US embassy cable - 05MINSK1384

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MINSK 001384 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR INR 
KIEV ALSO FOR USAID 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, PREL, BO 
SUBJECT: Belarusian TV Accuses U.S. Diplomats of Revolutionary 
Activities 
 
Refs: A) Minsk 1352, B) Minsk 1006, C) Minsk 1327 
 
1. (U) Summary:  Belarus' national television channel aired 
exposes on November 4 and 13 accusing U.S. intelligence 
agencies of using NGOs and the human rights/democracy 
campaign as covers for spreading revolutions around the 
world.  The hosts of the two programs proposed that Emboffs 
were participants in the campaign, which is the purpose of 
their trips to the outlying regions in Belarus.  One expose 
showed footage of Emboffs at their Grodno meetings allegedly 
giving instructions to the opposition on how propaganda and 
money should be used to remove the regime.  The host then 
accused Emboffs of violating diplomatic courtesy for failing 
to inform or meet with Grodno authorities and the press, 
although the program did show Pol Chief speaking to cameras 
in the mayor's office.  The second expose attacked all 
current and former Poloff staff with the same allegations, 
provided their names and pictures, and showed additional 
footage of Emboffs' in-country trips and events at the DCM's 
residence.  End Summary. 
 
Human Rights and Democracy: Covers For U.S. Spying 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
2. (U) On November 4, Belarus' state-controlled national 
television channel BT aired its daily program Post Scriptum, 
in which host Yuri Lednik accused U.S. intelligence agencies 
of supporting revolutions under the pretext of human rights 
and democratic development.  Lednik cited an October 
conference in Prague on human rights and insinuated that the 
conference's keynote speaker, former CIA Director James 
Woolsey, was a leader of this campaign and still working as 
an active CIA administrator.  Lednik accused the NGO Freedom 
House of being a cover for a U.S. operative group that is 
spreading the "Orange Plague" (revolution) around the world. 
According to Lednik, every alleged human rights allegation 
made by Americans must first be approved by U.S. "chekists" 
(Old Soviet term for operatives in Lenin's NKVD). 
Throughout Lednik's monologue, BT broadcasted photos of the 
Pentagon, the Statue of Liberty, and demonstrators holding 
American flags in the U.S.  Creepy Halloween music, similar 
to that heard during horror movie knife scenes, continued in 
the background during Lednik's speech. 
 
3. (SBU) Lednik opined that the U.S. could never stop 
fighting wars and was at a loss when the Cold War ended. 
However, the U.S. was now involved in a battle for 
"democracy" and instead of using bombs and tanks, it uses 
ideology and propaganda as weapons.  According to Lednik, 
close friends of the White House are creating a number of 
radio stations within the U.S. that are spreading the 
administration's propaganda.  [Comment:  Accompanying this 
last statement BT showed footage of liberal radio 
commentator Al Franken speaking on his radio show, 
insinuating that he was helping the Bush administration 
spread its ideology.  Yet another example of BT's poor 
understanding of who is who in the U.S.] 
 
U.S. Diplomats Involved in the Conspiracy 
----------------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) Speaking about American chekists at work, Lednik 
referred to Emboffs' October 25 visit to Grodno (ref A), a 
large city located near the border between Belarus and 
Poland, and claimed it was an inspection rather than a 
diplomatic visit.  Lednik, who showed footage of Pol/Econ 
Chief and Poloff and gave their names and titles, accused 
the diplomats of gathering information from radical 
opposition nationalists and opposition media.  Video footage 
showed Emboffs and the Embassy vehicle in a parking lot and 
entering meetings.  Some footage appeared to be secretly 
shot from an office building across from a restaurant where 
Emboffs were meeting Union of Belarusian Pole activists. 
 
5. (U) Lednik reported that the Grodno trip was not the 
Poloff's first inspection trip outside of Minsk.  Referring 
to an August trip to Gomel in which Poloff was detained (ref 
B), Lednik claimed that Poloff had closed conversations with 
Gomel's active opposition members at a private apartment. 
The opposition activists received instructions from the 
diplomat and one activist subsequently quit his job and 
joined a rival political party.  According to Lednik, it is 
essential for the opposition to follow the directions given 
by their "supreme commanders."  [Note: This segment was 
accompanied by footage of Poloff and a locally employed 
staff member leaving the apartment following their police 
detainment.] 
 
MINSK 00001384  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
6. (U) Lednik called Emboffs' failure to inform local 
authorities about their visit or meet with the regional 
administration a blatant disrespect of diplomatic courtesy. 
Lednik wondered what the USG would think if Belarusian 
diplomats met with separatists in Texas without informing 
the authorities.  Belarusian diplomats, according to Lednik, 
would be accused of violating the sovereignty of the U.S., 
but American diplomats think they can do whatever they want 
in Belarus. [Note: Emboffs did meet with the mayor of Grodno 
and the head of the city's Council of Deputies.  The mayor 
told Emboffs during the private meeting that it was not 
necessary for diplomats to call on local officials every 
time they visit his city.] 
 
