US embassy cable - 05WARSAW3423

C O N F I D E N T I A L WARSAW 003423 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, BO, UP, PL, Poland-Belarus 
SUBJECT: POLISH NSA REQUESTS MEETING ON BELARUS 
 
REF: WARSAW 3387 
 
Classified By: DCM Kenneth Hillas, reasons 1.4b,d 
 
1. (C) Following up on reftel conversations concerning our 
interest in close coordination with Poland on Belarus, Polish 
National Security Advisor Jerzy Bahr has requested a meeting 
with the Ambassador in advance of a planned September 29 
meeting in Kiev with Bahr's Belarusian counterpart.  The 
Ambassador will meet with Bahr September 27 to review Bahr's 
approach to his meeting with Belarusian Security Council 
Secretary Neviglas and Ukrainian FM Tarasyuk.  Although we 
 
SIPDIS 
expect that Poles will maintain their red lines on meetings 
with high-ranking Belarusian officials, especially 
Lukashenko, we will use this meeting to underscore U.S. 
concerns about potentially unhelpful initiatives. This 
conversation may be particularly valuable given reported 
Ukrainian efforts (reftel) to encourage a more 
forward-leaning approach toward contacts with Lukashenko. 
 
2. (C) Unless otherwise instructed, the Ambassador will raise 
the following points with Bahr. 
 
-- We appreciate your interest in speaking with us in advance 
of your meeting with your Belarusian counterpart in Kiev. 
Close coordination has been critical to the progress we have 
achieved in promoting democracy elsewhere, and should be the 
cornerstone of our efforts in Belarus. 
 
-- As you know, we believe that meetings with senior 
Belarusian officials, particularly with Belarusian President 
Lukashenko, would undermine our joint efforts to promote 
democracy in Belarus and would only serve to give legitimacy 
to this repressive regime.  We understand that some have been 
advocating opening such lines of communication, and we 
strongly encourage you to maintain your policy against 
high-level contacts. 
 
-- It is essential that the international community remain 
united and deliver the same message to the Belarusians, and 
deny the regime any opening to pick and choose among us. 
 
-- Similarly, we hope that we can continue to work closely 
together to coordinate assistance to promote democracy in 
Belarus, including support for political parties, civil 
society and independent media. 
 
-- (Depending on the outcome of September 23 donor 
coordination meeting in Brussels)  Among our shared 
priorities for assistance is the establishment of independent 
Belarusian external broadcasting.  We urge the Polish 
government to move quickly to help ensure that there is a 
Poland-based project to which we can all contribute funding 
and other resources. 
 
3. (U) End proposed points. 
Ashe