US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE827

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000827 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE, EB/OIA, L AND WHA/CAN 
STATE PASS USTR FOR LERRION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EINV, KIDE, EZ, USTR 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON ANDREW WEISS CASE DELIVERED, MFA 
REQUESTS RESPONSE TO LAST PROPOSAL ON BILATERAL INVESTMENT 
TREATY 
 
REF: STATE 92894 
 
1.  On May 26 we delivered the points transmitted reftel, 
regarding the case of Andrew Weiss, to the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs.  Present at the meeting were Jan Maisler of 
the MFA's Americas Department, Milan Kuchta, head of the 
non-European Countries office of the Department of Bilateral 
Economic Relations and Petr Matousek, of the International 
Law Department.  The three officials agreed that the MFA has 
little influence over the course of the dispute, and 
suggested contacting the Ministries of Finance or Justice 
regarding the issues raised.  We will make arrangements for 
meetings with appropriate officials in those ministries. 
 
2.  Kuchta reminded us that the Czech Embassy in Washington 
delivered a revised proposal for amending the Bilateral 
Investment Treaty (BIT) to the Department in March.  No 
response from the U.S. side has as yet been received, and the 
Ministry of Finance would like to receive one.  Kuchta said 
that the Ministry of Finance is interested in meeting with 
the U.S. side sometime this fall to continue discussions.  In 
June or July it will propose some dates.  Matousek added that 
the Czech Republic is discussing the Czech-Canadian BIT with 
the Government of Canada.  He said that, similarly to the 
U.S. BIT, there are issues of inconsistency with EU law (that 
in the U.S. case were addressed by last year's U.S.-EU 
negotiations) and bilateral issues of indirect investment and 
arbitration rules that the Czech Republic wants to resolve. 
HILLAS