KOSOVO: ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP REVEALS

UNCLAS PRISTINA 000493

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP REVEALS
TRANSPARENCY-ENHANCING WORK PLAN

Sensitive But Unclassified, Please Protect Accordingly.


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Kosovo Assembly formally unveiled a
new work plan on June 7 designed to improve procedural and
budgetary transparency. International advisors, including
USAID, have been very involved in the development of this
plan and heads of diplomatic liaison offices, including COM,
praised it on its unveiling. Assembly political party
leaders have already unanimously approved these changes and
the Assembly approved them by a majority vote on June 1 for
immediate implementation. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) The Assembly unveiled a work plan to diplomatic
liaison offices on June 8 that seeks to reform Assembly
procedure and align it with standards set by European
parliaments and by UNMIK's Standards for Kosovo program
process. Assembly political caucuses unanimously approved
the work plan and the Assembly approved them by a majority
vote on June 1.


3. The two central pillars of the new work plan are the
adoption of an annual calendar to outline semi-monthly
plenary sessions and regular Assembly Presidency meetings,
and increased support to the parliamentary committees.
(COMMENT: Former Assembly president Nexhat Daci strictly
controlled the dates of plenary sessions and was often
accused by colleagues of running roughshod over committees.
END COMMENT.) At the urging of U.S. Mission staff,
international donors have now coordinated their assistance to
the Assembly as well. As of May, the European Agency for
Reconstruction is providing technical assistance to
committees and central-level budget support; OSCE is
continuing to provide Assembly monitoring and has a former
member of the Bundestag as a regular in-house Assembly
advisor; USAID and NDI are both providing full-time advisors.


4. (SBU) According to Berisha's political advisor Rame Manaj,
several new initiatives will be included in upcoming
revisions to the Assembly's rules of procedure to facilitate
a "space for the opposition." These include regular outlined
question and answer periods (during which individual members
can oblige a Minister to explain or defend the actions and
policy decisions of their ministries) and clearer rules
governing when a parliamentary caucus can request the
Assembly Presidency place a particular item on a plenary
session agenda. NDI's David Payne told poloff June 7 that in
the five years under former Assembly president Daci, the
Assembly only allowed ten formal question and answer periods
and entertained two requests by a parliamentary caucus to
place an item on the agenda for the plenary session.


5. (SBU) Liaison office heads received the plan June 8 with
open praise for Berisha. The Austrian head of office noted
that this was the first time an Assembly president had
convened such a meeting for liaison offices. After the COM
said that he welcomed Berisha's changes designed to create a
more democratic Kosovo Assembly, Berisha responded that he
would continue to work diligently for democratic reforms, and
promised to work to enact minority-related pieces of
legislation on the use of languages, cultural heritage and
freedom of religion before the Assembly's summer recess.


6. (U) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable for release in
its entirety to U.S. Special Envoy for Kosovo Martti
Ahtisaari.
GOLDBERG