Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ATHENS371
2006-02-09 11:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Athens
Cable title:  

GREECE/KOSOVO: SERB PRESIDENT VISITS ATHENS, LOOKS

Tags:  PREL GR 
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VZCZCXRO1246
PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTH #0371/01 0401127
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091127Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4326
INFO RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 0593
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA PRIORITY 0252
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 000371 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/SE, EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016
TAGS: PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE/KOSOVO: SERB PRESIDENT VISITS ATHENS, LOOKS
TO GOG FOR SUPPORT


Classified By: AMB. CHARLES P. RIES FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ATHENS 000371

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/SE, EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2016
TAGS: PREL GR
SUBJECT: GREECE/KOSOVO: SERB PRESIDENT VISITS ATHENS, LOOKS
TO GOG FOR SUPPORT


Classified By: AMB. CHARLES P. RIES FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY: On February 6 the Greek MFA gave read-outs
to EU and Contact Group embassies of recent, separate visits
to Athens of Serb President Tadic and Serb-Montenegrin
President Marovic, who both came to attend the Socialist
International meeting last week. Kosovo dominated the
discussions, with Tadic predictably rejecting any form of
independence, but also rejecting EU "carrots" to make Serbia
more flexible in final status negotiations. Any incentives
for Serbia, Tadic told the Greeks, should deal directly with
the final status of Kosovo. Tadic said he favored early
elections before UN Special Rep on Status Talks Ahtisaari
completes his mission, saying this would keep democratic
forces in power and give them a renewed mandate to negotiate.
Other topics dealt with catching PIFWC Mladic -- Marovic
claimed the GoS is doing all it can -- and the upcoming
Montenegrin referendum. On the latter, Marovic said his
proposal to require 55 percent of all votes cast to approve
represented a compromise and had been accepted by EU Envoy
Lajcak. Tadic also gave a January 31 talk at a prominent
Greek foundation and underscored that Greece, the "leader and
capital of the Balkans," is in a unique position to help
solve Kosovo and bring stability to the region. END SUMMARY.



2. (U) On January 29-February 2, Serb President Boris Tadic
visited Athens, where he met with separately with President
Papoulias, PM Karmanalis and FM Molyviatis. On February 6
MFA Balkans Director Michalis Christidis provided EU and
Contact Group heads of mission the following read-out on this
visit and the January 31-February 2 visit of Serb-Montenegrin
President Marovic (both Tadic and Marovic attended the
meeting in Athens of the Socialist International, which
elected opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou President
of the SI).

Kosovo
--------------


3. (C) This was the most important issue discussed. Tadic
reiterated GoS opposition to any form of independence for
Kosovo, saying this would bring about a mass exodus of Serbs
from Kosovo and would mean the establishment of a greater,
monoethnic Albania or Kosovo. Tadic pressed the idea of

decentralization, which he said should involve a distinct
entity with majority Serb municipalities having horizontal
links with one another and institutional links with Belgrade.
This entity, which would not need to be territorially
linked, would decide on matters of justice, police,
education, religion and other matters. "Everything short of
independence and a UN seat," Tadic told his Greek
interlocutors would be given to the K-Albanians.


4. (C) Tadic rejected EU "carrots" to make Serbia more
flexible and argued that any incentives should deal with the
future status of Kosovo, not Serbia's EU perspective.
Regarding the latter, Tadic said that there is "no real
essence" to this perspective for the Serb public, and that it
is very difficult for the GoS to explain leaving Kosovo in
return for this. Direct incentives involve real
decentralization, the Serb President concluded.


5. (C) Addressing the Kosovo issue in terms of the internal
situation in Serbia, Tadic stated that if the notion of
having lost the province prevails, then the desire to
continue reforms will also be lost. To keep the momentum
going, Tadic said he favored holding early elections before
UN Special Rep Ahtisaari's mission is concluded. In that
way, democratic forces in the country have a "good chance" to
form a coalition and have a "renewed mandate" to conduct
status negotiations. The Serb President feared that radical,
pro-Milosevic politicians would take power if the elections
were held after Ahtisaari's mission. Tadic noted that Serb
PM Kostunica does not agree with this rationale, saying that
the PM is "dreaming" that his standing will improve in the
wake of the mission. Tadic added that this was the only
point of dissent on Kosovo that he has with Kostunica.


6. (C) On a positive note, Tadic said he had a short
discussion with Kosovar Albanian leader Hashim Thaci on the
margins of the Socialist International meeting and both
agreed that direct contacts between Belgrade and Kosovar
Albanians would be useful.

Cooperation with ICTY - Mladic
--------------


ATHENS 00000371 002 OF 003



7. (C) Tadic did not discuss the Mladic case at any length,
but complained that it's wrong to draw parallels between
recently captured PIFWC and Croatian national Ante Gotovina
and Mladic. He claimed that the Gotovina is "still a
national hero" in Croatia, whereas Mladic is an "enemy" of
the political leadership in Belgrade. At a February 6 lunch
with poloff, Serbian Embassy political counselor Vujicic
maintained that the Croatian government knew where Gotovina
was all along, but that the GoS "has no idea" where Mladic
is.


8. (C) For his part, Marovic told the Greeks that up until
2002 "some military units" had helped Mladic hide, but
claimed that there was no cooperation after that time.
Marovic discussed a recent meeting of the GoS Higher Council
of Defense that decided to more effectively coordinate
efforts and take actions, such as monitoring the phone calls
of Mladic's family. Marovic attempted to paint a picture of
Serbia going out of its way to cooperate with the ICTY and
said it would be "fatal for his country" if a decision was
made by the EU to break off negotiations with SaM on a
Stabilization and Association Agreement because of the issue.


Montenegrin Referendum
--------------


9. (C) Tadic stated that he was ready to accept any result
that was supported by 50 percent 1 of registered voters in
Montenegro. That said, he was against the dissolution of the
union and any further division of the Balkans because this
would "create instability."


10. (C) On a related note, Christidis said that
Serb-Montenegrin President Marovic, visiting Athens February
2-3, indicated that the only remaining issue was agreement on
the qualifying majority needed for referendum passage.
Pro-union supporters want at least 50 percent of total
registered voters to approve, while pro-independence
supporters favor only 40 percent (agreement has been reached
on the need for at least 50 percent of all registered voters
to take part). Marovic said he had proposed 55 percent of
all votes cast and that this formula had been accepted by EU
Envoy Lajcak. If the two sides cannot agree, Marovic argued,
then Brussels should intervene and resolve the matter.

Foundation Talk
--------------


11. (U) Tadic reiterated many of the same points in a
speaking engagement organized by the well-regarded Kokkalis
Foundation on January 31. He stressed the link between
Serbian stability and Balkans stability and directly asked
Greece for support during the strengthening of Serbia's
political process. On Kosovo, Tadic emphasized that he does
not back an independent Kosovo as a practical solution to the
Kosovo question. This would lead to destabilization in the
Balkans since Kosovo is "not in line with international law
or justice." Tadic stressed that a Kosovo solution can be
found if both sides see the situation realistically and are
"willing to give something up." Tadic called for a process
of democratization in which minority Serbs would retain
control of their institutions and links to the Serbian State
as "the only way to preserve our national historic
heritage... which is a part of the Greek heritage." Tadic
criticized the decision to bar him from Rugova's funeral,
asking "If the President of Serbia is not welcome at the
funeral of the president of Kosovo, how can we hope for a
future of more wide-ranging co-existence?"


12. (U) Tadic described the three axes of Serbia,s foreign
policy as the EU, the U.S., and Russia. Each of these axes,
Tadic explained, has specific importance and Serbia needs
their support to become more stable and to achieve its goal
of becoming an EU member. Tadic laid out his plan to solve
Serbia's outstanding political problems in 2006, and set up
conditions for increased investment in 2007 which will lead
to an EU membership in 2012 and NATO membership after that.


13. (U) On relations with Greece, Tadic said that Greece
could use its unique position as "leader in the region" to
continue to boost development in his country. He highlighted
the more than one billion euros Greece has already invested
in Serbia and noted that Serbia could continue to benefit
from Greece,s support on many levels, specifically
sponsorship for Serbia's EU membership bid, continued support
for Euroatlantic integration, and infrastructure and
technology investment.

ATHENS 00000371 003 OF 003




14. (U) On relations with the U.S., Tadic said development
in Serbia requires continued strengthening of its defense
sector, so U.S. cooperation is vital. He noted the
importance of U.S. support promoting increased security,
stability, values, and technology. Tadic noted that Serbia
lost its role as a leader in defense after the Balkans wars,
but it hopes to eventually participate in an international
peacekeeping force such as NATO after finalizing reform in
the defense sector. He concluded his speech saying he has
"so many friends" in the U.S.


15. (C) COMMENT: The visit of President Tadic is important
in that it reveals how desperately Serbia is seeking friends,
especially "traditional" ones like Greece, in the run-up to
the painful decisions that will have to be made on Kosovo.
Tadic went out of his way to portray Greece as "the leader
and capital" of the Balkans and key to stability in the
region -- words that the GoG likes to hear. Greece does have
a role to play in Kosovo, but, as we have told the Greeks,
not on a high-policy level. The GoG's forte is in providing
the economic assistance and trade/investment needed to
buttress the post-status negotiations environment in Kosovo
and the region.
RIES