VZCZCXRO2232
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPG #0634 1520740
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 010740Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9151
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHKH/AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM 0008
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0229

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000634 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2017 
TAGS: PREL ETRD ETTC UNAUS SU EUN EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS SUPPORT U.S. SANCTIONS ON SUDAN; MIGHT 
SUPPORT SIMILAR EU OR BILATERAL SANCTIONS 
 
REF: STATE 73693 
 
Classified By: Political-Economic Counselor Mike Dodman 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Poloff met with Czech MFA Deputy Director of Middle 
East and Africa Department Josef Koutsky on May 31 to discuss 
the U.S. sanctions against the Sudanese government over lack 
of progress on Darfur. When asked whether the Czech Republic 
would consider imposing bilateral sanctions, Koutsky said the 
Czech government imposed visa sanctions years ago on certain 
Sudan government officials (whom he could not name), but this 
did not include Sudan's State Minister for Humanitarian 
Affairs Ahmed Harun, Chief of Military Intelligence and 
Security Awad Ibn Auf, or rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim. He 
said the Czech government may be open to imposing visa 
sanctions on these officials. 
 
¶2. (C/NF) On the prospect of EU sanctions, Koutsky said EU 
member states are currently debating the issue of Sudan in 
advance of the June GAERC meeting. He said France and the UK 
have recently proposed positions on Sudan; the UK proposal 
includes sanctions similar to those imposed by the United 
States. Koutsky said the Czech Republic would likely support 
the EU consensus position on Darfur, including sanctions. 
 
¶3. (C) When asked whether the Czech Republic would consider 
assuming more of a leadership role within the EU on 
Darfur-related issues, Koutsky reiterated that the Czech 
Republic has other priorities. (Note: Czech officials have 
explained on many occasions that the Czech government has 
limited expertise on African affairs, and therefore focuses 
its efforts on countries it believes can benefit from the 
Czech experience gained transitioning from an Soviet-style 
authoritarian regime to a thriving democracy (e.g., Cuba, 
Belarus, the Balkans, and Iraq). The Czech government 
therefore defers to the EU on foreign policy and military 
issues concerning Sudan. As an EU member state, however, the 
Czechs strongly support EU assistance to the African Union 
Mission and support international pressure to force the 
Sudanese government to cooperate with the United Nations. End 
note). Nevertheless, Koutsky thought the Czech government 
could do more in the political sense. One potential area for 
engagement: the brother of the Sudanese foreign minister, who 
is currently the head of EU affairs at the Sudanese MFA, was 
educated in Prague in the 70s. 
GRABER