.S. side 
in advance. Kubis said he - and everyone else - understood 
that the Russian offer was a political one and not a 
practical substitute for the radar in the Czech Republic. 
Still, the offer put forward an implicit Russian 
acknowledgment of the Iranian threat and demonstrated that 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000368  002 OF 002 
 
 
the U.S. is genuinely willing to cooperate with Russia. 
Because of this, Kubis said he is now able to say "with clear 
eyes" that Slovakia supports the U.S. MD plans. Kubis 
predicted that we "shouldn't be hearing too many more 
statements on MD from politicians in Slovakia." (Comment. We 
don't think PM Fico has the discipline to contain himself. 
End comment.) 
 
AFGHANISTAN - ISAF 
------------------ 
¶9. (C) Slovakia is in the "pre-initial" stage of considering 
what contribution it will make to ISAF upon the completion of 
its current mission at the airport in Kandahar in Summer 
¶2008. Kubis said that embedding soldiers in an OMLT is just 
one option under consideration but that it is still "way too 
early" to get into any specifics. Kubis suspected that press 
reports of a Slovak commitment to embed trainers in ISAF had 
confused Slovakia with Slovenia. 
 
¶10. (C) Kubis said that Slovak Ambassador to NATO Igor 
Slobodnik has discussed various concepts with PM Fico, 
President Gasparovic and himself. Kubis said he has told the 
PM that concrete options should be identified internally as 
soon as possible so that they can be examined "fully and from 
each angle" before a political decision is made. (Comment. 
Slobodnik had told Ambassador previously that he would 
discuss options for Slovak contributions to ISAF with the PM 
directly, rather than with the Defense Minister Frantisek 
Kasicky, since only the PM could make these decisions. Kubis' 
failure to mention Kasicky among the people that Slobodnik 
has consulted suggests he may be trying to have a decision 
reached above the DefMin's level. End comment.) Kubis said 
that he and Slobodnik are hoping to be ready with an 
implementable option immediately when the Slovak engagement 
in Kandahar ends next Summer. (Comment. We read all of this 
as the amount of time Kubis and Slobodnik think they need to 
bring PM Fico around. End comment.) 
 
JAN SLOTA 
--------- 
¶11. (SBU) The Ambassador put Kubis on notice that the U.S. 
was displeased by recent statements by Jan Slota, Head of the 
ruling coalition Slovak National Party (SNS), who claimed 
that the U.S. was involved in the politically-charged assault 
case of an ethnic-Hungarian student (Ref B). The Ambassador 
told Kubis that we had spoken to the PM's office and to the 
SNS Spokesman, and let them know that if Slota chooses to 
drag the U.S. into what should be a court-driven, domestic 
issue, we will respond publicly. 
 
¶12. (C) Kubis said that he will not respond to all of Slota's 
statements since doing so would serve Slota's interests. He 
said that his opinion of Slota should be clear enough from 
his past statements, but emphasized that "this person does 
not express the views of my government or my country. Full 
stop." Kubis said that Slota is the Slovak equivalent of the 
Hungarian Fidesz MP Zsolt Nemeth. 
 
UNHCR AND BELARUS 
----------------- 
¶13. (U) Kubis said that Slovakia has been consistent in its 
position on Belarus and Cuba, and will continue to support 
democratic change from its new position on the UN Human 
Rights Council. 
 
PM TO ATTEND CONFERENCE 
----------------------- 
¶14. (SBU) PM Robert Fico will attend "The Croatia Summit 
2007" in Dubrovnik on July 6-7 and will then stay in Croatia 
for two weeks of vacation. Kubis will inform PM Fico that A/S 
Fried also plans to attend the conference. 
VALLEE