KOSOVO: MAYORS PRESSED TO ACCEPT DECENTRALIZATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000971

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: MAYORS PRESSED TO ACCEPT DECENTRALIZATION
AT COM-HOSTED CONTACT GROUP MEETING


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


1. (C) SUMMARY: COM hosted a November 14 meeting of her
Contact Group colleagues, joined by EU and EC reps, with
mayors of 10 major Kosovo cities to emphasize the centrality
of decentralization in the final status settlement. She
urged them as key players in this process to implement
decentralization fairly and effectively, and noted that what
they say and do will be heard well beyond Kosovo. All of
COM's colleagues, including Russian COM Andrei Dronov,
underscored this message and made statements supportive of
Special Envoy Ahtisaari. The mayors agreed with
decentralization as a concept, but several complained that
creation of Serb-majority municipalities in some instances
made no geographic or practical sense and/or was at odds with
the goal of integrating Serbs into Kosovar society. The
meeting laid down a marker with these mayors that they will
be responsible for implementing this key concept of the final
status settlement, and that they need to move beyond their
objections and assist with the transition process. END
SUMMARY.

"You Are Now International Statesmen"


2. (C) COM hosted a November 14 meeting of local Contact
Group members, joined by EU and EC reps, with the mayors of
10 Kosovo cities. At the outset, COM stressed the importance
of decentralization as the central concept of the final
status settlement. Saying "you are now all international
statesmen," she noted that mayors would play a key role in
implementing decentralization and their words and actions
would be intensely scrutinized by the international community
as a test of Kosovo's readiness for a final status decision.
COM added that decentralization would not only protect
Kosovo's Serb community, but would bring services closer to
all citizens of Kosovo, regardless of ethnicity. She
concluded that decentralization would indeed happen and urged
the mayors to look beyond whether there will be new
municipalities -- which is a given -- to the more important
question of how the concept can make life better for
Kosovars. COM's counterparts underscored this message:
British HOM Blunt said success or failure of the final
settlement would depend on the mayors' ability to implement
decentralization, while EU/ICO HOM Sohlstrom said "all eyes
are on Kosovo" to see whether it is prepared to do this
meaningfully and effectively. Russian HOM Dronov affirmed as
well that he subscribed to everything his colleagues had
said, and that Russia stood behind the process led by Special
Envoy Ahtisaari.

Agree With Decentralization, But...


3. (C) All mayors agreed about the importance of
decentralization. However, many complained that boundaries
for new Serb-majority municipalities in certain instances
made little geographic/practical sense and undermined the
principle of trying to integrate Serbs rather than isolate
them. Gjilan Mayor Hyseni said he accepted the new
municipality of Partesh having a Serb majority, but claimed
that it should be "multiethnic" in character. He added that
it "made no sense" to add villages only two kilometers from
Gjilan to Novo Brdo municipality, some 20 kilometers away.
Pristina Mayor Beqiri asked how creation of these
"mono-ethnic" municipalities could work toward the
integration of all citizens and asserted that many Kosovars
do not understand the process as outlined in the settlement.
Fushe Kosove Mayor Zogaj defended his municipality as "very
multiethnic," claiming that Serbs there would be in a much
worse position if they were to join with Gracanica
municipality.

Ethnic Serb Mayor Welcomes Decentralization


4. (C) Peter Vasic, mayor of Novo Brdo and the only ethnic
Serb present, welcomed decentralization for his own
municipality, saying it reflected the will of the Serb
community there. He noted that those who were arguing for

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excluding certain villages from Novo Brdo had forgotten that
in the 1960s these same villages had been part of that
municipality. The greatest problem for Novo Brdo, he went
on, was freedom of access, saying Pristina was "as distant as
London" for his citizens. Vasic said he did not support any
political stance for or against independence, but that a
strong economy was needed to establish a state and ensure a
prosperous future for Kosovo.


5. (U) At a press conference immediately following the
meeting, COM noted that the Contact Group stood firmly behind
the decentralization concept, and believed it was a positive
for Kosovo. She also made it clear that the international
community stood ready to help support its implementation.
Pristina Mayor Beqiri, speaking on behalf of the mayors,
again reiterated his disagreement with the creation of
Serb-majority municipalities, but concluded that "we are
ready to pay anything for freedom."


6. (C) COMMENT: This meeting was useful to lay down an
international community marker with key Kosovo mayors that
decentralization is coming and that they will be held
accountable for its successful implementation. We will
continue to hammer home this message at every appropriate
opportunity. END COMMENT.


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