US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE1132

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001132 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR R AND EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, ASEC, EZ 
SUBJECT: RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY ANNOUNCES CONTRACT 
FOR NEW HEADQUARTERS 
 
 
1.  (U) On July 28, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) 
announced that it had signed a contract with a local 
developer to build a new, more secure headquarters building 
for its approximately 600 employees.  The signing of the 
build-to-lease contract marked the end of a long process, 
begun after the September 11 attacks, to relocate the radios 
from their current, highly vulnerable headquarters building 
in downtown Prague.  GOCR officials, including the Mayor of 
Prague Pavel Bem and Foreign Minister Svoboda (whom the 
Ambassador contacted in advance with the good news), 
expressed great satisfaction with this significant step 
forward.  The GOCR has been very supportive of keeping the 
radios in Prague, albeit at a more secure location, and has 
already transferred a donation for the move (of approximately 
$1.2 million) to an escrow account in Washington.  The Czech 
Ambassador to Washington is expected to release the money 
upon confirmation that the lease is formally signed. 
 
2.  (U) RFE/RL issued a news release announcing the signing 
of the contract, as did Orco, the developer selected to build 
the new headquarters in the Prague 10 district.  News 
coverage was generally straightforward and positive in all 
news outlets.  The radios plan to host a media event 
celebrating the new contract on September 12, in conjunction 
with a planned celebration commemorating their 10 years in 
Prague.  Important past and present GOCR officials (including 
former President Vaclav Havel, who was responsible for 
bringing the radios to Prague in 1995) and the Ambassador are 
expected to attend. 
 
Visit Prague's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/prague/index. cfm 
CABANISS