Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PRISTINA1071
2006-12-15 10:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:
KOSOVO: COM DELIVERS STRONG MESSAGE TO KOSOVO
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 001071
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DROGERS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV SOCI PREL UNMIK YI PHUM
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: COM DELIVERS STRONG MESSAGE TO KOSOVO
SERBS AT SCHOOL INAUGURATION IN NORTH MITROVICA
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 001071
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DROGERS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV SOCI PREL UNMIK YI PHUM
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: COM DELIVERS STRONG MESSAGE TO KOSOVO
SERBS AT SCHOOL INAUGURATION IN NORTH MITROVICA
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: COM used the inauguration of a
USAID-funded school renovation project in Serb-majority north
Mitrovica to underscore the U.S. commitment to the continued
presence of a vibrant Serb community in Kosovo, with full
legal rights and special protections for its cultural and
religious sites. She also used an attendant media
opportunity with Serbian RTS-affiliated Radio Contakt Plus in
north Mitrovica to spread a determined message on holding
Kosovar Albanian perpetrators of crimes against Serbs
accountable for their actions, specifically condemning the
previous week's bomb attack on a train line used by Serbs and
calling on Albanian political leaders to be equally resolute
in their condemnations. End summary
School Renovation Spreads Message of U.S. Engagement
2. (SBU) On December 12, COM traveled to north Mitrovica to
preside over a ceremony marking the completion of a
USAID-funded major renovation project at the Sveti Sava
elementary school, serving an exclusively Serb population.
The $100,000 project, implemented through the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) and carried out by a Kosovo
Serb construction firm from Gracanica, included extensive
repairs to a leaking roof and damaged walls and installation
of new thermopane windows, as well as brand new flooring,
bathroom facilities and a playground for the children.
3. (SBU) The event was covered extensively by local Serb and
Albanian media. In his remarks at a special school assembly
convened for the inauguration, the school principal praised
the U.S. for its support of the project, citing the quality
of the work and the speed with which it was carried out (the
renovation was completed within one month of the contract
being finalized). COM thanked him, assuring those watching
that "the U.S. Government believes that there must always be
a strong and vibrant Serb community in Kosovo with full legal
rights and with special protection for their cultural and
religious sites."
COM Condemns Violence Against Serbs on RTS-Affiliated Station
4. (SBU) COM reiterated these points in an interview the
same day with Serbian RTS (Radio Television
Serbia)-affiliated Radio Contakt Plus in north Mitrovica.
(Note: RTS radio and television is the primary venue through
which Serbs in Kosovo receive their information.) She
strongly condemned acts of violence against the Serb
population, and specifically called upon Kosovar Albanian
political leaders to prevent such attacks in future. She
pointed to the previous week's bomb attack on a train line
serving Serbs in Kosovo as an example of particularly heinous
behavior that could obstruct the process of making a final
determination of Kosovo's status.
5. (SBU) As part of ongoing efforts to engage Kosovo's
northern Serb communties, the USG has invested USD 1.4
million since August into quick-impact infrastructure
projects in northern Kosovo. Projects in the three northern
Serb-majority municipalities include water and sewage in
Zvecan; refurbishment of the town hall in Zubin Potok; and
road construction throughout the three northern
municipalities. Other planned or ongoing projects in north
Mitrovica include construction of an annex to the public
library, refurbishment of a workshop in the technical school,
and rehabilitation of the physiotherapy department in the
health center, all of which will be completed in the next few
months and will pose new opportunities for media engagement.
6. (SBU) Comment: We will continue to invest in Serb
communities north and south of the Ibar, and we will continue
to use these kinds of events to repeat our key messages. The
onset of winter gives us a few months in which to plan new
projects for the spring; in our FY 07 SEED request, we have
PRISTINA 00001071 002 OF 002
proposed the creation of a new infrastructure fund that would
allow us to expand our work in these critical fields.
7. (U) Post clears this message in its entirety for release
to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DROGERS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID KDEM PGOV SOCI PREL UNMIK YI PHUM
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: COM DELIVERS STRONG MESSAGE TO KOSOVO
SERBS AT SCHOOL INAUGURATION IN NORTH MITROVICA
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: COM used the inauguration of a
USAID-funded school renovation project in Serb-majority north
Mitrovica to underscore the U.S. commitment to the continued
presence of a vibrant Serb community in Kosovo, with full
legal rights and special protections for its cultural and
religious sites. She also used an attendant media
opportunity with Serbian RTS-affiliated Radio Contakt Plus in
north Mitrovica to spread a determined message on holding
Kosovar Albanian perpetrators of crimes against Serbs
accountable for their actions, specifically condemning the
previous week's bomb attack on a train line used by Serbs and
calling on Albanian political leaders to be equally resolute
in their condemnations. End summary
School Renovation Spreads Message of U.S. Engagement
2. (SBU) On December 12, COM traveled to north Mitrovica to
preside over a ceremony marking the completion of a
USAID-funded major renovation project at the Sveti Sava
elementary school, serving an exclusively Serb population.
The $100,000 project, implemented through the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) and carried out by a Kosovo
Serb construction firm from Gracanica, included extensive
repairs to a leaking roof and damaged walls and installation
of new thermopane windows, as well as brand new flooring,
bathroom facilities and a playground for the children.
3. (SBU) The event was covered extensively by local Serb and
Albanian media. In his remarks at a special school assembly
convened for the inauguration, the school principal praised
the U.S. for its support of the project, citing the quality
of the work and the speed with which it was carried out (the
renovation was completed within one month of the contract
being finalized). COM thanked him, assuring those watching
that "the U.S. Government believes that there must always be
a strong and vibrant Serb community in Kosovo with full legal
rights and with special protection for their cultural and
religious sites."
COM Condemns Violence Against Serbs on RTS-Affiliated Station
4. (SBU) COM reiterated these points in an interview the
same day with Serbian RTS (Radio Television
Serbia)-affiliated Radio Contakt Plus in north Mitrovica.
(Note: RTS radio and television is the primary venue through
which Serbs in Kosovo receive their information.) She
strongly condemned acts of violence against the Serb
population, and specifically called upon Kosovar Albanian
political leaders to prevent such attacks in future. She
pointed to the previous week's bomb attack on a train line
serving Serbs in Kosovo as an example of particularly heinous
behavior that could obstruct the process of making a final
determination of Kosovo's status.
5. (SBU) As part of ongoing efforts to engage Kosovo's
northern Serb communties, the USG has invested USD 1.4
million since August into quick-impact infrastructure
projects in northern Kosovo. Projects in the three northern
Serb-majority municipalities include water and sewage in
Zvecan; refurbishment of the town hall in Zubin Potok; and
road construction throughout the three northern
municipalities. Other planned or ongoing projects in north
Mitrovica include construction of an annex to the public
library, refurbishment of a workshop in the technical school,
and rehabilitation of the physiotherapy department in the
health center, all of which will be completed in the next few
months and will pose new opportunities for media engagement.
6. (SBU) Comment: We will continue to invest in Serb
communities north and south of the Ibar, and we will continue
to use these kinds of events to repeat our key messages. The
onset of winter gives us a few months in which to plan new
projects for the spring; in our FY 07 SEED request, we have
PRISTINA 00001071 002 OF 002
proposed the creation of a new infrastructure fund that would
allow us to expand our work in these critical fields.
7. (U) Post clears this message in its entirety for release
to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW