VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHSL #0137/01 0881533
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 281533Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1616
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE PRIORITY 0437
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIAO/HQ ICE IAO WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000137 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2018 
TAGS: PREL CVIS KVIR PHUM AF LO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR OBSITNIK'S MARCH 27 LUNCHEON WITH PRIME 
MINISTER FICO 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik, for reasons 1.4 b and d 
 
¶1. (U) This message contains an action request; please see 
para 7. 
 
2.(C)  Summary: In a cordial and collegial, hour-long 
conversation (entirely in Slovak) over lunch, Ambassador 
Obsitnik and Prime Minister Fico discussed domestic politics, 
VWP, the NATO Summit and Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, the draft 
Slovak media law and energy. (Comment: The lunch was 
unexpectedly rushed because PM Fico had to make a courtroom 
appearance in the libel suit brought against him by former 
Finance Minister Ivan Miklos. End Comment)  PM Fico said that 
Slovakia would "be helping in a greater way" by boosting its 
contributions in Afghanistan and would make a positive 
statement on this in Bucharest, and Slovakia would not be the 
last to recognize Kosovo. He expressed support for extending 
NATO membership to the A-3 and MAP to Ukraine and Georgia. 
Fico thanked the Ambassador for U.S. efforts to move forward 
rapidly on VWP and sought information and USG support 
regarding a request he received from the Iraqi Government to 
host in Slovakia a meeting of all Iraqi political parties. 
The Prime Minister also assured the Ambassador that further 
changes would be made to the draft Slovak media law so that 
it would not be perceived as "anti-democratic."  The two 
agreed to continue a discussion regarding energy cooperation 
at a future date.  End Summary. 
 
 
Domestic Politics 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (C) The Ambassador commended PM Fico on his sustained 
popularity and high approval ratings, observing that the 
practice of holding government sessions in various regions of 
the country was a good tool for reaching a broader audience. 
Fico emphasized that he had to "expend a lot of personal time 
managing Meciar and Slota," but there were much more serious 
problems among the opposition.  With a strong economy, entry 
into Schengen, and the Euro and VWP on the horizon, the 
opposition has difficulty finding valid issues that resonate 
with the public, Fico said. 
 
 
VWP 
--- 
 
¶4. (C) PM Fico thanked the Ambassador for our assistance in 
concluding the VWP MOU so expeditiously. In response to 
criticism from some EU partners for having moved ahead with 
the MOU, Fico had argued that it was "only right that the new 
EU countries had the same privilege" as other members.  Fico 
asked about prospects for Slovak accession to VWP this year. 
He also wanted to know whether the President had the sole 
authority to move the process to a close once Slovakia had 
met all the necessary criteria, and what had motivated his 
strong stance in favor of VWP expansion.  Ambassador Obsitnik 
explained that there were additional steps and requirements, 
including the conclusion of an HSPD-6 agreement and an 
implementing agreement; upcoming site visits and a visa 
refusal rate under 10 percent for FY 2007.  He stressed that 
President Bush's strong advocacy of an expanded VWP stemmed 
not from any political pressure, but from a belief that it 
was the right thing to do. 
 
 
NATO Summit/Afghanistan 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) PM Fico confirmed that "Slovakia would be helping in a 
greater way" in Afghanistan and that President Gasparovic 
"would be in a position to make positive statements and 
commitments in Bucharest."  The Prime Minister stated that he 
would like to make another visit to Afghanistan and "agrees 
that we all have to support the NATO mission."  Afghanistan 
has seen tremendous progress on the civilian side, he added. 
Fico also confirmed that the Slovaks would be increasing 
their cooperation with the Dutch in Afghanistan but that this 
news "had to be made public gradually."  Ambassador Obsitnik 
observed that one of the key deliverables at Bucharest would 
be a new, comprehensive approach to Afghanistan that would 
foster better civ-mil cooperation.  (Note: FM Kubis,s Chef 
de Cabinet added to us March 28 that Slovakia wanted to react 
 
positively to NATO requests for further participation in 
OMLTs, citing possible cooperation with the Canadians that 
might be mentioned in Bucharest, in addition to troop 
contributions to the Dutch-led operations in Uruzgan.) 
 
¶6. (C) With respect to enlargement, Fico told the Ambassador 
that Slovakia supports the accession of all three aspirant 
countries: Albania, Croatia and Macedonia.  The GOS also 
supports MAP now for Georgia and Ukraine.  Fico added that 
although the political situation and stability of the 
government in Ukraine were quite precarious, it is an 
important country, which, like the other candidates, would 
benefit from NATO membership just as Slovakia has.  The 
Ambassador noted that President Putin would attend the Summit 
for the first time since the NATO-Russia Council was founded, 
and shared a brief readout of the recent 2   2 talks.  Fico 
said he was aware that President Bush planned to visit Sochi 
following the Summit. 
 
