US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE1399

UNCLAS PRAGUE 001399 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR EUR/ACE TOM ADAMS AND LIANE DORSEY; USAID FOR 
EE/AA THOMAS MEFFORD, EE/ECA MARILYN SCHMIDT, AND PPC/SPP 
GARRET HARRIES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, EZ 
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: SOLIDLY ON BOARD WITH BELARUS 
ASSISTANCE COORDINATION 
 
REF: STATE 168836 
 
1.  (U)  SUMMARY.  The Czech MFA and its partner NGO People 
in Need (PIN) are strongly committed to democracy promotion 
in Belarus.  The GOCR and USG approaches to Belarus are fully 
aligned, and Czech MFA is actively engaged in molding EU 
policy on Belarus transition.   MFA has approved USD 18,000 
to support a public opinion poll project in Belarus, and 
seeks to support a joint Czech-Polish project for radio 
transmission into Belarus through financial and programmatic 
support in direct cooperation with PIN.  Both Czech MFA and 
PIN are dedicated to taking the Czech Republic,s &lessons 
learned8 based on its own transition to a democracy and 
actively marketing it across borders.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (SBU) Visiting USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for 
Europe and Eurasia Thomas Mefford, accompanied by visiting 
Czech Desk Officer and econoff, met September 26 with 
Gabriela Dlouha, MFA Director for the Office of Transition 
Promotion (TRANS) to discuss the Czech Republic,s roadmap as 
an emerging donor, with particular focus on Belarus.  Dlouha 
emphasized that TRANS is a critical part of the overall Czech 
development assistance system, and is directly linked to GOCR 
foreign policy objectives.  TRANS seeks to support Czech NGOs 
(among which PIN is its primary partner), in foreign 
countries, as well as in the development of Czech civil 
society, by encouraging these NGOs to seek an active role in 
public discourse on foreign policy.  Dlouha noted that while 
TRANS has a strong and clear vision of where it wants to take 
its mission, it faces a steep learning curve when it comes to 
program management and implementation.  Responding to Desk 
Officer,s inquiry about coordination with the EU, Dlouha 
said that GOCR will remain cognizant of Brussels, but also 
seeks to realize its own vision of democracy promotion and 
will try to influence EU policy to that end. 
 
3.  (U) Dlouha cited democracy promotion in Belarus as a key 
objective.  MFA plans to use radio broadcasts to advance 
democracy in Belarus, in conjunction with PIN and a Polish 
NGO, East European Democracy Institute.  MFA will also 
provide USD 18,000 to support a public opinion poll project 
in Belarus.  MFA plans to support the radio project via three 
avenues:  financial support, serving on the board of radio 
for Belarus, and programmatic contributions in cooperation 
with Czech Radio.  (She noted that GOCR successfully 
convinced the EU that the radio project tender should be for 
programs in Belarussian, not just Russian.)  PIN will supply 
pre-recorded radio programs, which the Poles will broadcast 
into Belarus.  The programs will feature prominent Czechs, 
such as Former President Vaclav Havel, expressing their views 
on the democratic process.  MFA also seeks to bring people 
from Belarus to the Czech Republic and transmit their stories 
over Czech Radio.  DAA Mefford commented that Belarus was an 
opportunity for GOCR to put TRANS on the map. 
 
4.  (U)  In a separate meeting on September 21, poloffs met 
with Simon Panek, Director of PIN, and Igor Blazevic, head of 
PIN,s Human Rights Section, to discuss the radio project and 
PIN,s ongoing efforts to promote democracy in Central Asia 
and the Middle East.  Panek said the EU has declined to fund 
the radio project because the Polish NGO has not existed for 
three years, a requirement for EU funds.  Panek also hinted 
that the tender for this project might have been written to 
favor Deutsche Welle.  In addition to the radio project, PIN 
also offered to provide as many as 10 trained and experienced 
local election monitors for upcoming elections in Belarus. 
Panek clarified that such assistance would need to be part of 
a larger monitoring effort led by others. 
 
5.  (U)  COMMENT:  Democracy promotion is one of few areas 
where GOCR is willing to stand tall and shape EU policy 
formation.  The USG should engage GOCR given this timely 
nexus between USG and GOCR foreign policy evolution embracing 
democracy promotion.  Post suggests State and USAID consider 
a coordinated approach to inform and engage the MFA (and 
through it, also PIN) -- whether through co-financing 
projects, co-sponsoring events, and/or shared country/policy 
assessments -- in our democracy promotion activities around 
the world, and particularly in this region.  Post Belarus 
assistance primary POC is Political Officer Sarah Peck. 
CABANISS