Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PRISTINA1063
2006-12-12 15:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:  

KOSOVO: DAS DICARLO AND EU COLLEAGUES REASSURE

Tags:  PGOV PREL KCRM UNMIK YI 
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VZCZCXRO2934
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHPS #1063/01 3461508
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 121508Z DEC 06
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6817
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0942
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHFMISS/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PRISTINA 001063 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: DAS DICARLO AND EU COLLEAGUES REASSURE
KOSOVO ALBANIANS ON STATUS PROCESS; TELL KOSOVO SERBS
AHTISAARI,S PROPOSAL WILL ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THEIR
CONCERNS


Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PRISTINA 001063

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: DAS DICARLO AND EU COLLEAGUES REASSURE
KOSOVO ALBANIANS ON STATUS PROCESS; TELL KOSOVO SERBS
AHTISAARI,S PROPOSAL WILL ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THEIR
CONCERNS


Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: DAS Rosemary DiCarlo and her European
colleagues reassured Kosovo Albanians on status process
timing and told Kosovo Serbs that Ahtisaari,s proposal will
take into account their concerns. In private meetings with
President Sejdiu, Prime Minister Ceku, Kosovo Assembly
president Berisha and in a joint meeting with the Kosovo
Negotiating Team on December 4, DAS DiCarlo reassured the
Kosovo Albanians that the status process is on track despite
the "unwelcome necessity8 of a delay by Special Envoy for
Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari in presenting his proposal. DiCarlo
said that Ahtisaari intends to present his proposal without
delay after the January 21 elections in Serbia; in the
meanwhile, Kosovo could move the process forward by
preventing violence, implementing the Standards for Kosovo,
and embracing the Ahtisaari proposal in full when it is
presented to them. SRSG Joachim Ruecker advised DiCarlo and
the EU representatives to move the Ahtisaari proposal to the
UN Security Council as soon as possible in order to
demonstrate to an increasingly frustrated Kosovo public there
was progress on the status issue. During meetings in
Pristina on December 4 and in Novo Brdo municipality on
December 5, DiCarlo and her European colleagues told Kosovo
Serb leaders worried about freedom of movement and security
that the Ahtisaari package will take their concerns into
account and that decentralization provisions will afford them
substantial authorities. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) DAS Rosemary DiCarlo, EU/Solana representative Stefan
Lehne, Director for the Unit for the Western Balkans at the
Finnish MFA Juha Ottman, Director for Western Balkans at the
German MFA Dr. Emily Haber and Co-advisor at the Directorate
for Enlargement and European Commission liaison to UNOSEK

Leopold Maurer met in Pristina with President Sejdiu, Prime
Minister Ceku, Kosovo Assembly president Berisha, and had
joint meetings with the Kosovo Negotiating Team, Kosovo Serb
political leaders and leading members of the Kosovo Assembly
on December 4. The group met with southern Serb political
leaders in Novo Brdo municipality on December 5.


3. (C) DiCarlo and the others reassured the Kosovo Albanians
that the status process is on track despite the &unwelcome
necessity8 of a delay by Special Envoy for Kosovo Martti
Ahtisaari in presenting his proposal. DiCarlo said that
Ahtisaari will present his proposal without delay after the
January 21 elections in Serbia and that in the meantime, the
Kosovo government and its political leaders should prevent
violence, and continue implementing the Standards for Kosovo,
including the Contact Group,s 13 priorities for Standards
implementation. DiCarlo stressed that Kosovo's political
leadership, as well as the Kosovo people, must fully embrace
the Ahtisaari proposal once it is presented in order to
generate international support. Dr. Haber, representing the
incoming German EU Presidency, told the Kosovo Albanians that
Germany will be responsible for creating consensus in early
2007 among the 27 members of the European Union, and any
criticism or questioning by the Kosovars of the proposal will
make achieving consensus more difficult, as well as play into
Belgrade's attempts to delay a decision on status. She
stressed on behalf of the German presidency the need to
implement the remaining standard priorities and for the
political leadership to tell the public that any violence
will delay Kosovo's aspirations and have a negative impact on
its image.

Kosovars want clear proposal that guarantees Kosovo's
territorial integrity


4. (C) President Fatmir Sejdiu expressed his concern for the
delay by Special Envoy for Kosovo (UNOSEK) Martti Ahtisaari
in delivering his report, most notably because he felt the
decision showed the continued ability of internal Serbian
politics to interfere with the final status calendar. Sejdiu
asked for assurances that Ahtisaari will put his proposal

PRISTINA 00001063 002 OF 004


forward without delay and that the proposal be concrete and
precise. Kosovo Assembly president Kole Berisha told the
delegation he understood the need for this initial delay, but
warned that any further delay could lead to a loss of faith
by the Kosovo people in the PISG and the work of the
Negotiating Team. (NOTE: Berisha has already had to beat
down at least one request in the Kosovo Assembly to discuss
the delay. END NOTE). Sejdiu asked that the international
community work with Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of
Self-Government (PISG) to transfer UNMIK's remaining
competencies and that the future "light" international
presence post-UNMIK be able to guarantee Kosovo's functional
and territorial integrity, particularly in majority-Serb
northern municipalities. During the larger meeting with the
entire Kosovo Negotiating Team, Sejdiu expanded this to
include assistance from the future international presence to
establish Kosovo government institutions in the north.
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) head Hashim Thaci echoed
these sentiments, saying that a "change in realities in the
north" is needed.


5. (C) At lunch at KFOR's main Film City headquarters,
COMKFOR General LTG Roland Kather assured the U.S.-EU group
that KFOR was prepared to prevent violence in the north and
that he had enough troops stationed there. He noted that
KFOR is looking for a country contingent to reside
permanently at Camp Nothing Hill in the northern municipality
of Leposavic which could be augmented with task force
rotations. He added that KFOR has been trying to convince
Greece to send its troops there permanently, but have not
received a response. Kather also told the visiting US/EU
delegation that delays in the final status decision will only
make things more difficult on the ground.

Kosovars ready to work on new constitution, election law and
symbols


6. (C) Lehne told the Negotiating Team that UNOSEK's current
plan is for a constitution to be finalized three to four
months after a decision by the UNSC on status. President
Sejdiu agreed with EU representative Lehne that it is
important to begin preparations for drafting a new
constitution, including working with the International
Civilian Office to make sure it corresponds to provisions in
Ahtisaari's final status proposal. (NOTE: Negotiating Team
Coordinator Blerim Shala told participants at the December 7
meeting of the Strategic Group on Transition that the
Negotiating Team will approve its six members to the informal
working group on the constitution the week of December 11.
END NOTE). Thaci assured the delegation that the PDK will be
part of the transition, including working on the new
constitution (with the help of international experts),a new
election law and new national symbols. Lehne responded that
it is important that any new symbols for Kosovo be as
inclusive as possible, and not represent one particular
political party or group.

Ceku upbeat on implementation on priority Standards


7. (SBU) Prime Minister Agim Ceku gave the group an upbeat
assessment of where the PISG is on the remaining five of the
Contact Group's priorities for Standards implementation.
Ceku's advisor Avni Arifi said that most of the delays in
completing the reconstruction at Svinjare (a village in south
Mitrovica where Serb homes were destroyed in 2004) are due to
additional improvements over and above what had existed there
before the March 2004 violence and that he expected the work
to be finished before the end of December. Arifi noted that
the PISG had expanded the rental scheme to include all 5,294
properties currently administered by the Kosovo Property
Agency, that 450 property right holders had consented to have
their property included in the scheme, but only 40 occupants
had paid rent (totaling about 13,000 euros) so far. Arifi
noted that of the 2,804 property claims pending
implementation in June 2006, only 879 remain to be

PRISTINA 00001063 003 OF 004


implemented. He said that Minister of Justice Jonuz Salihaj
had openly encouraged people with information to come forward
and cooperate with authorities investigating and prosecuting
cases arising from the March 2004 violence and added that
since June 2006 the government has always made such a request
in cases of suspected inter-ethnic violence. Arifi also said
that all but six of the 17 police substations requested by
UNMIK in September 2006 are fully operational. He added that
residents in two of the targeted Serb communities have
refused the government's offer of a police substation.

UNMIK advises moving UNOSEK proposal to the UNSC quickly


8. (C) SRSG Joachim Ruecker told the group there need to be
"signposts" over the next several months to show an
increasingly frustrated Kosovo public that the status process
is moving forward. He advised moving the Ahtisaari proposal
to the UN Security Council as soon as possible after the
January 21 Serbian elections and that engagement in the UNSC
by March 2007 is important. He reasserted UNMIK's view that
a 120 day transition period is needed between the date of any
UNSC decision on status and its implementation on the ground
here. DAS DiCarlo agreed that markers would be helpful along
the way to show progress; Lehne underscored that the UNSC
will likely need some time to discuss the UNOSEK proposal and
denied there was any "plan B" if the UNSC failed to come to a
consensus.


9. (SBU) In response to a query from DiCarlo, Ruecker said
that UNMIK and Belgrade's Coordination Center for Kosovo and
Metohija (CCK) are likely to come to agreement on providing
electricity to Serb areas hit hardest by power outages.
Ruecker said that UNMIK was committed to making the idea
work, but noted that the power the CCK was offering was only
partial repayment for the intermittent but free electricity
Serb areas had received over the past seven years (note:
Serb areas do not pay electricity bills to KEK, the Kosovo
provider, despite receiving at least four hours of
electricity from KEK per day).

Kosovo Serbs assured that the status package will take their
concerns into account


10. (SBU) DiCarlo and the EU representatives told Kosovo Serb
political party leaders December 4 that the status package
will give them important rights, but said that the Serbs will
only be able to realize those rights and make them meaningful
if they participate in institutions. They also urged the
Serbs to help explain the details of the status package to
their communities. SLKM leader Oliver Ivanovic said his main
concern is security during the coming months, and he urged
KFOR to clarify how it will respond to a possible crisis
similar to the March 2004 riots. He said that the package
should contain strong measures to ensure that Kosovo Serbs
can participate effectively in institutions, and not serve as
mere &decorations.8 He gave another pitch for his proposed
Lipljan municipality, calling it the only real urban center
for Serbs outside Mitrovica, and voiced his opposition to
&asymmetrical8 competencies for municipalities, saying that
all municipalities should have equal competencies, regardless
of ethnic composition.


11. (SBU) Fellow SLKM member and member of the Belgrade
status negotiating team Goran Bogdanovic maintained that
Kosovo Serbs have many questions about what their lives will
be like after status, and more disinformation than real
answers. He said that the status package must increase their
rights, not reduce them (for example, in the Assembly).
Kosovo Serb president of the Autonomous Liberal Party (SLS)
Slobodan Petrovic used the opportunity to urge the assembled
SLKM members to return to Kosovo institutions, and said that
the only reason his party is not in institutions is that it
was formed after the last election. Dragisa Miric, president
of the newly registered Serb Kosovo and Metohija Party
(SKMS),claimed that his party is ready to participate in

PRISTINA 00001063 004 OF 004


institutions.


12. (SBU) During a meeting on December 5 in the central
Kosovo Serb-majority municipality of Novo Brdo, Kosovo Serb
municipal leaders shared their concerns about security,
freedom of movement, rule of law, returns, the economy and
what they perceive to be the lack of standards
implementation. Several, including Novo Brdo mayor Petar
Vasic and Strpce mayor Stanko Jakovljevic, complained that
despite their active participation in the Provisional
Institutions of Self Government (PISG),diminishing municipal
budgets limit their ability to address the pressing needs of
their constituents. They asked the DAS and EU
representatives to ensure that the status package will
include institutional protections for Serbs and other
non-Albanian communities. Moderate Serbian List for Kosovo
and Metohija (SLKM) MP Vesna Jovanovic complained that the
people who will implement the decentralization provisions on
the ground have been left out of the status negotiation
process. Several of the Serb leaders expressed fear about
what the future holds for Serbs in an independent Kosovo, and
others mentioned their disappointment over what they consider
to be unfulfilled promises from the international community
to protect them and ensure conditions for their survival.
DAS DiCarlo and her EU colleagues assured the Serbs that most
if not all of their concerns are addressed in the status
package, and said that a strong international mission will
have the power to ensure that the package is implemented )
including the power to veto legislation contravening the
settlement. They urged the Serbs to read the status proposal
carefully, and to form their own opinions rather than accept
Belgrade's views uncritically.


13. (C) COMMENT: DAS DiCarlo's visit did much to convince
Kosovo officials and the general population that status is
still on track despite the "unwelcome necessity" of delaying
delivery of the Ahtisaari proposal until after the January 21
Serb parliamentary elections. The representative from the
incoming German EU presidency was a helpful addition to the
delegation and provided a strong view from a capital that
will have considerable responsibility for EU policy in the
first half of 2007. The delegation's joint message to the
Kosovars -- that the U.S. and EU are still committed to
finishing this process, that the PISG and the Negotiating
Team should use this time to work with us to finish up
Standards implementation and start the transition from UNMIK
in earnest, that Kosovo political leaders and its public
should embrace the status package when it is presented, and
that a recurrence of violence such as occurred on Albanian
Flag Day is unacceptable -- was clearly received. We will
work to ensure that it resounds over these next important
months. END COMMENT.


14. (U) DAS DiCarlo has cleared on this message.


15. (SBU) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable in its
entirety for release to U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW