VZCZCXRO0719
OO RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPG #0823/01 1931353
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 121353Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9349
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1894
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAMDA/MDA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PRAGUE 000823
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/NCE, EUR/PPD, EUR/FO, PA, PM, ISN, P STAFF, R STAFF
SECDEF FOR DASD GREEN
MDA FOR O'REILLY, MORGAN, ENGLANDER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV MASS MARR EZ
SUBJECT: CZECHS DELIVER WISH LIST FOR MISSILE DEFENSE PUBLIC
OUTREACH
REF: PRAGUE 802
PRAGUE 591
1. (SBU) Summary and comment: Government Coordinator for
Communication of Missile Defense Program Tomas Klvana delivered a
"wish list" of proposed ballistic missile defense (BMD) public
diplomacy activities to the Embassy July 11. This list resulted
from Klvana's consultations in Washington June 25-29 and includes
recommendations for high-level U.S. visits to the Czech Republic as
well as Czech official and press visits to Kwajelein Atoll and other
MDA facilities. Klvana requested the Embassy pass the list to
Washington.
2. (SBU) Klvana's consultations in Washington and attached "wish
list," indicate that our Czech counterparts are starting to give
needed attention to a structured, long-term public diplomacy effort.
Although Klvana has yet to develop a comprehensive public diplomacy
plan, in response to Post advice he has quickly identified events
that would require support from Washington. The Czech government and
Post agree that educating independent experts and opposition leaders
about missile defense is important to overcome local opposition to
BMD. A further positive development is the Czech offer to fund a
significant portion of trip expenses. Post recommends supporting
the Czech public diplomacy plan. End summary and comment.
3. (SBU) The text of the Czech proposed BMD public outreach
activities follows.
State Department
----- ----------
A. Official visit of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Nicholas Burns as keynote speaker for Czech-Polish -US-NATO
Conference
--Theme: NATO Dimension of Missile Defense
--Timing: second half of January 2008
--Invitations will also go to: NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, U.S. Ambassador to
NATO Victoria Nuland, Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar;
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski. The event will
be live broadcast on Czech TV 24.
--Additional Program for Under Secretary Burns:
- Exclusive interview for Czech daily newspaper Hospodarske noviny
in Washington prior to visit to the Czech Republic
- Interview for Czech TV
- Visit of local mayors in Misov
- Lecture in the Senate of the Parliament of the CR on the issue of
US - Europe Relations
- Breakfast with members of Harvard Club
B. Official visit of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Europe and Eurasia Kurt Volker to the Czech Republic
--Timing: second half of October 2007
--Program: Panel Discussion on a theme of Political Dimension of
Missile Defense Program organized and sponsored by Czech Euro
Atlantic Council, Czech NGO
--Participants: approximately forty Czech experts invited by the
organizers
--Media: Interviews for regional media, Czech newspaper Mf
Dnes, Czech News Agency
Department of Defense/OSD
---------- -- -----------
C. Official visit of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Strategic Capabilities Brian R. Green to the Czech Republic
--Timing: late November 2007
--Program:
- A day visit to the region - meeting local mayors in
Misov, the closest village to the planning location of
radar
- Regional media availability in Pribram
- Panel discussion with Czech experts and students taking
place at Western Bohemia University in Pilsen, organized by
Program for Security Studies Institute, Czech NGO
- Interview for Czech TV
A visit of Mr. Volker or Mr. Green to the Czech Republic can be
linked with a prospective official state visit of Defense Secretary
PRAGUE 00000823 002 OF 003
Robert Gates in autumn 2007.
Missile Defense Agency
------- ------- ------
D. Visit of Czech experts to U.S. Missile Defense radar base in
Kwajalein to conduct independent measurements
-- Timing: first half/second half of September 2007 (sooner is
better)
--Participants of the visit: Czech Chief Hygiene Officer Michael
Vit, Faculty of Military Health Sciences in Hradec Kralove Peter
Bednarcik and two independent experts, one from the Charles
University and one from Masaryk University
--Funding: The visit will be paid by the Czech Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
E. Two-day visit of MDA Deputy for International Affairs Nancy E.
Morgan and Chief Engineer Keith L. Englander to the Czech Republic
We would highly recommend postponing a planed August visit to the
Czech Republic to September 25 - 26, 2007. The reason is that a
parliamentary session August 13 - 20, 2007 will be an emergency
meeting focusing only on a debate about a reform of public finances.
There are usually committees sessions taking place prior to the
parliamentary sessions but it seems that this time only budgetary
committee is planning to meet. Therefore we would suggest coming to
Prague in a time of the first regular parliamentary meeting starting
September 24, 2007.
--Timing: September 25 - 26, 2007
--Program:
- September 25: Seminar in the Chamber of Deputies for MPs and an
interview on Czech TV's main news program
- September 26: Presentation by Nancy Morgan and Keith Englander at
a panel of experts, moderated by Tomas Klvana. The event will be
organized by Association for International Affairs and open to
public and media. Also visit Misov, the closest village to the
planned location of the radar to meet local mayors and make a
presentation for them. Available to meet local media
F. Visit of MDA Deputy Director Brigadier General Patrick J.
O4Reilly to the Czech Republic
--Timing: September 13 - 15, 2007
--Program:
- Exclusive interview for Czech daily newspaper Hospodarske Noviny
in Washington, prior to visiting the Czech Republic
- September 13: Interview for Czech TV
- September 14: Presentation and Q by BG O'Reilly at a public
lecture in Ostrava hosted by regional governor Evzen Tosenovsky.
Available for regional media
- September 15: Short speech by BG O4Reilly during the opening
ceremony of NATO Day taking place at Mosnov airport. Meet with the
public at the airport and photo pool with Romas Sebrle, a very
famous Czech decathlete and winner of several World Championships
and Olympic Games, who is also a Czech soldier
G. Group of Czech journalists visit Colorado Command Center
--Timing: roughly mid October 2007
--Participants of the visit: Journalists from the biggest and most
influential Czech media (Czech TV, Hospodarske noviny, Czech Radio,
Czech News Agency, Mlada Fronta Dnes), plus two experts - one from
Czech Euro Atlantic Council and one from Masaryk University in Brno
--Funding: Paid for by the media (except accommodation - would it be
possible to accommodate them in the Centre?) and travel costs for
experts covered by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs
H. Group of Czech regional journalists visiting radar in Kwajalein
--Timing: first half of November
--Participants of the visit: Regional journalists and TV Nova
(commercial TV), and two experts - one from Prague Security Studies
Institute (Czech NGO) and the second from the Charles University
--Funding: Paid for by the media (except for accommodation) and
travel costs for experts covered by the Czech Ministry of Foreign
Affairs
I. Group of Czech Members of the Parliament visiting US Missile
Defense radar base in Kwajalein
PRAGUE 00000823 003 OF 003
--Timing: second half of November 2007
--Participants: MPs from Green party, MPs and senator from the
opposition - Social Democrats, Tomas Klvana
--Funding: Paid for by the Czech Parliament and the Czech Office of
the Government
GRABER