KOSOVO: ASSEMBLY FINALLY PASSES TURKISH LANGUAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRISTINA 000804

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2016
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ASSEMBLY FINALLY PASSES TURKISH LANGUAGE
AMENDMENT

REF: PRISTINA 781

Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Kosovo Assembly passed an amendment to
the Law on Languages making Turkish an official language in
Prizren. After initially rejecting the measure on September
14 due to infighting within the ruling Democratic League of
Kosovo (LDK) party, the LDK got its house in order (at least
for this vote) after we made clear to Assembly Speaker
Berisha and others the amendment's importance to the
fulfillment of a key Contact Group standard. Passage is good
news, but the difficulty of gaining parliamentary support for
a key concern of a pro-Albanian and pro-independence minority
does not bode well for the tougher decisions ahead on
minority rights. It also highlights the need for party
discipline if the Unity Team hopes to deliver rank-and-file
support for a status agreement. END SUMMARY.

Not Pretty, But It Passed


2. (SBU) Finally, by a vote of 61 for, seven against and
three abstentions, the Kosovo Assembly passed an amendment to
the Law on Languages, making Turkish an official language in
Prizren and in any area where Turks make up at least five
percent of the population. Due to infighting within the
ruling Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) party, the Assembly
had rejected the measure on September 12 (reftel),a day
after visiting EUR DAS DiCarlo had made clear to Assembly
caucus heads that passage of the measure supported a key
Contact Group standard and, more to the point, protection of
minority rights.


3. (C) In the days after the defeat, COM re-affirmed to
Assembly Speaker Berisha the importance not only of the
amendment's passage but also the need to demonstrate party
discipline in implementing standards-related requirements.
Berisha then argued in favor of re-introducing the amendment
to the LDK caucus on September 21 and got the support he
needed, but not without complaints from perennial
troublemakers, LDK caucus leader Alush Gashi and LDK
Presidency member Sabri Hamiti.


4. (SBU) Gashi, who did nothing to prevent the measure's
earlier defeat, said he would now support it, but only
because "the Contact Group requested it." For his part,
Hamiti claimed the Assembly could not move forward because of
procedural grounds, but that he would now also lend his
support, even though "what we are being asked to do is a
political issue." With the LDK house now more or less in
order, the measure was then brought to the floor and, with
the support of other major parties, passed easily.

Comment


5. (C) Kosovo's Turkish minority is openly pro-independence
and allied to the Albanian majority; its political party is
in the governing coalition. Passage of this amendment should
have been an easy concession for the LDK caucus. The fact
that this measure passed only after considerable
international arm twisting -- with us leading the charge --
does not bode well for the Assembly's ability to enact
legislation that will be critical to Kosovo's Serbs. We will
work continuously to underscore to Assembly and party leaders
the need for discipline and seriousness to standards-related
legislation as a critical measure of Kosovo's readiness for
the status settlement.


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