US embassy cable - 04BRATISLAVA965

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000965 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR AND WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, PREL, KDEM, VE, LO 
SUBJECT: SLOVAKIA WILL FOLLOW EU LEAD ON VENEZUELA HUMAN 
RIGHTS ISSUES 
 
REF: STATE 223273 
 
Sensitive - please protect accordingly 
 
1. (U) On October 20, Poloff delivered reftel points to 
Deputy Director of the Human Rights Department Peter Bircak. 
Bircak stated that the EU will discuss the issue of human 
rights in Venezuela next week at the Human Rights and 
Democracy Committee under the European Commission.  He 
offered to relay any relevant information about potential EU 
statements after the meeting. 
 
2. (SBU) Poloff pointed out that the Venezuelan NGO, SUMATE, 
was facing criminal charges due to cooperation with the 
National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which actively 
supported Slovak NGOs throughout the 1990s and in the 2002 
parliamentary election.  Bircak responded that the Human 
Rights Section of the Slovak MFA has traditionally focused 
on individual rights, i.e. discrimination and minority 
concerns, and has not played a large role in formulating EU 
human rights statements for countries outside the OSCE 
mandate.  One area in which the MFA acknowledges it should 
be more involved is election-related concerns worldwide. 
There is increasing domestic interest in exporting Slovak 
expertise in election observation and support for 
democratization. 
3. (SBU) Comment:  Slovakia does not have an embassy in 
Venezuela and does not have direct interests there.  Unlike 
human rights issues in Cuba -- where Slovakia has historical 
ties, an embassy, and an active policy to promote human 
rights (septel) -- Slovakia will follow the EU lead on what 
to do about Venezuela. 
 
THAYER 
 
 
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