Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PRISTINA364
2006-04-28 14:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:
UNMIK LOOKING FOR ELUSIVE CONSENSUS ON MUNICIPAL
how-toVZCZCXRO8232 OO RUEHAG RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHPS #0364 1181413 ZNR UUUUU ZZH O 281413Z APR 06 FM USOFFICE PRISTINA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6063 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0668 RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK RHFMIUU/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT RHMFIUU/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
UNCLAS PRISTINA 000364
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE, AND EUR/SSA, NSC FOR BBRAUN,
USUN FOR DSCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR SSTEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: UNMIK LOOKING FOR ELUSIVE CONSENSUS ON MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.
UNCLAS PRISTINA 000364
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE, AND EUR/SSA, NSC FOR BBRAUN,
USUN FOR DSCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR SSTEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: UNMIK LOOKING FOR ELUSIVE CONSENSUS ON MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.
1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The SRSG and the OSCE head of office
hosted an April 27 meeting of Kosovo political party
representatives and interested international parties,
including COM, to discuss whether Kosovo's municipal
elections should take place in October 2006 as scheduled.
Most political party participants, including Serb
representatives, supported delaying elections until ongoing
Kosovo final status talks are completed, citing a desire to
include new municipalities that likely will be created as
part of any final status settlement and the need to avoid a
Serb boycott. Opposition parties favored holding the
elections as scheduled in October. SRSG Jessen-Petersen will
likely take a decision to delay the elections in the interest
of an orderly final status process. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen and Jens Modvig, acting
head of the Kosovo office of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),chaired an April 27 meeting
of representatives from 17 Kosovo political parties to
discuss a possible delay in Kosovo-wide municipal elections
tentatively scheduled for October. The big four ethnic
Albanian parties were represented by Ramush Haradinaj (AAK),
Kole Berisha (LDK),Fatmir Limaj (PDK),and Veton Surroi
(ORA). Most participants favored delay in order to allow the
elections to include new municipalities expected to be
created as part of the final status process and in order to
avoid a likely Kosovo Serb boycott. Representatives of
Kosovo's two Serb parties favored delaying the elections.
3. (SBU) Opposition leaders Surroi and Limaj opposed delaying
the elections, with Surroi arguing that holding elections as
scheduled would show the world that democracy has taken firm
root in Kosovo. (COMMENT. In reality the opposition is
anxious for elections because they believe the passing of
President Ibrahim Rugova and audits underway by Kosovo's
Auditor General, which have shown fiscal irregularities,
could bring into question the hold the Democratic League of
Kosovo (LDK) enjoys over most municipal governments in
Kosovo. END COMMENT.) PDK's Fatmir Limaj ultimately
conceded that the PDK would be willing to discuss the
question further if a consensus for delay otherwise emerged.
4. (SBU) In comments to the press after the meeting,
Jessen-Petersen said he would facilitate two weeks of
consultations on the scheduling of the elections after which
he would decide on next steps. He showed a clear preference
to delay when he said he wanted to avoid "risk of
distraction" during final status discussions.
5. (SBU) COMMENT. The SRSG has the power to delay the
elections by fiat. He would, of course, prefer to be "asked"
by the Kosovar political parties to delay elections rather
than use his extraordinary powers. None of the parties will
publicly admit that democratic elections would negatively
impact the final status process, and none of the Albanian
parties can even hint to their constituents that the specter
of a Kosovo Serb boycott is of any concern whatsoever.
Nonetheless, they are all aware of the risks.
6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED. A Kosovo Serb elections boycott
would set a negative context for the debate on Kosovo's final
status the United Nations Security Council will likely be
launching next fall. Jessen-Petersen will likely spend some
of his considerable political capital with Kosovo Albanian
political parties by asserting his authority and deciding
that elections should be delayed to allow inclusion of
possible new municipalities and to avoid sidetracking the
final status process as negotiators campaign and perhaps are
even replaced. COM has discussed the issue with the SRSG and
supported his inclination to postpone. END COMMENT.
7. (SBU) Post clears this message in its entirety for
release to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
GOLDBERG
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE, AND EUR/SSA, NSC FOR BBRAUN,
USUN FOR DSCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR SSTEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KDEM PGOV PREL UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: UNMIK LOOKING FOR ELUSIVE CONSENSUS ON MUNICIPAL
ELECTIONS
Sensitive but unclassified; please protect accordingly.
1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The SRSG and the OSCE head of office
hosted an April 27 meeting of Kosovo political party
representatives and interested international parties,
including COM, to discuss whether Kosovo's municipal
elections should take place in October 2006 as scheduled.
Most political party participants, including Serb
representatives, supported delaying elections until ongoing
Kosovo final status talks are completed, citing a desire to
include new municipalities that likely will be created as
part of any final status settlement and the need to avoid a
Serb boycott. Opposition parties favored holding the
elections as scheduled in October. SRSG Jessen-Petersen will
likely take a decision to delay the elections in the interest
of an orderly final status process. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen and Jens Modvig, acting
head of the Kosovo office of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),chaired an April 27 meeting
of representatives from 17 Kosovo political parties to
discuss a possible delay in Kosovo-wide municipal elections
tentatively scheduled for October. The big four ethnic
Albanian parties were represented by Ramush Haradinaj (AAK),
Kole Berisha (LDK),Fatmir Limaj (PDK),and Veton Surroi
(ORA). Most participants favored delay in order to allow the
elections to include new municipalities expected to be
created as part of the final status process and in order to
avoid a likely Kosovo Serb boycott. Representatives of
Kosovo's two Serb parties favored delaying the elections.
3. (SBU) Opposition leaders Surroi and Limaj opposed delaying
the elections, with Surroi arguing that holding elections as
scheduled would show the world that democracy has taken firm
root in Kosovo. (COMMENT. In reality the opposition is
anxious for elections because they believe the passing of
President Ibrahim Rugova and audits underway by Kosovo's
Auditor General, which have shown fiscal irregularities,
could bring into question the hold the Democratic League of
Kosovo (LDK) enjoys over most municipal governments in
Kosovo. END COMMENT.) PDK's Fatmir Limaj ultimately
conceded that the PDK would be willing to discuss the
question further if a consensus for delay otherwise emerged.
4. (SBU) In comments to the press after the meeting,
Jessen-Petersen said he would facilitate two weeks of
consultations on the scheduling of the elections after which
he would decide on next steps. He showed a clear preference
to delay when he said he wanted to avoid "risk of
distraction" during final status discussions.
5. (SBU) COMMENT. The SRSG has the power to delay the
elections by fiat. He would, of course, prefer to be "asked"
by the Kosovar political parties to delay elections rather
than use his extraordinary powers. None of the parties will
publicly admit that democratic elections would negatively
impact the final status process, and none of the Albanian
parties can even hint to their constituents that the specter
of a Kosovo Serb boycott is of any concern whatsoever.
Nonetheless, they are all aware of the risks.
6. (SBU) COMMENT CONTINUED. A Kosovo Serb elections boycott
would set a negative context for the debate on Kosovo's final
status the United Nations Security Council will likely be
launching next fall. Jessen-Petersen will likely spend some
of his considerable political capital with Kosovo Albanian
political parties by asserting his authority and deciding
that elections should be delayed to allow inclusion of
possible new municipalities and to avoid sidetracking the
final status process as negotiators campaign and perhaps are
even replaced. COM has discussed the issue with the SRSG and
supported his inclination to postpone. END COMMENT.
7. (SBU) Post clears this message in its entirety for
release to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
GOLDBERG