VZCZCXRO0571
PP RUEHIK
DE RUEHLJ #0036/01 0411332
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101332Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7666
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LJUBLJANA 000036 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR H AND EUR/CE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON MARR SI
SUBJECT:  SLOVENIA:  SCENESETTER FOR CODEL VOINOVICH 
 
LJUBLJANA 00000036  001.2 OF 003 
 
REF: 
¶A.  STATE 09051 
¶B.  Fedkiw - Marty emails 2/5/2010 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly.  This cable 
is a copy of the scenesetter sent on 2/5/2010 (Ref B). 
 
¶1. (SBU) Senator Voinovich, welcome back to Ljubljana; Senator 
Shaheen, we look forward to welcoming you on your first trip to this 
beautiful little country.  Your visit is an excellent opportunity to 
reinforce the importance of the U.S.-Slovenian bilateral 
relationship and thank Slovenia for the contributions it has made to 
ISAF and NATO operations.  Slovenia is in the midst of determining 
its future role on the international stage as it prepares a 
newly-updated foreign policy strategy.  We would like to see 
Slovenia actively assist with Afghanistan's stabilization and 
reconstruction efforts, take a stronger leadership role in assisting 
the Western Balkans to further integrate into Euro-Atlantic 
institutions, and act as a force multiplier within the EU in 
addressing common security threats such as climate change, energy 
security and Iran's nuclear program.  We also see climate and energy 
as two areas where U.S. companies may be able to provide 
cost-effective, "green" solutions for Slovenia.  Your meetings will 
help us reinforce our message that Slovenia must not only follow 
through with the Alliance commitments it has made to date, but also 
continue to look beyond its borders to address the most pressing 
issues in southeast Europe and beyond if it is to receive the 
recognition it seeks. 
 
OVERVIEW OF SLOVENIA 
 
¶2. (U) Slovenia has a great story to tell.  In the relatively short 
time since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia has 
instituted a vibrant, stable, multi-party, democratic political 
system characterized by regular elections, a free press, and an 
excellent human rights record.   Slovenia has the highest per capita 
GDP of any post-communist country and was the first country in 
Central and Eastern Europe to adopt the Euro.  As a member of the 
Schengen zone of borderless travel, it takes seriously its role in 
ensuring the security of Europe's -- and ultimately the United 
States' -- borders. 
 
¶3. (U) Diplomatically-speaking, this country of only two million is 
boxing above its weight.   Slovenia was the first of the twelve new 
members of the European Union to take on the organization's 
presidency, a role that can be challenging even for much larger 
countries.  In the short time since its independence, Slovenia 
served as the Chairman-in-Office of the Council of Europe (May-Nov 
2009), President of the European Council (Jan-June 2008), 
Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation 
in Europe (OSCE, 2005), and Chairman of the International Atomic 
Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors (2006-2007).  Slovenia is 
slated to continue its visible EU role as it prepares to host the 
European Union's new Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators 
(ACER) in Ljubljana. 
 
YOUR MEETINGS 
 
¶4. (SBU) While you are in Slovenia, you will meet with President 
Danilo Turk, Prime Minister Pahor, Foreign Minister Samuel Zbogar 
and, most likely, Defense Minister Ljubica Jelusic.  You may also 
have the opportunity to meet opposition leader Janez Jansa.  Our 
interlocutors are very much looking forward to your visit, which 
will be the first Congressional Delegation to visit Slovenia since 
the election of President Obama, and the first since the Pahor 
government came to power in November 2008. 
 
¶5. (SBU) President Turk is nominally independent, but comes from the 
political Left.  He is held in high esteem by the Slovene public and 
consistently polls as the most-liked politician in Slovenia.  His 
many years of experience in the United Nations have strongly 
influenced his views on human security issues, the international 
mission in Afghanistan, and the Middle East peace process.  Borut 
Pahor, Slovenia's current Prime Minister, leads a coalition of 
center-left parties that holds a simple majority in Parliament. 
Pahor is well-disposed to the United States and is a frank 
interlocutor.  Foreign Minister Zbogar is a career diplomat who 
spent several years in the UN with Turk and served as Slovenia's 
Ambassador to the United States from 2004-2008.   Ljubica Jelusic, 
Slovenia's Minister of Defense, is a pragmatic and forward-looking 
leader who greatly values our assistance in the ongoing 
transformation of the Slovene Armed Forces.  Finally, former Prime 
Minister and vocal opposition leader Janez Jansa remains a powerful 
player in Slovene politics.  His center-right party challenges 
Pahor's coalition and its policies at every turn, including with 
regard to the arbitration agreement set to resolve the long-standing 
border dispute with Croatia. 
 
LJUBLJANA 00000036  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
THE U.S.-SLOVENIA BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP 
A PARTNER IN THE WESTERN BALKANS: SLOVENIA'S "ADDED VALUE" 
 
¶6. (SBU) Since Slovenia's declaration of independence in 1991, the 
United States and Slovenia have developed a strong bilateral 
relationship based on a consistent record of cooperation on regional 
issues.  We have worked closely with the Slovenes to resolve most of 
the succession issues stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia. 
Slovenia provided invaluable assistance to the United States and 
NATO by facilitating deployment of the Implementation Force (IFOR) 
and subsequently Stabilization Force (SFOR) to Bosnia after the 
conclusion of the Dayton Accords.  With strong U.S. support, 
Slovenia developed the International Trust Fund for Demining and 
Mine-Victim Assistance (ITF) as the demining instrument of choice in 
the Balkans.  Congress has appropriated $126 million to support the 
work of the ITF, including $12.2 million for 2009.  ITF seeks to 
expand its operations beyond the region, but it is not currently 
authorized to use U.S. funds outside the area of its original 
mandate. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Slovenia sees eye-to-eye with the United States on nearly 
all issues relating to the Western Balkans and offers us a good 
partner in promoting transatlantic priorities in the region.  The 
one major stumbling block -- the Slovenia-Croatia border dispute -- 
appears to be on its way to resolution now that the Prime Ministers 
of the two countries signed an agreement to send the dispute to 
arbitration.  Slovenia's Constitutional Court is currently reviewing 
the agreement before Parliament will consider ratification. 
However, former PM Jansa's opposition to the agreement presents a 
real threat to ratification.  In the meantime, Croatia's EU 
accession negotiations continue in Brussels.  The Prime Ministers of 
Slovenia and Croatia agreed in January to establish a joint 
commission to review and propose solutions for outstanding problems 
related to the remaining negotiation "chapters" -- namely fisheries, 
environment and foreign relations.   It is our understanding that 
progress is being made on these chapters.  You should encourage the 
Slovenes to allow the opening of the remaining chapters as soon as 
possible. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Slovenia's strong political, economic, historical, and 
people-to-people ties with the region give Ljubljana a unique 
perspective into the problems of the Western Balkans.  Slovenian 
experts and government officials provide training in the areas of 
legislation, democracy building and organization of key state 
institutions, and Slovenian ministries have cooperated closely on a 
technical level with their counterparts in the region.  In addition 
to official links, Slovenia has a complex web of connections with 
the Western Balkans through NGOs, business and trade.  Recent 
figures indicate that 67% of Slovenian direct investment is in the 
Western Balkans. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Slovenia sees the prospect of EU and NATO membership not 
only as a stabilizing factor in the Western Balkans, but also as a 
key engine for reform, particularly in Sarajevo.  Foreign Minister 
Zbogar, whom you will meet, recently assessed that Slovenia enjoys 
excellent relations with countries in the region based on mutual 
trust and equal partnership.  The FM noted Ljubljana's policy is to 
apply a consistent and impartial approach to all countries in the 
Western Balkans, and in particular, to places where there may be 
fundamental disagreements such as Serbia and Kosovo.  Because Bosnia 
and Herzegovina (BiH) forms a major focal point for Slovenia's 
overall foreign policy, the Slovenes offer us a good partner as we 
work to help the Bosnians reform their constitution.  The same can 
be said of Slovenia's relations with Serbia and Kosovo.  You should 
encourage the Slovenes to use these close ties to help bridge the 
divides among Bosnians, and between Kosovars and Serbs. 
 
