DECLASSIFIED OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WASHINGTON D C 20301 2 11m 1391 MEMORANDUM FOR THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF STATE THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SUBJECT USDP Wolfowitz's Report on Trip to Prague Attached for information are copies of -- A report of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Paul Wolfowitz s trip to Prague April 24-26 1991 to participate in a conference on The Future of European Security and to meet with President Havel and Mo Dobrovsky -- Memoranda of conversations between USDP Wolfowitz and President Havel and MOD Dobrovsky Jo hn A Dubia Executive Secretary 9r W er I WW8 WWI ED USDP PAUL TRIP TO PRAGUE APRIL 2426 1991 MAJOR POINTS A CONFERENQE QN Eu QRE OF EUROPEAN The conterenoe was jointly sponsored by NATO SYG chmer and Czechoslovak FonMin Dienstbier Several speakers commented that such a conference would have been inconceivable two years ago President Havel presented welcoming remarks to Woemer most of the NATO Permreps the Foreign Ministers of four East European states Poland s Deputy the ltailan FonMin and civilian and military and academics from NATO and Eastem-Central European states DepFoann Kvitsinskiy and G Arbatov represented the USSR Conterenoespeakers focused on Eastern Europe - The East Europeans evinced pride In developments in their home countries The Czecho- slovak DepFon Min hoped that the political elements of the Warsaw Pact would be terminated this summer - Many East Europeans voiced concern over being isolated or perceived as a butler zone between NATO and the USSR Several said NATO and the presence ot U S troops in Europe contributed to security and stability on the Continent -- Western speakers emphasized that they were not lndifterent to the security of East Europeans While it was premature to give security assurances or membership In NATO they suggested principles to guide security relationships in Europe - Some Westerners mentioned negative assurances but it was not clear what exactly they had in mind Such assurances could mean unwelcome restrictions on the East Europeans - Arbatov who noted the Importance of Soviet conservative views spoke of an imbalance resulting from the demise ot the Warsaw Pact and the continued existence of NATO Woerner and others eloquently defended the continued need for NATO while also emphasizing the need to include the USSR in European security arrangements in reply to Arbatov s later remark that it seemed many viewed EurOpe as standing on a single NATO tag which made for lack of balance the UK NATO PermRep said the Europe he had heard described at the conference had many tags like a centipede A Western speaker pointed out that remarks never once mentioned NATO or democracy LDECLASSIFIED 7 DECLASSIFIED USDP Wolfowitz's Speech Dealt with us policy and the East European security concems outlined by Havel at NATO In March -- Emphasized the US commitment to democracy independence and sovereignty in the new democracies of East-Central Europe the withdrawal of Soviet forces the continued existence of NATO and a US troop presence aithcug-r at lower levels in Europe and the end of spheres of Influence and buffer zones in the region In light of Soviet efforts to conclude new treaties with the East EurOpeans that would restrict their sovereignty by precluding entrance into treaties or alliances directed against the other party he pointed out that the OSCE agreements emphasize the right of countries to enter or not enter into treaties or alliances 01 their own choosing Polish of cials at the conference sought out USDP's staff to make the point that they were glad to receive support for their refusal to follow in the footsteps of Romania which has accepted Soviet restrictions and signed a new treaty -- Hungarian MFA State Secretary Tomas Katona also expressed appreciation for reference to CSOE principles and said Hungary would continue to resist such limitations and work in harness with the Poles and Czechoslovaks Earlier the Czechoslovaks and Poles had described Hungary as wobbly on the security restrictions B USDP I PRESIDENT - Havel was fully briefed on USDP's remarks at the conference and was grateful for his comments concemlng bilateral treaties He said the Soviets had pressed the CSFR In on-going negotiations on a bilateral treaty to Include a provision not to enter alliances directed against the other party and speclilcally referred to the possibility in 10 years of Czechoslovakia joining NATO and the EC Havel said he was resisting this Soviet preposal In order to protect Czechoslovaida s sovereignty because he envisioned joining the EC by the year 2000 and wanted to build a network of bilateral treaties with Germany East European countries and the USSR Havel subsequently made this point In public - Havel said who was both attending the conference and negotiating the bilateral treaty with the Czechoslovaks had accused him of sounding like Dientsbier Wolfowitz and Woemer on this subject - USDP thanked Havel for the contribution during the Gulf crisis Havel said it had been Important for Czechosloveida's self-con dence and he was glad Czechoslovak troupe were on the right side again - Havel expressed appreciation for IMET and President Bush's recent otter of assistance on defense conversion USDP said the US was prepared to help on conversion and that CQNEIDENIIAE DECLASSIFIED -3- DepSecDei might be able to visit Czechoslovakia this summer He warned however that there was no magic answer beyond relying on market forces Havel said he hoped Secretary Cheney would visit Czechoslovakia c WOLF MOD DOBHOVSKY - chrovsky said he had just returned from Africa It was subsequently teamed that he had been negotiating deals on military trainer aircraft and ammunition production capabilities In