KOSOVO STATUS: PRISTINA AND BELGRADE REMAIN FAR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001385 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS: PRISTINA AND BELGRADE REMAIN FAR APART ON DECENTRALIZATION AFTER MAY 4-5 TALKS. REF: HOVENIER/EUR-SCE E-MAIL OF 5/5/06 THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) THIS IS A REPORT FROM THE U.S. LIAISON OFFICER IN THE OFFICE OF THE UN ENVOY FOR KOSOVO STATUS SUMMARIZING THE MAY 4-5 TALKS ON DECENTRALIZATION/ MUNICIPAL BOUNDARIES. A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY WAS PROVIDED REFTEL. ¶2. (SBU) PRISTINA AND BELGRADE OFFERED VASTLY DIFFERENT PROPOSALS ON NEW MUNICIPALITIES AT THE MAY 4-5 NEGOTIATION SESSION. PRISTINA PUT ON THE TABLE A TOTAL OF FOUR MUNICIPALITIES, THREE NEW AND ONE MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING MUNICIPALITY, WHILE BELGRADE URGED THE CREATION OF FOURTEEN NEW AND FOUR MODIFIED EXISTING MUNICIPALITIES. (NOTE: SEE ANNEX FOR THE LISTS OF PROPOSED MUNICIPALITIES. END NOTE.) THE PRISTINA AUTHORITIES AFFIRMED THAT ALL OF THEIR PROPOSED MUNICIPALITIES WOULD BE SUSTAINABLE WITH SUFFICIENT POPULATION (GENERALLY OVER 5000) AND RESOURCES/ INFRASTRUCTURE. BELGRADE PROPOSED A NUMBER OF VERY SMALL MUNICIPALITIES AND CREATION OF A FEW MUNICIPALITIES IN CURRENTLY SPARSELY POPULATED AREAS TO ATTRACT RETURNS. ¶3. (SBU) IN DISCUSSIONS ON CRITERIA, UNOSEK IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF COMMON POINTS: BOTH SIDES AFFIRMED THAT A MUNICIPALITY SHOULD HAVE A TARGET MINIMUM SIZE OF 5,000 INHABITANTS (ALTHOUGH BELGRADE REPEATEDLY NOTED THE NEED FOR SOME "EXCEPTIONS" TO THIS RULE),AND A TARGET ETHNIC COMPOSITION RATIO OF 70 PERCENT ETHNIC SERB. THE LARGEST DIFFERENCE ON CRITERIA HAD TO DO WITH HOW TO ACCOMMODATE POTENTIAL RETURNEES. BELGRADE INSISTED ON FACTORING IN 1999 POPULATION FIGURES, WHILE PRISTINA INSISTED ON DEVELOPING MUNICIPALITIES BASED ON THE CURRENT POPULATION ON THE GROUND. ¶4. (SBU) NEXT STEPS: UNOSEK WILL PRODUCE A MAP OUTLINING BOTH PROPOSALS AND THEN FURTHER CONSULT WITH THE PARTIES DURING DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY ROHAN'S VISIT TO BELGRADE AND PRISTINA MAY 16-19. UNOSEK ANTICIPATES IT CAN FIND COMMON GROUND ON GRACANICA, NOVO BRDO, AND RANILUG. FINDING AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION IN MITROVICA HAS BEEN COMPLICATED BY BELGRADE'S RECENT CHANGE IN POSITION TO ACCEPT/SUPPORT THE IDEA OF LINKING NORTHERN MITROVICA TO THE ZVECAN MUNICIPALITY. UNOSEK INTENDS TO EXPLORE A FEW OTHER OF THE MORE SUSTAINABLE MUNICIPALITIES OUTLINED BY BELGRADE (PARTES, OBILIC),BUT BELIEVES THAT MANY OF BELGRADE'S PROPOSALS APPEAR UNLIKELY TO BE SUCCESSFUL MUNICIPALITIES. -------------- ANNEX -------------- ¶5. (SBU) SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS - PRISTINA - THREE NEW MUNICIPALITIES AND ONE MODIFICATION OF AN EXISTING MUNICIPALITY: --GRACANICA (NEW), --RANILUG (NEW), --NORTHERN MITROVICA IN A ONE-CITY/TWO-MUNICIPALITY ARRANGEMENT WITH SOUTHERN MITROVICA (NEW),AND --ENLARGED NOVO BRDO (MODIFIED EXISTING MUNICIPALITY). ¶6. (SBU) SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS - BELGRADE - 14 NEW MUNICIPALITIES AND FOUR MODIFICATIONS OF EXISTING MUNICIPALITIES: --GRACANICA (NEW), --LIPLJAN (NEW), --OBILIC (NEW), --GAZIMESTAN (NEW), --ENLARGED NOVO BRDO (MODIFIED EXISTING), --PARTES (NEW), --KUSCE-RANILUG (NEW), --KLOKOT (NEW), --GORA (NEW), --STRPCE (MODIFIED EXISTING), --VELIKA HOCA (NEW), --GORAZDEVAC (NEW), --BELO POLJE (NEW), --OSOJANE (NEW), --NORTHERN MITROVICA/ZVECAN (MODIFIED EXISTING), --RASADNIK (NEW), --LESAK (NEW),AND --ZUBIN POTOK (MODIFIED EXISTING). VIENNA 00001385 002 OF 002 MCCAW