Cablegate: Libertas Recruits Respected Europarliament

VZCZCXRO2655
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHVL #0189 0981349
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 081349Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY VILNIUS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3413
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS VILNIUS 000189

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EUN LH
SUBJECT: LIBERTAS RECRUITS RESPECTED EUROPARLIAMENT
CANDIDATES IN LITHUANIA

REF: DUBLIN 099

1. Declan Ganley, founder of the Pan-European party Libertas,
on March 31 visited Vilnius for the second time in four weeks
and announced the first Lithuanian candidates to run for
European Parliament seats under the party's banner. Those
candidates included the top domestic-policy advisor to
President Adamkus, who resigned that job the next day, and a
well-connected business lawyer. The new and successful
National Revival Party may join forces with Libertas in
Lithuania.

2. The presidential advisor, Lauras Bielinis, said joining
with Libertas did not make him a Euroskeptic, but he demurred
when asked whether he personally supported the Lisbon Treaty,
saying -- to the astonishment of reporters -- that he had
never read it. Although Beilinis said at the press
conference with Ganley that he had discussed his candidacy
with President Adamkus, the president later said his
advisor's decision had surprised him, and Bielinis resigned
his job the following day. Lawyer Eugenija Sutkiene said her
goal was to keep her country from ceding more power. She
said Lithuanians do not want to receive laws from Brussels as
they did for so long from Moscow. Neither Bielinis nor
Sutkiene is associated with any Lithuanian political party.

3. Lithuanian Seimas (parliament) member Saulius Stoma, who
tops the National Revival Party's list for the June 7
European Parliament elections, also spoke at the Libertas
press conference. Although Ganley said discussions between
the two parties were not final, another Seimas member from
National Revival told us a few days earlier, "We have a deal
with Libertas" on the European Parliament elections.
National Revival was founded only in 2008, but is the
third-largest party in the Seimas and is one of four parties
forming the coalition government.

4. Libertas was not among 17 Lithuanian political parties to
submit party lists to the GOL's Justice Ministry by the April
2 deadline. Thus, the only way Libertas can participate in
the elections is by having its candidates listed among those
of one of the 17 parties, which include the National Revival
Party. Lithuania gets 12 European Parliament seats, all of
which are apportioned among those that receive at least 5
percent of the votes (for individual parties) or 7 percent
(for coalitions).
CLOUD

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