7. (U) Lednik opined that Emboffs were unable to gather 
objective information from the opposition in Grodno since it 
was all one-sided, distorted, and full of rumors and lies. 
Unfortunately, according to Lednik, diplomats base their 
reports on such information.  The American diplomats were 
interested only in propaganda work and the influence of the 
opposition on the population in the region.  The Embassy 
could have asked the opposition activists to come to Minsk, 
but the diplomats did not want to be fooled with all the 
receipts, checks, and reports to prove that their money had 
been properly spent on "fighting the dictatorship." 
Instead, Emboffs want to control the expenses and traveled 
to Grodno to see first hand how American taxpayers' money 
was being spent. 
 
8. (SBU) The diplomats allegedly arrived to find out about 
the membership and political parties' structure, but Lednik 
pointed out that all information on parties was available at 
the Ministry of Justice.  According to Lednik, the American 
diplomats in Grodno had something else in mind.  [Note: At 
this point, BT showed stock footage of a large protest in 
Minsk that took place several years ago in which 
demonstrators threw rocks and concrete at the police.  BT 
and other state media channels often show this footage when 
speaking about the instability of a revolution.]  Lednik 
opined that American diplomats are trying to replace the 
legal Belarusian government with an easily controllable 
regime that would be beneficial to the U.S.  Hence, 
Americans are in search of people who will implement their 
ideas.  Lednik concluded that the U.S. has tried to mobilize 
the youth, trade unions, and ethnic minorities for this 
purpose, but have thus far failed. 
 
Who is Who in the Pol Section 
----------------------------- 
 
9. (U) The November 13 expose on BT's Center of Attention 
similarly accused U.S. diplomats in Belarus of inappropriate 
conduct by "hiding behind opposition doors" and not speaking 
with state authorities.  The opposition, according to host 
Yuri Prokopov, presents diplomats "one-sided" and "false" 
information whereas the government authorities are willing 
to give the diplomats "real" and current information. 
 
10. (U) Prokopov criticized the Human Rights Report for 
portraying Belarus negatively and ignoring Belarus 
achievements in combating human and drug trafficking, its 
successful cross-border cooperation, and stable economy. 
Prokopov claimed this "one-sided" information stems from 
Emboff trips similar to the ones to Gomel, Slutsk (ref C) 
and Grodno. [Note: Prokopov's program showed various footage 
and gave the names of some former and all current Poloffs, 
the DCM, and Ambassador.]  At one point, Prokopov called one 
Poloff an "amateur, or a professional in non-traditional 
tourism" because he is reportedly the Embassy employee who 
most actively engages in "secret" meetings with opposition 
members in private apartments. 
 
11. (U) Prokopov called diplomatic meetings with the 
opposition in private apartments a "dirty" tradition 
introduced by a former PAS officer (name and footage shown) 
and is now "practiced" at the DCM's residence. [Note: 
Accompanying footage showed PAS and Pol personnel and guests 
entering the DCM's residence for a cocktail party.] 
Prokopov, similar to Lednik, concluded that the main reason 
for these meetings is to overthrow Belarusian government and 
install an easily controllable regime. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 
MINSK 00001384  003 OF 003 
 
 
12. (SBU) These exposes are just the latest, but most 
hostile, in a series of attacks against the Embassy.  In 
October, a Gomel newspaper article published an article 
alleging that all Emboff trips to Gomel are covers for 
espionage and listed most of the trips Emboffs have made to 
the city in the last year.  The TV news reports 
unambiguously and aggressively accuse Embassy personnel of 
espionage and revolutionary activities.  Like previous news 
stories, the journalists have distorted Embassy statements 
and Emboff footage to create a controversial story.  Lednik, 
for example, claimed Emboffs would not speak to reporters or 
meet with the Grodno authorities, but the footage they aired 
showed Pol Chief speaking to their cameras inside the 
mayor's office (although his statements were muted and no 
footage of the mayor was used).  Prokopov's sensational 
story did not introduce new allegations, but introduced a 
larger spectrum of Embassy personnel while providing names 
and pictures.  The hostile "news" coverage serves to further 
distort the view the Belarusian public has of USG intentions 
and activities in Belarus, further obstructing our public 
diplomacy efforts.  Furthermore the aggressive camera work 
seeks to intimidate Embassy contacts and complicate routine 
Embassy field travel. 
 
13. (SBU) Comment Cont'd:  The deputy BKGB director has made 
comments that claim the U.S. has plans to intervene in 
Belarus.  The Embassy has taken up these reports with the 
Belarusian MFA and even sent a diplomatic note in protest. 
The MFA reported that they have spoken with the Ministry of 
Information (MoI) to caution journalists about interfering 
with diplomatic work, but has not answered our diplomatic 
protest.  Furthermore, the MFA contends that the MoI cannot 
control the work of these "journalists."  We continue to 
provide our responses in Embassy statements and press 
conferences, but the state controlled media refuses to air 
or print these statements, which are noted only in the small 
independent media. 
 
KROL