Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SKOPJE613
2006-06-28 07:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: AMBASSADOR AND PRIME MINISTER ON NEXT

Tags:  PGOV PREL MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
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PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0613/01 1790709
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 280709Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4855
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3608
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 4089
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SKOPJE 000613 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: AMBASSADOR AND PRIME MINISTER ON NEXT
STEPS FOR AVERTING FURTHER CAMPAIGN-RELATED INCIDENTS

REF: A. SKOPJE 594

B. SKOPJE 596

Classified By: Poloff Katrina Mosser for reasons 1.5(b) and (d).

SUMMARY.

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 SKOPJE 000613

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/26/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: AMBASSADOR AND PRIME MINISTER ON NEXT
STEPS FOR AVERTING FURTHER CAMPAIGN-RELATED INCIDENTS

REF: A. SKOPJE 594

B. SKOPJE 596

Classified By: Poloff Katrina Mosser for reasons 1.5(b) and (d).

SUMMARY.


1. (C) During a June 26 meeting, the Ambassador shared with
PM Buckovski her concerns over recent campaign-related
violent incidents, mostly involving supporters of ethnic
Albanian rival parties DUI and DPA (refs A and B). She
outlined steps the U.S. Embassy would take over the next
several days to try to curb such incidents. Buckovski said
he would reach out to Kosovar Albanian leaders and would
ask them to urge both DUI and DPA leaders to restrain their
supporters. He also suggested some confidence-building
measures for DUI and DPA, including establishing a
"hotline" for managing or averting incidents. Buckovski
said DPA VP Thaci's goal is to use a show of force to
compel other political leaders to offer DPA a place in the
next government, regardless of which eAlbanian party wins
the most seats. Buckovski vowed he would not accept such a
tactic if governing SDSM received the next mandate. We
will work to dissuade DPA leaders of the notion that they
can use threats to force their way into the next
government, and will support DUI's efforts to prevent its
supporters from responding to additional DPA provocations.
End Summary.

WAY FORWARD IN TRYING TO CURB CAMPAIGN-RELATED VIOLENT
INCIDENTS


2. (C) The Ambassador met with Prime Minister Buckovski on
June 26 to discuss the way forward in trying to curb recent
campaign-related violent incidents, most of them involving
members of rival ethnic Albanian political parties DUI and
DPA. The Ambassador said she was disappointed that the
campaign-related violence had continued over the weekend in
a clash between DUI and DPA supporters in the town of
Rasce, outside of Skopje. She emphasized the importance of
Buckovski showing he was engaged in finding solutions to
the problem in his role as the Prime Minister. She told
Buckovski that she, joined by the EUSR, OSCE head of
mission, and UK ambassador, would visit Rasce on June 27 to
make public statements condemning these incidents and

reiterating their call for an immediate end to the
violence.


3. (C) The Ambassador also informed Buckovski that she
would meet privately with DUI leader Ali Ahmeti and with
DPA President Arben Xhaferi on June 28 to reiterate the
urgent need to end the violence. If the incidents
continued, she said, the embassy would be compelled to
update the U.S. Consular Information Sheet to inform U.S.
citizens of violence in the country. We also would work
with the American-Macedonian Chamber of Commerce to have
them release a statement on the damaging effect the
incidents could have on investment and tourism here. In
addition, the EU was considering expanding its visa ban
list to include individuals implicated in the incidents,
including party leaders.

KOSOVAR ALBANIAN CONNECTION COULD HELP CALM THE SITUATION


4. (C) Buckovski said he had spoken to Kosovo Prime
Minister Ceku earlier in the day to stress the GOM's desire
to have "European standard" election campaigns for the
remainder of the campaign period. Ceku had told Buckovski
he would release a statement emphasizing the importance of
these elections for Macedonia, for eAlbanians, and for the
future of Kosovo. Buckovski also said he would contact
Hashim Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj to deliver the same
message, and would ask them to press Xhaferi and Ahmeti to
restrain their supporters.