exchange for oll - emphasized the importance ot stability In the CSFR tor EurOpean security and the need for contacts at the federal level to help quiet separatist agitation Contrary to popular belief the dissolution oi the military structures of the Warsaw Pact had not created a vacuum In the region According to Dobrovsky more certainty existed now and the three Northem Tier countries were no longer buffers between two worlds This would become clear when the citizens ct these countries were ready to defend the principles and values of parliamentary democracy with arms - Dobrovsky said the CSFFI was pmpared to accept lMEi He foresaw a possible problem with some of the Implementing language which might be construed as upon sovereignty It was agreed to allow the experts to resolve any problem - Dobrovsky mentioned the Czechoslovak govemment's retreat tom its initial position oi calling for the dissolution of NATO as well as the Warsaw Pact He also said Prague was attracted to NATO because It ensured the presence at US troops In Europe - was happy to accept an invitation from 89ch to visit the US new scheduled for June 11-18 DECLASSIFIED MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION OF USDP PAUL WOLFOWITZ WITH PRESIDENT VACLAV HAVEL PRAGUE APRIL 27 1991 1430-1511 Participants U S Modem USDP Wolfowltz President Havel Amb Shirley Temple Black Kari Schwarzenberg Director Presidential Chancellery Principal Deputy Under Secretary Libby Sasha Vondra Pres Foreign Policy Adviser Asst Deputy Under Secretary Edelman LTG Tomecek Chief Pres Mil Of ce Director SEE James Morrison LTG Andrejcak Dep Strategic Plans Maria Copson Cot Edwin Moiyka DAT LTC Joseph Collins LTC Stephen Freeman President Havel welcomed USDP Wolfowitz to the Castle thanked him for his statement at the Prague conference on The Future of European Security and said he was particularly gratified by some of comments on East-Central Europe USDP Wolfowltz replied that he thought It Important to come to the conference because of Czechoslovakia s importance to the security of the West He thanked Havel for his statements concerning the importance of NATO and US troops in Emma and for the CSFR's contributions to the Persian Gulf including its quick response to the US request for heavy equipment transport vehicles HETS President Havel said Czechoslovakia's contribution was important both politically and for its own internal self confidence After a longtime Czechoslovak troops were on the right side again He had received Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister that morning and talked about the Soviet Czechoslovak treaty being prepared The treaty Included one item upon which the two countries differ The Soviets did not want the to enter any alliance hostile to the USSR and vice versa The Czechoslovaks are not willing to agree to such a provision Who for example would Judge whether or not an alliance was hostile to the other party Such a provision would limit our independence and sovereignty The OSFR wants total sovereignty to make its own security decisions in the future It does not want to act against the Soviet Union or enter an alliance directed against the USSR But nor does it want any restrictions on its sovereignty This boils down to two possibilities in the next 10 years NATO and the EC The DECLASSIFI ED 2 Czechoslovaks are deciding where they belong In the world The possibility exists of concluding an associate agreement with the EC This would have security overtones because ct to give the European Community a security dimension and political unity The hopes tor full EC membership bythe end of the century it it were to sign the treaty proposed by the Soviets Czechoslovakia would be prevented from ioining the EC and becoming a member of Europe President Havel noted that USDP had mentioned new bilateral agreements In his statement at the conference that morning A new bilateral network must be created and while the realizes that future security arrangements would be unthinkable without the United States the Soviet Union and its Republics must not be excluded Such arrangements however can only be based on equality of rights and sovereignty of decisions USDP Wcifowltz said he agreed While it is not our business to give the Czechoslo- vaks advice he had quoted the Helsinki Final Act in his speech to make that point and to remind the Soviets of their solemn commitments to that Act President Havel replied that this was the CSFR's principal argument in the negotia- tions with the Soviets Kviisinskiy had told him today that his people sounded like Woerner and Woifowitz USDP noted that somebody had commented that Kvitsinskiy had not mentioned NATO or democracy once during his remarks at the conference although nchy was mde enecugh to point that out in public The United States sees the CSCE serving many important functions its approach is not to do things now that would freeze a situation that still needs to develop and to avoid doing anything that might be perceived by the Soviets as a provocation or threat to their security He expressed surprise that the Soviets were pushing so hard to tie Czechoslovaida's hands in the Mars President Havel said one of the reasons the Soviets persist in the old stereotype of NATO and other European institutions is because they still subconsciously see a potential adversary in these structures He expressed his thanks for US military cooperation in the training of officers which is very important He then turned to his recent conversation with President Bush during which he had mentioned the need for support in converting arms industries to civilian production Czechoslovakia has a big arms industry largely concentrated in Slovakia with skilled workers who could manufacture engines etc in the past Czechoslovak arms were supplied to most of the Warsaw Pact and various suspicious regimes in the world Markets however are changing and without foreign assistance or participation it would be very difficult for the CSFR to make the necessary changes in production President Havel said he was raising this probiern because it concerns political stability in the CSFR and elsewhere The arms industry was located in Slovakia for strategic reasons and is now giving rise to a specific political problem He would be grateful if this subject could be kept in mind DECLASSIFIED USDP Woltowllz assured the President that this subject was very much in mind because instructions had been received from President Bush after Havel's telephone call Foreign Minister had already met with Deputy Secretary of Defense Atwood and 000 was working on a number of things that might be done to help USDP warned however that there should be no illusions There will be no magic answer or silver bullet and the process Inevitably will be painful Thanks to successes In East-Central Europe the United States was going through the same process It was reducing forces and closing bases etc and U5 politicians were very unhappy As difficult as It Is for the U S however the process does not Involve the kind of political problems the CSFFI has in Slovakia President Havel noted that only 3 tanks had been sold In the past year and unlike the U S Czechoslovakia does not have a stable balanced market economy He had visited a tank factory and had seen at rst hand that all the machinery was single-purpose and would have to be torn out it they were to try and manufacture something else The area suffers greatly from fear of unemployment and social Insecurity The Czechoslovaks do not expect the US to help My know they have to help themselves and come up with their own initiative Work Is being done on this USDP Woltowitz said the US wanted to share its knowledge and experience and was trying to identity some U S companies which might be able to give advice on the use of resources He acknowledged however that President Havel had put his finger on the heart of the problem and that the Czechoslovaks might Indeed have to begin from scratch Machines that made tanks will not make other things The CSFR will need to reshape its resources The US has found that markets do this well That Is where part of the answer lies would like to arrange for Mr Atwood to go to Czechoslovakia perhaps In the summer He is number two at the Pentagon and has worked In private Industry - with General Motors Amb Shirtey Terrtole Black said GM had not had much success in Czedtoslovaida President Havel returned to USDP's remark that the market Is the best stimulatc rr and noted that Czechoslovakia did not have a full market yet and could not achieve one overnight In short the pressure of the market was not yet operational In Czechoslovakia USDP Woltowitz acknowledged that this was true and that It would be harder for the than for the us IMET Is one of America's most successful programs and it should concentrate first on management of defense resources President Havel ended the meeting by sending his best regards to Secretary Cheney and expressing the hope of seeing hlm' in Czechoslovakia sooner or later He added that despite all the problems the country he was optimistic for the long run El tatvFT if 'Le'ti 4- DECLASSIFIED 0 Ln MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION MEETING OF USDP PAUL WITH DEFENSE MINISTER LU BOS DOBROVSKY PRAGUE1 APRIL 27 1991 1310-14 Participants U S Czechoslovdt USDP Woltowltz Dobrovsky Amb Shirley Temple Black Asst Vice Jamslav Janda Principal Deputy Under Secretary Libby LTG Anton Sllmak Chief Gen Stall Asst Deputy Under Secretary Edelman MG Jindra Chief of Intematicnal Ftels Director SEE James Morrison Interpreter Marla Copson OUSDIPISEE Col Eden Motyka DAT LTC Joseph OUSDIP LTC Stephen Freeman In welcomlng remarks Dobrovsky said such meetings were rare and asked for clari cation of the US International Military Education Training program USDP Wollowitz said he hoped such meetings would Increase In number Secretary Cheney wanted to deepen the dialogue and invited Dobrovsky to the us Dobrovsky noted that he and the Secretary had wanted to meet for some tlrne but obstacles always stood In the way The Gull war had only been over for a few weeks and the consequences were still being felt He was not afrald of ying and was ready to leave at any time USDP Wolfowitz explained that Secretary Cheney s calendar was only Just beginning to return to normal for the rst time since August 2 and promised to provide dates and a proposed agenda for the visit shortly to complicated political developments In the CSFR Dobrovsky made the following points a The Havel Administration was Icoklng for all possible ways to quiet separatist agitation and make a reasonable federation possible Emotions played a part In this equation and made rational argument difficult Any contacts on the federal level were very important for the stabilization of the country A weakening of In the CSFR would have broad consequences for Central Europe and the whole continent The more part of Europe fragments the more quarrels will erupt and the greater the of even a return to totalitarian systems USDP Woltowltz said the US acinired and was grateful for the remarkable changes that have taken place Czechoslovak achlevements have made the whole world more secure maritime -- DECLASSIFIED 2 He stressed that the us was by no means indifferent to the security of the CSFR USDP noted that some of Dobrovsky's Polish colleagues had that morning at the conference on The Future of European Seourity I referred to those in the West nostalgic tor the stability of the Cold War That stability they correctly said was the stability of the cemetery A return to those times would produce instability and this made cooperation between our two countries very Important recentiy givenaepeechtanuro Groupconierenoein Bonn at which similar thoughts had been expressed including the notion that the dismantle- merrt of the Warsaw Pact military structures had created some kind of vacuum But in fact proponents of the vacuum theory were wrong There was more certainty now The CSFH Poland and Hungary were not buffers between two worlds This would be clear and the security 01 Europe would be strengthened once the citizens oi these three countries were ready to deiend the principles and values of parliamentary democracy with arms it was necessary to continue uniting the forces of democracy and give the decisive support without which economic stability is Impossible Agreeing with these thoughts USDP Woiiowitz said the world leamed a lesson from Czecitoeiovetda especially in 1938 indeed this experience was very much at the forefront of President Bush's mind throughout the recent Gull crisis Lire Dobrovsky USDP also rejected the notion ot a vacuum and pointed to the extraordinary growth of democracy Building an economic base to sustain and strengthen the new democracy was the most important task ahead Tuming to security Issues USDP Woiiowitz said There has been anxiety In nearly every direction about relations with NATO But it was clear from the conference on The Future of European Security that the issue now is not membership of NATO He hoped it was also clear that while NATO would not extend membership now it was concerned with Czechoslovak security -- NATO's existence bene ts not only its members but the whole of Europe and especially the new democracies The very existence oi NATO was in doubt a year ago Under the leadership of President Bush and with the strong support of the NATO allies and a united Germany it was concluded that white the opportunity had arisen to reshape and reduce forces NATO remained very important for sewrity and stability In Europe Not only will the Soviet Union remain a large power as it pulled back behind its own borders but NATO also anchored Germany to the West and the us to Europe - One of the major achievements of the past year was the consensus reached on the importance of maintaining NATO East European statements on this subject - such as President s Havel's atthe NAG in March were valuable to the us and Its allies in Europe and helped maintain Alliance cohesion Dobrovsky said the had been developing relations with NATO since the first weeks of the revolution but had revised its views radically At the beginning President Havel had urged the dissolution of both the Warsaw Pact and NATO While Prague still stood 6% - DECLASSIFIED 3 by its original assessment of the importance of the Helsinki Process it realized in time that NATO needed to be maintained Off the record the was attracted to NATO because it ensured the us presence Europe USDP Wolfowitz then turned to the program Education was the best investment and iMEl' was the most effective of all us military programs An interagency U S team had Just been to Prague to explain that the program would initially focus on defame resource management and possibiy help In developing some language skills to enable more of cers and civilians to participate in reply said the language harder was very high Prague wanted its of cers to have a good knowledge of English but this would take time Of cers would be selected by competition and only those who could benefit from would be chosen After the rst courses there should be some form of evaluation so that corrections could be made if needed The Implementing language might pose a problem it showed a certain distrust of the CSFR it was that Prague would not accept anything that touched on the sovereignty of the it might be necessary to nd words to satisfy both US security concerns that no information be passed to a third country and the specific conditions of Czechoslovakia This could be dealt with by experts both sides Perhaps the us would be satisfied with a Government guarantee that there would be no leak of secret information and in the event of such a leak would inform Washington immediately and try to find a solution USDP agreed the details could be discussed by experts and said that although he was not familiar with the NET language to the best of his knowledge it was standard wording and did not single out the or reflect any suspicion of that country He added that other countries with known sensitivities ccncemlng their sovereignty such as China had had no dif culty in accepting the standard language MOD Dobrovsky then thanked the USG for sending Col Motyka to Prague as the US He had done much for the including helping get the Czechoslovak chemical weapons unit to Saudi Arabia The also thanked the USG for transporting the unit to the Gulf and expressed the hope that future Czechoslovak-US cooperation would prevent wars The purpose of military preparations USDP Wolfowltz replied was to prevent war Europe has enjoyed the longest period of peace In its history The USG thanked the for its important contributions to the Gulf crisis He added his thanks to those of MOD Dobrovsky for the work of Col Motyka and quipped that he wanted to make the DATT even busier in the future As far as the language barrier was concerned the US could assist In language training it might be able to send people who could help train teachers MOD Dobrovsky closed by noting that travel abroad changed cne's perspective on one s own national problems He expressed the hope that Czechoslovakla s rst graduates would be able to view the country's problems from a wider point of view                     National Security Archive    Suite 701  Gelman Library  The George Washington University    2130 H Street  NW  Washington  D C  20037    Phone  202 994‐7000  Fax  202 994‐7005  nsarchiv@gwu edu