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