US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA462

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000462 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR R; PA; IIP/G/EUR; NEA/PD; EUR/PPD - 
MHARALAMBAKIS AND MHURLEY 
EMBASSIES FOR PAO 
PRAGUE, BUDAPEST AND WARSAW FOR AMBASSADOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PREL, LO, IZ 
SUBJECT:  GETTING THE GOOD NEWS OUT ON IRAQ 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: THE COUNTRY TEAM AND I HAVE FOUND, THROUGH 
OUR OUTREACH EFFORTS AROUND SLOVAKIA, THAT PEOPLE ARE 
NOT GETTING ENOUGH FACTUAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE 
    POSITIVE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COALITION'S EFFORTS IN 
IRAQ.  SLOVAK EDITORIAL OPINION HAS SO FAR REMAINED 
PREDOMINANTLY ON OUR SIDE.  ON THE OTHER HAND, PUBLIC 
OPINION, WHICH SUPPORTS WITHDRAWAL OF SLOVAK TROOPS 
FROM IRAQ, IS CAUSING POLITICAL LEADERS TO BEGIN TO ASK 
FOR DISCUSSIONS ON THIS ISSUE.  MUCH OF THIS PRESSURE 
IS BECAUSE THE NEWS MEDIA CONTAINS MOSTLY INFORMATION 
ON FIGHTING AND CASUALTIES AND NOT ON THE PROGRESS MADE 
IN REBUILDING IRAQ AND PREPARING IT FOR DEMOCRATIC SELF- 
RULE.  THEREFORE, PUBLIC IMPRESSIONS ARE THAT TROOPS 
ARE IN IRAQ TO FIGHT A WAR AND NOT TO STABILIZE THE 
COUNTRY FOR THE REBUILDING EFFORTS AND THE CREATION OF 
A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT.  THE RECENT ROUNDTABLES FOR 
CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS WITH SECRETARY POWELL AND 
SECRETARY RUMSFELD WERE ENORMOUSLY SUCCESSFUL IN 
 
SIPDIS 
GETTING FRONT-PAGE STORIES, BUT THE NUMBER OF THOSE 
OPPORTUNITIES IS LIMITED.  WE ARE LOOKING FOR MORE WAYS 
TO REACH A LARGER AUDIENCE, GIVEN THE RESOURCE 
LIMITATIONS OF OUR POST.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  MEMBERS OF COUNTRY TEAM AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE 
CERTAIN ADDITIONAL TOOLS THE DEPARTMENT COULD PROVIDE 
THAT WOULD BE OF ASSISTANCE TO US AND SIMILAR POSTS IN 
CENTRAL EUROPE AND ELSEWHERE: 
 
A)  MORE GENERIC OP-EDS FOR PLACEMENT UNDER THE 
AMBASSADOR'S NAME.  THE GENERAL CONSENSUS AMONG PEOPLE 
IN THE PUBLIC OPINION BUSINESS IS THAT ARTICLES BY THE 
U.S. AMBASSADOR ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE READ THAN 
ARTICLES BY A HIGHER-RANKING AMERICAN LEADER WITH NO 
LOCAL TIES. 

WE DO NOT HAVE THE STAFF OR RESOURCES TO WRITE OP-EDS 
FROM SCRATCH, AND IT SEEMS INEFFICIENT FOR EVERY POST 
TO BE WRITING ITS OWN.  WE WOULD MAKE GOOD USE OF MORE 
GENERIC OP-EDS THAT EXPLAIN THE COALITION MISSION AND 
THAT HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE "GOOD NEWS" ASPECTS THAT ARE 
NOT GETTING THROUGH IN DAILY NEWS STORIES. 
 
B) OFFICIAL SPEAKERS:  WE COULD MAKE GOOD USE OF 
OFFICIAL USG SPEAKERS WHO ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE 
FACTS ON THE GROUND IN IRAQ AND CAN REFUTE 
MISINFORMATION AND INCORRECT PERCEPTIONS.  WHAT WE NEED 
IS SPEAKERS WHO CAN PROVIDE VIVID EXAMPLES AND WHO 
WOULD MAKE GOOD GUESTS ON TELEVISION TALK SHOWS, GOOD 
INTERVIEW SUBJECTS FOR THE PRESS, AND GOOD SPEAKERS IN 
PUBLIC FORUMS.  A FEW WELL-CHOSEN SPEAKERS TRAVELING TO 
VARIOUS POSTS COULD MAKE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION. 
 
WHILE IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO SECURE PEOPLE THROUGH THE 
P.A. SPEAKERS PROGRAM, THAT PROGRAM RELIES ON SPEAKERS 
WHO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES AND NOT AS OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT 
SPOKESPERSONS.  WE HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES TO FUND 
SPEAKERS (OUR FY-04 FUNDS ARE ALREADY EXHAUSTED), AND 
SPEAKERS COULD BE BETTER UTILIZED IN THIS CASE BY 
VISITING MULTIPLE COUNTRIES. 
 
C)  DIGITAL VIDEO CONFERENCES ARE USUALLY DEMAND- 
DRIVEN, BUT IT COULD BE USEFUL TO TRY A SUPPLY-DRIVEN 
APPROACH.  FOR EXAMPLE, SOMEONE WITH A COMPELLING STORY 
TO TELL ABOUT THE REVIVAL OF THE HOSPITAL SECTOR IN 
IRAQ COULD BE OFFERED TO POSTS AS A DVC GUEST. 

3.  WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT IN 
ADDRESSING THIS PUBLIC INFORMATION ISSUE. 
 
THAYER 
 
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