US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA25

UNCLAS BRATISLAVA 000025 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR OES, EUR/NCE, EUR/PPD, AND EUR/ACE 
AID FOR EEE AND OSDA 
AGRICULTURE PASS TO FOREST SERVICE 
EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, EAID, KPAO, AMGT, KSCA, LO 
SUBJECT:  LOCAL PERSPECTIVE ON FOREST DISASTER 
 
REF:  (A) 04 BRATISLAVA 1064, (B) 04 BRATISLAVA 1147 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
1. (U)  Summary.  On January 4, Econoff and FSN visited 
civic leaders in the Tatra region to discuss restoration and 
renewal efforts in the wake of the recent wind disaster that 
leveled 250 square kilometers of forest (reftel A).  Two of 
the leaders are also members of the GOS Commission 
established to coordinate cleanup and reconstruction 
efforts, which met for the first time on December 13 and 
will meet again on January 13.  All three leaders expressed 
dismay at NGO criticism of the Commission and were eager to 
participate in a potential Embassy-hosted DVC in which USG 
experts could share their experience in areas related to 
rebuilding destroyed forests.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU)  Jan Mokos, Mayor of Vysoke Tatry, Michal Sykora, 
Mayor of Strba and chairman of the regional association of 
towns and villages, and Milan Baran, City Manager of the 
District of Poprad, shared their ideas of the recovery 
effort with Econoff and FSN.  According to Mokos and Baran, 
members of the Commission, the GOS is just beginning its 
work and expects to engineer long-term results.  In its 
first official meeting in December, four working groups were 
created and assigned to specific duties.  First, the 
Ministries of Environment, Economy, Agriculture, and local 
governments were tasked with forging a consensus on what to 
do with the fallen timber, while considering an assessment 
of how much is salvageable, how much to remove, and how much 
to leave on the ground.  Mokos asserted that environmental 
groups want most of the wood to be left alone, citing 
potential flooding problems upon removal, while those with 
financial interests want simply to sell as much as possible. 
The local governments would like to at least remove the 
fallen trees lying within 100 meters of towns in order to 
reduce potential fire and insect problems.  A second group 
within the Commission was asked to design a secure program 
to handle any wood that is to be removed.  A third was 
charged with outlining a sustainable redevelopment plan that 
would eventually be handed over to an NGO for 
implementation.  Finally, a fourth group led by the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs was to calculate the final damages and 
work toward accessing EU funds to aid the recovery.  At the 
next meeting on January 13, each group will provide an 
update and, if possible, start to make specific 
recommendations. 
 
3. (U)  All three local leaders showed little regard for the 
criticism leveled at the Commission from environmental NGOs 
(reftel B).  Baran pointed out that these NGOs are based in 
the Bratislava and have not even visited the region or met 
with regional officials to consider local opinions.  Mokos 
averred that the Commission has attempted to be as 
transparent as possible by being open to media interviews, 
allowing all voices to be considered, and consulting with 
forestry and environmental professionals.  In addition, 
local NGOs are already active in coordinating relief funds, 
assessing damages, and performing impact studies. 
 
4. (SBU)  The local leaders were enthusiastic about the USG 
sharing its expertise during the recovery process.  Mokos 
specifically requested assistance on economic development in 
environmentally sensitive lands.  The Commission is 
attempting to strike the right balance between maintaining a 
healthy forest and creating a sustainable, tourist based 
economy.  Mokos suggested that a DVC on the topic would be 
appreciated but requested that, for public relations 
purposes, post make the suggestion directly to Prime 
Minister Mikulas Dzurinda.  Mokos additionally solicited a 
DVC on how to handle public relations after a disaster so 
that the GOS can better communicate with the media, the 
public, and NGOs.  Baran further expressed interest in 
sharing information about complex emergency warning systems 
as well as forest search and rescue procedures. 
 
5.  (U)   After clarification of the topic and participants, 
post will send a formal request through the usual channels 
for one or more DVCs. 
 
THAYER 
 
 
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