5. (C) The Ambassador noted that we felt Ahmeti was, as he
repeatedly has told us, resisting Kosovar Albanian offers
to him of weapons and personnel to counter DPA's forces on
the ground. It would be useful for Buckovski to talk to

SKOPJE 00000613 002 OF 003


Haradinaj and to stress to him that such offers, if he had
made or was considering making any, would be
counterproductive. It also would help for Hashim Thaci to
pass to DPA the message that they should refrain from
further attempts to exploit the situation.

ETHNIC MACEDONIAN PARTIES TRYING TO EXPLOIT THE CLASHES


6. (C) Buckovski replied that VMRO-NP (right-of-center,
nationalist) informal leader Ljupco Georgievski was trying
to exploit the current situation by suggesting that there
should be a separate election assessment of eAlbanians and
eMacedonians. VMRO-DPMNE (main opposition party) had also
entered the fray, suggesting in a newspaper they control
that "DUI came to power by the gun and should leave by the
gun", encouraging DPA to continue its pressure on DUI,
including through violent tactics, to unseat them.


7. (C) Buckovski said he had appealed to all party leaders
to instruct their supporters to use only verbal
communication, not physical violence or intimidation, to
convey campaign themes. According to police information he
had received, at least half of DPA's presidency was
responsible for provoking incidents. Although arrests at
this time would have obvious political implications, the
GOM was prepared to enforce the rule of law. The MOI would
arrest those responsible for the violence if necessary.
(COMMENT: We do not expect such arrests now as court cases
would be impossible to make given the likely lack of people
to testify, and because of the ongoing election campaign.
END COMMENT.)

CONFIDENCE BUILDING MEASURES BETWEEN DUI AND DPA


8. (C) Citing the informal contacts with the VMRO-DPMNE
campaign HQs that governing SDSM has developed to help
manage or avert incidents, Buckovski suggested the same
would be useful for DUI and DPA. (NOTE: Buckovski failed to
note that the existing informal contacts had not prevented
a violent clash between SDSM and VMRO-DPMNE supporters in
downtown Skopje the previous week.) It would be good if
Xhaferi and Ahmeti could agree to establish a "hotline" or
other mechanism for reporting incidents, and could use that
mechanism to coordinate to de-conflict their campaign
schedule. That would help prevent groups from both parties
en route to campaign events from crossing paths and
clashing.

DPA's END GAME -- A PLACE IN GOVERNMENT AT ALL COSTS


9. (C) Buckovski said his assessment was that DPA Vice
President Thaci wanted to present an overwhelming show of
force during the campaign to frighten the political
establishment into inviting him into a coalition, even if
DPA did not emerge from the elections as the eAlbanian
party with the most seats. He wanted to send a signal that
it would be disastrous and destabilizing if DUI won and DPA
was not included in government. DPA intended to "destroy
the elections" if it did not find a place in the next
government.


10. (C) Buckovski said that, if SDSM won another mandate,
he would only offer to govern with the eAlbanian party that
had conducted a peaceful campaign, even if that party had
not won the most seats among the eAlbanian parties.
VMRO-DPMNE should be asked to adopt a similar position, he
concluded.

COMMENT


11. (C) By all accounts, it looks like DPA is trying to
keep campaign-related violent incidents running to impress
voters with a show of force. If Buckovski is correct in
his assessment that DPA's Thaci also is trying to leverage
that show of force into a "guarantee" that DPA will have a
place in the next government, we will work quickly to
dissuade the DPA leadership of that notion. In addition,
we will work with Ahmeti to assure him of our support if he
restrains his supporters from countering DPA provocations

SKOPJE 00000613 003 OF 003


with DUI reprisals. At this time, however, allegations
from both sides are continuing and, according to the
Minister of Interior, more possibly violent exchanges are
likely if rival party members cross paths.

MILOVANOVIC