SERBIA PUSHING FRANCE TO REOPEN SAA NEGOTIATIONS

S E C R E T PARIS 007086 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNMIK YI FR SUBJECT: SERBIA PUSHING FRANCE TO REOPEN SAA NEGOTIATIONS Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. SUMMARY: (S) Serbian Senior Presidential Advisor Vuk Jeremic held talks in Paris at the MFA and French Presidency on October 25-26 to push for a reopening of EU Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiations with Serbia, lay out President Tadic,s vision for elections, and plead for Western support of Tadic,s Democrats' (DS) party. Although the French reportedly held the line on the SAA due to Serbian lack of cooperation with the ICTY, Jeremic left Paris with the impression that the GOF would not oppose offering Serbia participation in NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) at the Riga Summit if desired by the U.S. Separately, however, MFA Cabinet officials reiterated to us that France remained opposed to PfP and SAA for Serbia absent progress on ICTY cooperation. END SUMMARY ¶2. (S) Serbian Senior Presidential Advisor, Vuk Jeremic, held talks in Paris at the MFA and French Presidency on October 25-26 to try and soften the French position on the reopening of SAA negotiations for Serbia, lay out Tadic's vision for early elections, and plead for more visible Western support of the President. French officials and Jeremic both reported to poloff October 26 that the French adamantly refused to consider reopening SAA negotiations, given lack of Serbian cooperation with the ICTY. Jeremic insisted to the French that SAA and NATO PFP were particularly helpful ways of showing Western support for Tadic. Somewhat surprisingly, however, according to Jeremic and as confirmed by some MFA officials, Jeremic was told that if the U.S. pushed PfP, the GOF would not stand in the way (see paragraph 4 for clarification of GOF official position). Jeremic explained that Tadic and his party were carefully negotiating with Prime Minister Kostunica and the DSS on timing for presidential elections, should the constitutional referendum pass as expected. Jeremic was optimistic that both parliamentary and presidential elections would be held by the end of 2006. ¶3. (S) In a conversation with poloff following his GOF consultations, Jeremic pleaded for the U.S. and Western European countries to show support for Tadic in whatever way possible. Tadic, he said, had dispatched him to Paris to discuss SAA, after the Italians and a handful of new EU member states had shown a more positive disposition to the idea of reopening negotiations. SAA and PfP, he argued, would allow the Serbian President to show backing from the West and would give him a boost with the electorate. French MFA officials do not support this position, he said, stressing that in their analysis any movement on SAA or NATO PfP would serve to strengthen Prime Minister Kostunica and his party as much or more than Tadic. Jeremic insisted that Tadic believes that any steps forward in Euro-Atlantic integration were positive for him, for Serbia, and more generally for improving long-term relations with the West. ¶4. (S) In a separate October 26 meeting with polmiloff following Jeremic's discussions, MFA cabinet officials reiterated the standard French position that they do not see any political urgency to moving forward on PfP at Riga. PfP and SAA, they said, should both remain linked to improvement of Serbian cooperation with the ICTY. They stressed that it would be inconsistent to ease up on PfP, while remaining firm on SAA. At the same time, however, they expressed keen interest in whether the U.S. position was shifting. ¶5. (S) Comment: Jeremic clearly came to Paris without high expectations on SAA, and the French did not surprise him on this score. The ambiguities surrounding officials' description of France's position on PfP, however, suggest there may be flexibility here. While Jeremic did not appear surprised at the outcome of his meetings, he was obviously distressed by the rather cool reception he received. End Comment. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm HOFMANN