VZCZCXYZ0008
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHPG #0601 2521504
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081504Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0679
INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAMDA/MDA WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS PRAGUE 000601
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV EZ MARR MASS
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC: US-CZECH SUPPLEMENTAL SOFA DRAFT
COMPLETE
1.(U) Ambassador Jackson McDonald led an interagency team
through the 9th round of negotiations on the U.S-Czech
Supplemental Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) in Prague from
September 4 to 5, 2008. The Czechs opened the negotiations by
officially agreeing to our position on the tax exemptions for
U.S. defense contractors, contractor employees, and service
support activities. As a result, we were able to complete the
substantive negotiations on September 4. On September 5, both
sides reached agreement on the Czech-and English-language
versions of the SOFA and completed their respective final
reviews.
2. (U) First Deputy Minister of Defense Bartak will meet with
the Czech SOFA negotiators on Monday, September 8 to decide
when to submit the draft agreement to the cabinet for
approval. We expect the Czech Government to approve the text
on September 10 or 17, with a signing shortly thereafter. The
Czech Government has made no concrete decision about when to
send the SOFA and the Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement to
Parliament, although the Czechs remain committed to
completing the ratification process by the end of this year.
3.(U) Ambassador McDonald cleared on this cable.
Graber