 
Iraq 
---- 
 
¶7. (C) Fico told the Ambassador that he had been approached 
about a week ago by "the Iraqi government" about the 
possibility of hosting a conference of Iraqi political 
parties outside of Iraq.  Fico said he had been told that 
there would be an estimated 200 people at the conference and 
that he had offered the GOI the use of the government's 
conference facilities in the town of Smolenice, not far from 
Bratislava.  PM Fico said that he thought Slovakia had been 
approached because it was perceived as "impartial," and that 
two other countries were also being considered.  Prime 
Minister Fico asked for any additional information we might 
provide regarding this potential conference and implicitly 
sought our support for Slovakia as the venue. (Action 
Request: Post would appreciate any insights that Embassy 
Baghdad or NEA/I could provide regarding this proposal, as 
well as Department's views on potential U.S. support for 
holding it in Slovakia. End Request.) 
 
 
Kosovo 
------ 
 
¶8. (C) PM Fico told the Ambassador that on Kosovo, Slovakia 
would not be the last one at "barricades," and that he knew 
the eyes of Europe were on Slovakia. (Note: meaning Slovakia 
would not be the last EU member to recognize Kosovo.  End 
note.) Fico said he is waiting for the right moment for 
recognition.  The Ambassador pointed out that 21 EU countries 
had already recognized or were in the process of doing so and 
that it would not be good for Slovakia or its people if he 
waited too long.  Fico agreed, but cited as reasons for delay 
the strong connection between the Slovak and Serbian people 
and a concern that recognition could give momentum to a 
movement for Hungarian autonomy.  Fico cited key points in 
history in which the West had not intervened to protect the 
sovereignty of Central European states (1938, 1968). The 
Ambassador responded firmly that Europe in 2008 was not 
analogous to that of 1938 or 1968 and that the U.S. would 
deem attempts to question the inviolability of a NATO Ally's 
borders unacceptable.  The Ambassador underscored the 
progress the Kosovars were making in implementing the 
Ahtisaari plan, as well as the fact that the Kosovars had not 
provoked or participated in any of the violent incidents that 
have occurred. Fico said the GOS would wait to see how things 
played out, and offered that he thought that Bosnia might end 
up being an "even bigger problem." 
 
 
Media Law 
--------- 
 
¶9. (C) Aware of our strong concerns over the draft media law, 
PM Fico noted that some changes had already been made to the 
draft, e.g., deletion of a provision that would have given 
the Ministry of Culture authority to determine violations and 
levy fines against publishers, in response to our concerns 
and those of the OSCE and others.  Fico assured the 
Ambassador that additional changes would be made so that the 
law conformed to international standards: "don't worry, we'll 
get it done," he said.  One change that would be made, he 
 
explained, would be to limit access to the "right of 
response" to individuals.  (Comment: although Fico said the 
government and parliament would not be able to use the "right 
of the response," we do not see the distinction as 
significant, since individual members of the government and 
the parliament could avail themselves of the provision. End 
comment.) 
 
¶10. (C) In response to the Ambassador's invocation of OSCE 
standards, Fico replied that the draft media law didn't 
violate anything.  However, Slovakia does not want to be seen 
as adopting anti-democratic laws or regulations.  On the 
other hand, Fico said he did not want to be seen as buckling 
under to the opposition, which had wrongly tied the law to 
passage of the Lisbon Treaty.  Referring to OSCE's 
Representative for Media Freedom, Miklos Haraszti, 
Fico added that Slovakia should not change its approach on 
account of the concerns of "a bureaucrat."  Repeating a 
previously expressed canard, Fico sought to diminish the 
authority of Haraszti's criticism by saying that they were 
not from the "full OSCE," but rather from a functionary. 
Fico complained that "Slovak journalists have no code of 
ethics" and they are inadequately trained. He cited one 
high-profile writer who he claimed had only a secondary 
school education.  (Comment: We agree that the Slovak media 
are not sufficiently professional or well-trained, but the 
draft law is hardly a solution to this problem. Post is 
bringing a media expert to Slovakia to conduct training and 
has allocated grant funding to help bolster investigative 
training techniques among young journalists.  End Comment.) 
 
 
Energy 
------ 
 
¶11. (C) At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ambassador 
mentioned U.S. interest in playing a role in promoting 
greater energy independence in Slovakia, particularly in the 
realm of nuclear energy, where U.S. firms could be 
competitive.  Fico agreed that Slovakia must work toward 
greater energy security and independence and expressed his 
interest in pursuing the discussion at a later date. 
OBSITNIK