US embassy cable - 05BRATISLAVA45

C O N F I D E N T I A L  BRATISLAVA 000045 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR WHA/CCA, G/TIP, EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/21/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, EU, CU, LO 
SUBJECT: PARLIAMENT LEADER PRINCIPLED ON CUBA, TIP 
 
 
Classified By: CDA Scott N. Thayer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky told 
Charge d'Affaires January 20 he would continue to make 
support for Cuban dissidents one of his personal priorities, 
and was discussing with Vaclav Havel nominating three 
dissidents for the Nobel Peace Prize.  He discussed the 
difficulties of reconciling a principled foreign policy with 
the need for EU consensus.  He asked about the Feb 23-24 
POTUS visit, and informed Charge that Russian President Putin 
had proposed speaking to Parliament during his bilateral 
visit to Slovakia.  Hrusovsky expressed his willingness to 
use tools available to Parliament to advance the TIP agenda. 
He accepted charge's offer of help in planning a spring 2005 
trip to the U.S.  End summary. 
 
2. (C) Charge d'affaires met with President of Parliament 
Pavol Hrusovsky on January 20 to discuss the upcoming POTUS 
visit, Slovakia's policy vis-a-vis Cuba, trafficking in 
persons, and Hrusovsky's pending visit to the U.S.  During 
the 90-minute meeting, the euro-sceptic Hrusovsky, also the 
Chairman of the Christian Democratic Movement, shared his 
thoughts on the struggle for Slovakia to sustain a moral 
foreign policy in the face of pressure for EU consensus. 
 
3. (C) Foremost on Hrusovsky's mind was the upcoming POTUS 
visit to Bratislava.  He informed Charge that Russian 
President Putin would likely give a speech to Parliament 
during Russian-Slovak bilateral portion of the visit.  Charge 
assured Hrusovsky that the U.S. was looking for ways to 
include him in the POTUS bilateral program, though time 
constraints were severe.  (Comment: Hrusovsky is a stubborn 
and proud leader.  We know from his advisors and other 
players in the government that he is offended that POTUS will 
not call on him at Parliament as is the norm in official 
visits to Slovakia, but he was gracious in making his case to 
us.) 
 
Nobel Prize Nomination for Cuban Dissidents 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4. (C) Hrusovsky said that he appreciated his January 14 
meeting with USAID's Adolfo Franco on Cuba, and that he and 
Franco saw eye-to-eye on the situation in Cuba.  Hrusovsky 
expressed frustration that the Slovak MFA was going along 
with the EU consensus to roll back the restrictive measures 
imposed on Cuba in 2003, and said he was requesting a meeting 
with Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan to urge him not to support 
this proposal at the January 31 GAERC.  He was especially 
concerned with the anti-American tone influencing the EU's 
Cuba policy.  Hrusovsky said he and former Czechoslovak 
president Vaclav Havel had discussed nominating three Cuban 
dissidents, including Oswaldo Paez whom Hrusovsky knows 
personally, for the Nobel Peace Prize.  Hrusovsky said that 
he is in close contact with the NGO Pontis Foundation on 
events in Cuba, and that it will be one of his priorities to 
convince the MFA and the Slovak cabinet to stand firm in 
support of dissidents. 
 
Will Slovakia be "Courageous" in the EU? 
---------------------------------------- 
 
5. (C) Hrusovsky's KDH party has not been shy about 
expressing its euro-scepticism.  The KDH was behind 
Slovakia's insistence that God be mentioned in the EU 
Constitution.  It authored legislation allowing Parliament to 
"direct" GOS positions in Brussels.  It remains strongly 
opposed to EU accession by a non-Christian country like 
Turkey.  KDH ministers have surprised their colleagues abroad 
and their coalition partners at home by standing alone 
against EU consensus on issues such as mutual recognition of 
same-sex unions.  CDA suggested that until spring 2003, 
policy formulation in Slovakia enjoyed consensus across the 
political spectrum because it was oriented toward the goals 
of NATO and EU accession.  Now, how would Slovakia define its 
priorities?  Hrusovsky pondered out loud whether Slovakia 
would be courageous enough to express its principles in an EU 
where consensus was the rule.  Using the case of Cuba policy, 
he asked, "Can we veto bigger countries' decisions?  Are our 
words about a strong trans-Atlantic link sincere?  Will 
disagreeing within the EU be damaging for Slovakia?  We must 
be careful not to lose the accomplishments of the last 12 
years (since Slovak independence)." 
 
TIP: Pass a Law, Ratify a Treaty, Call a Hearing 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
6. (C)  CDA raised trafficking in persons, expressing 
gratitude for measures that KDH ministers such as Daniel 
Lipsic (Justice) and Vladimir Palko (Interior) have taken to 
combat TIP.  He added that there are additional TIP-related 
 
issues outside their competence, such as in the fields of 
education and health, and that is why we are urging the GOS 
to adopt a national action plan and appoint a national TIP 
coordinator.  Hrusovsky said he did not have all the details 
on what the government is doing to combat TIP, but he was 
willing to be helpful in any way possible.  He said he would 
task Parliament's human rights committee to look into the 
issue, especially regarding any needed legislation or treaty 
ratification.  (Comment: There are no gaps in these areas, to 
our knowledge.)  He will also consider calling a hearing on 
TIP, in which the government would have to explain to 
Parliament the measures it is taking to combat TIP. 
 
7. (C) Finally, CDA offered the Embassy's services when 
Hrusovsky plans his trip to the U.S. in spring 2005. 
Hrusovsky thanked CDA for the offer and said he would 
appreciate advice, but after the February 24 POTUS visit. 
THAYER 
 
 
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