US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE896

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000896 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/10/2015 
TAGS: PREL, CVIS, PINR, EAID, IZ, BK, EZ, EUN 
SUBJECT: CZECH DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER KOLAR ON IRAQ 
CONFERENCE, CUBA, AND BILATERAL RELATIONS 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 103222 
 
     B. PRAGUE 869 
 
Classified By: ECON OFFICER SAMSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  The Czech republic is promoting former Czech 
Ambassador to the US Alexandr Vondra to become the Special EU 
Representative to Bosnia, and has garnered the support of 
Slovakia and Poland.  The Czechs are presenting a proposal on 
the EU on dealings with Cuba which includes development of a 
fund for dissidents, limitations on high-level official 
travel to Cuba to just foreign ministers, and a reversion to 
past practice of inviting Cuban dissidents to national day 
receptions.  Kolar said that the Czechs expected to continue 
to provide Iraqi police training (now in Jordan and perhaps 
to move to the Czech Republic) and would follow-through on 
using development assistance budgeted for Iraq.  In a 
discussion about visas and the road map, Kolar was reminded 
that the process would be a long one and that it was 
important not to raise false public expectations.  Kolar 
stated that Paroubek's planned visit to NY in September would 
be a good opportunity for the PM to meet the President and to 
"balance out" Paroubek's recent visits to China and Russia, 
and would help keep Paroubek on course as a transatlantic 
partner. END SUMMARY 
 
IRAQ 
- - - 
 
2. (C) During a June 10 meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister 
for Bilateral Affairs (and future Czech Ambassador to the US) 
Petr Kolar, DCM raised ref A points on the upcoming 
US-EU-Iraq conference.  Kolar noted that FM Svoboda, who will 
lead the GOCR delegation, will not be announcing any new 
initiatives at the conference.  Kolar went on to summarize 
current Czech assistance to Iraq:  400 million Czech Crowns 
($16 million) of development funds for 2006 and 2007, 
including the extension of police training in Jordan, and 
likely new police training in the Czech Republic.  Kolar was 
pleased by the success story of training Iraqi diplomats in 
the Ministry's diplomatic academy, and they will likely offer 
this training again next year.  He gave assurances that they 
would follow-through in drawing upon these budgeted 
assistance funds. 
 
CUBA 
- - - 
 
3. (C) According to Kolar (protect), who was speaking off the 
record, a Czech diplomat was refused entry into Cuba several 
days earlier in apparent retaliation for Czech support of 
dissidents.  He said that continued strong support for the 
dissidents in Cuba remains a priority for the Czech 
government.  His forecast was that Cuba's public 
denouncements of the Czechs would strengthens public and 
governmental support for the Czech position.  Kolar (protect) 
complained of intense pressure from Spain, including a threat 
to withdraw support for a Czech seat on the UN Security 
Council in retaliation for the CR's continued hard-line 
approach against Cuba.  Kolar explained Czech goals for EU 
Cuba policy in the same terms provided earlier this week by 
the MFA Czech desk officer (ref B), including EU funding for 
dissidents, limiting high-level official travel to Cuba to 
foreign ministers, and inviting dissidents to national day 
celebrations. 
 
EU Special Rep for Bosnia 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
4. (C) Kolar discussed GOCR efforts to get former Czech 
Ambassador to the US Alexandr (Sasha) Vondra selected as 
Special EU Representative to Bosnia.  Kolar said that Poland 
and Slovakia had recently agreed to support Vondra's 
candidacy, but Hungary was opposed because it believes that 
this would endanger the Hungarian candidate for the Deputy 
Rep position.  If Vondra does not get the position in Bosnia, 
the Czechs may put him forward for the same job in Macedonia. 
 Kolar commented that the EU Special Rep competition with 
Hungary is a continuation of recent personnel rivalries with 
Hungary that have become a leitmotif, although Kolar was not 
specific. 
 
Visas -- a Long March 
- - - - - - - - - - - 
 
5. (C) DCM briefed Kolar on the recent meeting of the 
Bilateral Visa Working Group, which was very cordial and 
productive.  DCM stressed to Kolar that the focus needs to be 
on more than just the refusal rates and that the Road Map is 
a long-term effort.  Kolar took the opportunity to disavow 
MFA authorship of the recent European Parliament resolution 
critical of US visa policy toward the new EU members states. 
The invocation of the visa solidarity mechanism on May 26 
against Canada has stirred up action from the Canadians, who 
are sending representatives from their Foreign Affairs and 
Immigration office to meet on visa issues.  The Canadians are 
reportedly telling the Czechs that they are under pressure 
from the US not to eliminate the Canadian visa requirement 
for Czech tourists. 
 
MFA Keen on Paroubek Visit 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
6. (C) Kolar took the opportunity to underscore the utility 
of Prime Minister Paroubek meeting with the President on the 
margins of the September UN Five-Year Anniversary Millennium 
Summit or in Washington. DCM noted that there would be a 
crush of visitors at that time.  Kolar stated that he 
understood this, but stressed that Paroubek's recent visits 
to China and Russia need to be "balanced out" by a 
high-profile transatlantic meeting with the President. 
Deputy Secretary Zoellick's recent visit was important, but 
Kolar stated that it is not enough, as Gross was PM at that 
time. 
CABANISS