MODERATE OLIVER IVANOVIC CLAIMS TO BE LAUNCHING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000647

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DROGERS, MOKEEFE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2015
TAGS: PREL KCRM PGOV PINR KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: MODERATE OLIVER IVANOVIC CLAIMS TO BE LAUNCHING
NEW KOSOVO SERB POLITICAL PARTY

REF: PRISTINA 639

Classified By: COM PHILIP S. GOLDBERG FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PROTECT ACCORDINGLY


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Moderate Kosovo Serb leader Oliver
Ivanovic has filed papers with the OSCE to establish a new
political party and has requested funding for a new NGO
designed to reduce the influence of Belgrade political
parties on Kosovo Serbs. However, his new party is a local
branch of a Belgrade based-party, and his efforts remain
heavily dependent on support from Belgrade leaders. It is
the first time that a Belgrade-based political party has
registered a Kosovo branch as a party with the OSCE in
Pristina. END SUMMARY.

IVANOVIC REGISTERS BELGRADE-BASED "BRANCH PARTY" WITH OSCE
PRISTINA


2. (SBU) On August 3 moderate Kosovo Serb leader of the
Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM) Oliver Ivanovic
told PolOff that he filed registration documents with the
OSCE in Pristina to establish a new political party, the
Provincial Organization of the Social Democratic Party in
Kosovo and Metohija (SDP KiM)(Reftel). Ivanovic explained
that while the SDP KiM is "in name" a Kosovo branch of his
Belgrade-based Social Democratic Party (led by former chief
of the Kosovo Coordination Center Nebojsa Covic),the
relationship between them will be of "sister parties." The
two parties will be closely tied in the beginning, Ivanovic
said, but he expects SDP KiM to become more independent over
the coming year. Ivanovic added that fellow SLKM and SDP
party members Vesna Jovanovic (of Partesh) and Gojko Savic
(former University of Mitrovica rector) are also among the
leaders of the new party.


3. (SBU) Ivanovic claimed that he could not start a
completely independent party at this point because emotions
are high among Kosovo Serbs, who might accuse him of cutting
ties with Belgrade and contributing to Kosovo's independence.
He said that the "branch party" solution is a compromise
that allows him to put party infrastructure in place and be
ready for elections after status. None of the other
Belgrade-based political parties have registered branches in
Kosovo, he noted, and said that even the SLKM participated in
the 2004 election as a citizens initiative, not a party.


4. (SBU) Ivanovic admitted that the OSCE returned his
initial registration for technical reasons, and said he is
working with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) to
remedy and re-submit the application. A representative from
the OSCE political party registration office told PolFSN on
August 2 that the documents did not contain certain mandatory
elements in the party statute, including those governing the
election of the party president. She said that Ivanovic has
until August 14 to file amended versions of the documents,
after which there is a mandatory 15-day public comment period
before the registration can be finalized. Ivanovic said that
per OSCE regulations, the party will convene an election
within six months of registration.

IVANOVIC ASKS FOR DONOR SUPPORT


5. (SBU) While Ivanovic did not want to make a direct pitch
for funds to support the start-up of his new party, he has
submitted a proposal to USOP and others in the donor
community to establish an "NGO" that, clearly, would form the
logistical base for his new "SDP KiM." Ivanovic and Biljana
Jovic, head of the Center for Migration Studies (and former
Embassy Belgrade employee) presented their proposal June 26
to USOP staff, arguing that a network of NGO offices
established throughout Kosovo could help encourage Kosovo
Serbs to take practical actions to solve local problems and

PRISTINA 00000647 002 OF 002


thereby diminish the influence of Belgrade institutions.
Their proposed budget of 340,000 euros would cover offices
in, among other places, Mitrovica and the three northern
Serb-majority municipalities, as well as Serb enclaves in the
southern part of Kosovo.

COMMENT


6. (C) Ivanovic has come to us many times before with
promises he will rejoin the Provisional Institutions of
Self-Government (PISG) and reformulate his political base in
Kosovo. Though this time he appears to have taken a more
concrete step in that direction, he has little to offer by
way of a practical program. Neither we nor the other donors
are in a position to fund the start-up of a new Serb
political party - which we would anyway taint by our
association from the very outset - but we remain ready and
eager to see whether Ivanovic can produce any substantive
proposals that would help build support in local Serb
communities and spread the message of his new organization.
We will continue to engage with Ivanovic and encourage him to
bring us community-based ideas that we can add to our growing
list of "quick impact" projects in the north. END COMMENT.


7. (U) Post clears this message in its entirety for release
to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW