SPAIN DOES NOT AGREE WITH KOSOVO TIMEFRAME

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002955 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/27/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV YI SP SUBJECT: SPAIN DOES NOT AGREE WITH KOSOVO TIMEFRAME REF: STATE 187642 Classified By: DCM Hugo Llorens for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) DCM met with Alberto Navarro, Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union, on November 24 to discuss Spain's position on the timing of the Kosovo status process. DCM reviewed reftel demarche with Navarro point by point and stressed the U.S. position of moving quickly in Kosovo to avoid potentially increasing instability. Navarro replied that Spain has a position that is distinct from the U.S. view, and he noted that Spain is not a member of the Kosovo Contact Group. He said that Spain's top priority in the Balkans is to support Serbian democracy and to avoid the radicalization of Serbian politics. He noted that Serbian radicals are polling strongly and stated that it is important for the EU to send a positive signal to Serbia in advance of the elections. He told DCM that, while the EU had suspended negotiations with Serbia over ICTY non-compliance, Spain and others would seek to restart negotiations in order to send an encouraging signal to pro-EU Serbians. ¶2. (C) Navarro sought to draw a distinction between Montenegro and Kosovo. He noted that Montenegro had a legal and constitutional option to exercise independence from Serbia, whereas Kosovo did not. He further pointed to the Serbian Constitution's inclusion of Kosovo as a territorially integral part of Serbia. Spain does not want to see a unilateral settlement of the Kosovo issue, but wants more time to work for a multilateral negotiated settlement. He added that Spain supports the principle of "multi-ethnicity" and is against the creation of ethnicity-based nations. Navarro then told DCM that Spain and China would oppose the Ahtisaari plan, and he cautioned that Kosovo would be used as a basis for continued problems in Transnistria and other territorial disputes. He stated Spain's opposition to UNSE Ahtisaari's proposed timing for final settlement, although he recognized that France's support for the plan was significant. He concluded by telling the DCM that Spain will continue following developments in the Balkans closely as they assume the OSCE presidency in January. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Spain's own regional challenges, most importantly the struggle for increased autonomy in Catalonia and the Basque region, have colored GOS views on whether Europe should endorse regional independence plans in situations that do not have specific legal authority (hence the reference to the distinctions in the Montenegran and Serbian constitutions). As Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos noted last year to then-Deputy Secretary Zoellick, the GOS does not want new European precedents that could be used internally by those who would challenge Spain's own territorial integrity. In fact, some Basques and Catalans have cited Kosovo and Montenegro as relevant to Spain's national minority issues. END COMMENT. -------------- Visit Embassy Madrid's Classified Website; http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/madrid/ -------------- AGUIRRE