Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06SKOPJE888
2006-09-20 14:31:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: A/S FRIED'S MEETING WITH ADRIATIC

Tags:  PREL PGOV MARR UNGA MK 
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RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
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UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000888 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR A/S FRIED FROM AMBASSADOR MILOVANOVIC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR UNGA MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: A/S FRIED'S MEETING WITH ADRIATIC
CHARTER FOREIGN MINISTERS

Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4(B) & (D).

A CHANCE TO POINT MACEDONIA IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

UNCLAS E F T O SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000888

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR A/S FRIED FROM AMBASSADOR MILOVANOVIC

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR UNGA MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: A/S FRIED'S MEETING WITH ADRIATIC
CHARTER FOREIGN MINISTERS

Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4(B) & (D).

A CHANCE TO POINT MACEDONIA IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION


1. (SBU) Although you will be meeting with the A-3 foreign
ministers as a group on the margins of the UNGA in New York
on September 22, we believe you can reinforce some key themes
we have been underlining with the newly-elected GOM should
you have an opportunity for a brief pull-aside with
newly-appointed Macedonian FM Antonio Milososki. To
strengthen its NATO candidacy, Macedonia needs to:

--show concrete results in efforts to strengthen democratic
systems and bolster rule of law, especially on the corruption
and TIP fronts;

--redouble efforts to open dialogue with the principal ethnic
Albanian opposition party to demonstrate commitment to
building an inclusive Macedonia; and,

--keep defense reforms on track, to avoid overstretch in its
commitments to overseas peace operations.


2. (U) These themes also were reflected in Ambassador
Nuland's March 2006 "NATO Roadshow" visit to Macedonia, which
highlighted the country's significant progress in meeting
MAP-related requirements and outlined outstanding issues the
GOM needed to address to strengthen its NATO membership
candidacy.

DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS -- IMPROVING, BUT STILL NEED WORK


3. (SBU) Macedonia's July 5 parliamentary elections were
judged by the OSCE and by other international observers to
have generally met international standards, with
irregularities at some polling stations. A peaceful
transition of power took place, culminating in the August 26
parliamentary approval of the new coalition government.
Charges have been brought against some of the alleged
perpetrators of the voting irregularities, but there have not
yet been any prosecutions. The GOM must demonstrate that it
is serious about prosecuting those cases and, where
warranted, obtaining convictions and appropriate sentences
against the perpetrators to deter future voter fraud and

malfeasance.

IMPROVING DIALOGUE WITH THE OPPOSITION


4. (SBU) Despite the fact that the ethnic Albanian DUI party,
a member of the former governing coalition, won the majority
of the eAlbanian vote, they were not included in the
governing coalition that was confirmed in office on August

26. The party that won the most seats, ethnic Macedonian
center-right VMRO-DPMNE, engaged in coalition negotiations
with DUI but eventually declined to include them in the
government.


5. (SBU) DUI reacted strongly to its exclusion from
government, threatening to return its parliamentary mandates,
take to the streets, and suspend cooperation between
DUI-dominated municipalities and the central government. DUI
leaders also threatened to actively, but democratically, work
to bring down the government and prime minister, both of
which they consider illegitimate. To avoid signaling to the
international community that the government is faced with a
continuing low-level political crisis of confidence, the GOM
should redouble efforts to open earnest dialogue with DUI to
discuss how that party can play a constructive role as an
active but loyal opposition.

RULE OF LAW -- GOOD LEGISLATIVE ADVANCES, SLOW PRACTICAL
PROGRESS


6. (SBU) The previous government had a good track record on
legislative action related to rule of law, having passed a
comprehensive package of judicial reforms in 2005-2006. The
new government is focused on passing a new police law to
enhance police professionalism, as well as a wiretapping law
that will help combat organized crime. The previous
government demonstrated some progress on trafficking in

SKOPJE 00000888 002 OF 002


persons (TIP),with adoption in 2006 of a national strategy
for combating TIP and the successful prosecution and
conviction of defendants in a major TIP case in August 2006.
Two major corruption cases are ongoing, but have not shown
much movement over the past several months. The government
needs to show concrete progress over the next several months
to a year in combating TIP and corruption. It should strive
to prosecute to conviction, as warranted, several
high-profile corruption cases, and continue to investigate
and prosecute major TIP crimes.

ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT -- SOME BRIGHT SPOTS


7. (SBU) Macedonia has made significant headway on economic
reform issues, having completed this year the first phase of
the privatization of the country's monopoly electric supply
company and having opened earlier this year a "one-stop shop"
window for business registration. Partly as a result, the
World Bank recently boosted Macedonia's ranking as a country
in which to do business to 92nd out of 175 countries in 2006.
The government has made accelerating economic growth its top
priority, along with fighting corruption, and hopes to use
fiscal and agricultural policy, plus tax cuts, to spur growth
from 4.5 GDP growth annually to 6-8 percent by the end of its
mandate.

DEFENSE REFORMS -- CONTINUED STRONG PERFORMANCE


8. (SBU) Macedonia is strong on defense reforms, receiving
high marks for its progress in restructuring its military in
line with NATO standards. In May 2006 the Parliament passed
a Defense Law that officially ended conscription; the armed
forces are expected to shift to an all-volunteer army by
October of this year.


9. (SBU) Macedonia currently has troops deployed in
Afghanistan and Iraq, including a recent deployment of an
85-man strong company with the SEEBRIG to Kabul under UK
leadership. They also have deployed troops and helicopters
to support the EUFOR mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
seventh rotation of Macedonian troops to Iraq took place in
June; the next rotation is expected in December. The only
major concern in this area of the NATO MAP process is that
the GOM should not commit too quickly to additional troop
deployments overseas at the cost of its continuing defense
reform priorities.

BIO NOTE ON FM ANTONIO MILOSOSKI


10. (U) Have served previously as VMRO-DPMNE's chief
spokesman and as a key Gruevski adviser, Milososki was the
VMRO-DPMNE-led government spokesman from May 2000 to
September 2001, a period covering the country's internal
armed conflict. Prior to that, he served in the government
of former Prime Minister Ljupco Georgievski. After leaving
government, Milososki went to Germany, where he earned an
M.A. in European Integration studies. He began work in 2002
on a PhD in political science (his dissertation topic is
Macedonian-Greek relations) at the University of Duisburg in
Germany.


11. (SBU/NF) Milososki was known during his earlier student
days as a nationalist with hardline, ethnically divisive
views opposing Albanian-language instruction at the national
university in Skopje. He has moderated those views since
then, according to local observers, although he was abrasive
during the 2006 election campaign. In addition to founding
the "Youth Euro-Atlantic Forum," he has worked as a regular
columnist for a prominent local daily newspaper, and
participated in an international leadership and economic
development seminar sponsored by Harvard University. He also
attended a Security Executive Seminar at the Marshall Center
for European Studies in Germany in 2000. Born in Tetovo in
1976, Milososki is married to an electrical engineer. He
speaks fluent English and German.
MILOVANOVIC