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