SLOVENIA'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO NATO, ISAF 
 
¶10. (SBU) Slovenia's military has taken great strides in a short 
time to become a professional force which is equipped and eager to 
contribute to the collective security of the NATO Alliance.  Slovene 
contributions are of high quality even if quantity in absolute terms 
is not large.  U.S. and multinational commanders have repeatedly 
praised Slovene soldiers for their professionalism.  As of January 
2010, the Slovene Armed Forces (SAF) include approximately 7,600 
soldiers and 1,700 reservists.  In addition to a deployable reaction 
force (one brigade), the SAF has a small air force and naval 
detachment.   Slovenia has more than 500 soldiers (almost seven 
percent of its forces) deployed abroad in international missions, 
serving in places such as Kosovo, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Bosnia. 
The United States provides bilateral military assistance primarily 
through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) 
program, Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, and a state 
partnership program with the Colorado National Guard. 
 
 
LJUBLJANA 00000036  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶11. (SBU) Slovenia currently has two platoons (69 soldiers) deployed 
with the Italians in Herat on a tightly-caveated force protection 
mission.  Slovenia has not suffered a single casualty in Afghanistan 
to date.   In a major step forward, the Government of Slovenia (GOS) 
approved late last year the deployment of an Operational Mentoring 
and Liaison Team (OMLT) to Herat with no functional caveats.   This 
was a difficult political move for Prime Minister Pahor, as he faced 
-- and still faces -- strong opposition to Slovene involvement in 
Afghanistan not only from a skeptical public, but from within his 
own coalition.  We are assisting Slovenia to prepare for the October 
deployment of the OMLT. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Defense Minister Jelusic's forward-leaning leadership on 
defense transformation has been undermined by crippling budget cuts 
even as the state's overall budget deficit has ballooned.  You 
should use your meetings with the Slovene leadership to highlight 
the importance of Slovenia's active involvement in NATO -- and the 
allocation of adequate resources -- not only to fulfill its 
responsibilities as a strong Alliance partner, but also to serve as 
a model for those countries in the Western Balkans seeking NATO 
membership. 
 
UNEXPLOITED ECONOMIC POTENTIAL 
 
¶13. (U) On the commercial and economic front, we are working closely 
with the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia and other 
organizations to promote trade with the United States and to improve 
the business climate for American companies.  Slovenia remains a 
largely overlooked market, though opportunities exist for exports 
and technology transfers in many sectors, such as renewable 
energies.  In addition, Slovenia's extensive web of commercial ties 
in the countries of the former Yugoslavia makes it a potential hub 
for Americans looking to do business in the Western Balkans.  The 
global economic downturn has been felt strongly in Slovenia, where 
60% to70% of GDP derives from exports, mostly to Germany and other 
EU members.  Government policies have prevented massive layoffs, but 
unemployment has nevertheless increased to roughly 10% according to 
Slovene government figures and the public budget deficit has 
ballooned to 5.5% of GDP in 2009, exceeding the 3% limit set in the 
European Union's Growth and Stability Pact. 
 
THE INEVITABLE QUESTION 
 
¶14. (SBU) You will undoubtedly be asked why there is no U.S. 
Ambassador in Ljubljana and when one will arrive.  The previous 
Ambassador departed when President Obama took office.  We take every 
opportunity to reassure Slovenians by both word and deed that our 
relationship remains strong.  Your visit and the message that a 
nomination -- though not yet a nominee -- is in the pipeline will 
reassure them. 
 
DOBRODOSLI AND WELCOME! 
 
¶15. (SBU) Slovenia has much to offer the international community if 
it continues to look beyond its borders to address the most pressing 
issues in southeast Europe, Afghanistan and globally.  We stand to 
benefit from Slovenia's unique perspective on the Balkans as we work 
together to address critical reforms in this region.  Your visit 
will help reassure the Slovenes that our ties are strong and 
Washington remains committed to a close and mutually beneficial 
bilateral relationship.  I look forward to welcoming you to Slovenia 
and briefing you upon your arrival. 
FREDEN