Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SKOPJE1164
2006-12-13 07:56:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA'S AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO WASHINGTON,

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO3622
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #1164/01 3470756
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130756Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5516
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2094
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2089
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3646
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 001164 

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SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA'S AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO WASHINGTON,
ZORAN JOLEVSKI


NEW AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE ZORAN JOLEVSKI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 001164

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA'S AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE TO WASHINGTON,
ZORAN JOLEVSKI


NEW AMBASSADOR-DESIGNATE ZORAN JOLEVSKI


1. (SBU) The Macedonian government has nominated Zoran
Jolevski, a close associate of late President Trajkovski's
and a longtime USAID local Chief of Party (COP),as
Macedonia's next Ambassador to the United States. Never
strongly identified with any single political party, Jolevski
nevertheless quickly emerged as the governing VMRO-DPMNE
party's top candidate for the position after the government
withdrew Ambassador Ljupco Jordanovski following the latter's
public media dispute with Macedonia's Ambassador in London.

ECONOMIST AND VETERAN DIPLOMAT


2. (SBU) Zoran Jolevski was born in Skopje on July 16, 1959.
He received an M.S. in Law and a PhD in International
Economics, both from the University of Sts. Cyril and
Methodius in Skopje. He worked at the Macedonian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) from 1988-1999, first as Secretary to
the Coordination Group on Former Yugoslavia Succession
Issues, and later as first secretary at the Permanent Mission
of Macedonia to the WTO and the UN Office in Geneva
(1994-1998). In his last year at the MFA, he was the deputy
national coordinator for humanitarian issues for Kosovo
refugees, and also worked on WTO accession and other
international trade and financial affairs issues. As
coordinator for humanitarian issues, he helped manage the
massive influx of donor assistance that supported the
establishment of refugee camps and provided humanitarian
assistance to the 200,000 or more Kosovar refugees who had
fled to Macedonia during the 1999 Kosovo crisis.

PRESIDENT TRAJKOVSKI'S RIGHT-HAND MAN


4. (SBU) From January 2000-May 2004 Jolevski served as the
Secretary General of the Cabinet of then-President

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Trajkovski. He was considered to be one of the President's
closest confidantes. In his post as Secretary General,
Jolevski was a key interlocutor with the international
community (IC). He received widespread praise from IC
contacts for his constructive attempts at dealing with
internally displaced persons (IDPs) during the 2001
Macedonian crisis.


5. (SBU) In addition to his other duties, Jolevski became an
advocate for WTO accession and the development of Macedonia's
trade policy. He carved out a niche for himself as the
technical point person for WTO accession, and managed to help
make Macedonia a WTO member in 2003. He was tentatively
slated to serve as Ambassador to the UN Mission in Geneva in
2003, but never took the post, possibly because DUI (the
eAlbanian party in power at the time),believed it was
entitled to fill the position with someone from its own
ranks.

WORK WITH USAID AND ACADEMIC BACKGROUND


6. (SBU) Following Trajkovski's death, Jolevski decided to
leave politics and official life in December 2003. He began
working as USAID's COP for a Booz Allen and Hamilton project
on WTO compliance (2004-2006) and for an on-going project on
improving the Macedonian business environment. As a USAID
COP, he helped to establish interministerial working groups
that fulfilled numerous WTO requirements, including the
ongoing fight against intellectual property rights
infringements.


7. (SBU) Jolevski is the founder and president of the
Institute for Economic Strategies and International Affairs -
Ohrid and is a member of the presidency of the Macedonian
Euro-Atlantic Club and the Skopje Lions Club. Well-traveled
and erudite, Jolevski speaks English, Serbian, Croatian,
Bulgarian and some French. Jolevski is married to Suzana
Jolevska, who works for a Macedonian commercial bank, and has
two sons - Pero (18) and Filip Jolevski (14).

COMMENT


8. (SBU) Jolevski is a solid, if not flashy, choice to
succeed former Ambassador Jordanovski. He is well-respected
by Macedonians, and by American colleagues, and there has
never been even a hint in the local press -- which spares no

SKOPJE 00001164 002 OF 002


one from accusations of improprieties -- that he is involved
in any type of scandal. Jolevski seems more comfortable
talking about economics than making diplomatic small talk,
but he carries himself well in international settings. End
comment.
MILOVANOVIC