US embassy cable - 05LJUBLJANA593

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000593 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE, G/TIP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2015 
TAGS: ECON, PHUM, PREL, SI 
SUBJECT: CHARGE DISCUSSES IRAQ AND TIP WITH SLOVENE DG FOR 
MULTILATERAL AFFAIRS 
 
REF: LJUBLJANA 523 
 
Classified By: COM Thomas B. Robertson, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (C)  Summary. Stanislav Rascan, MFA Director General for 
Policy Planning and Multilateral Affairs requested a meeting 
with Charge to discuss Iraq and Trafficking in Persons.  On 
Iraq, Rascan specifically asked for USG assistance in 
promoting its International MBA program in Iraq.  The GOS has 
made available funding for five full-time Iraqi students to 
participate in a one year program.  Charge queried Rascan on 
GOS decisions about participating in the NATO Training 
Mission in Iraq, and Rascan said it was currently under 
active discussion and that the MFA, in fact, had prepared a 
supportive position paper for FM Dimitrij Rupel.  On TIP, 
Rascan explained some of the problems surrounding funding for 
the NGO Kljuc which has been the supplier of victims' 
services in the GOS anti-TIP program.  He was not able to say 
when, or even definitively if, funds would be made available 
for Kljuc in the near future. End Summary. 
 
2. (U)  On August 12, MFA Director General Stanislav Rascan 
invited Charge to the Foreign Ministry to discuss a 
management development program for executives from Iraq.  It 
would be held under the auspices of the International Center 
for Promotion of Enterprise (ICPE) located in Ljubljana.  The 
ICPE, a UN initiative, was established in 1974 as an 
intergovernmental organization of developing countries for 
improving the performance of their public enterprises as 
strategic instruments of economic and social development. 
Rascan said that his staff had approached the Iraqi mission 
in Vienna several times hoping to develop contacts that could 
identify suitable participants for this program, but so far 
they have had no success.  As the academic year begins in 
October, the GOS is anxious to identify participants as soon 
as possible.  Rascan said the money they have earmarked for 
these students could be configured in any number of ways, 
i.e. 10 students for six-month programs. 
 
3.  (C)  Charge asked Rascan if there had been any internal 
movement on the idea of participating in NTM-I.  Rascan said 
the idea was under active discussion within the Government. 
He also said that the MFA had prepared a discussion paper for 
the next government session on the topic and that they had 
put a positive spin on it.  Rascan indicated they were also 
working on a media strategy and said that if they get to the 
point where they will be rolling out what will surely be a 
controversial decision, they will look to the US for support. 
 
4.  (SBU)  Most likely in response to concern raised by Post 
over a news report that the NGO Kljuc still had not received 
promised funding from the GOS and thus was unable to provide 
services to trafficking victims, Rascan explained the 
obstacles currently facing the GOS.  It was nothing new.  He 
mentioned the budget delays which affected everyone 
negatively, though those were solved in June.  The most 
recent delay relates to a possible conflict of interest 
between the director of Kljuc and her husband who is a high 
ranking government official (reftel).  Rascan was unable to 
provide a time line for resolution of this conflict.  He was 
also unable to say how the GOS would meet its obligations, 
provided for in the national action plan for caring for 
trafficking victims, if Kljuc's doors were closed 
permanently. Post will be following up on this and other 
TIP-related questions. 
 
5.  Minimize considered. 
ROBERTSON 
 
 
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 2005LJUBLJ00593 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL 


 
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