Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06VIENNA1501
2006-05-23 10:49:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Vienna
Cable title:  

KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: MAY 22 UPDATE

Tags:  PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO4008
RR RUEHAST
DE RUEHVI #1501/01 1431049
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231049Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY VIENNA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3597
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0124
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001501 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU
SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: MAY 22 UPDATE

REF: USNATO 000328

VIENNA 00001501 001.2 OF 002


THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE
ACCORDINGLY.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001501

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU
SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: MAY 22 UPDATE

REF: USNATO 000328

VIENNA 00001501 001.2 OF 002


THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE
ACCORDINGLY.


1. (U) THIS CABLE IS AN UPDATE FROM THE U.S. LIAISON
OFFICER IN THE OFFICE OF THE UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR KOSOVO
STATUS (UNOSEK).

SUMMARY
--------------


2. (SBU) UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR KOSOVO STATUS MARTTI
AHTISAARI SPENT MOST OF THE PAST TWO WEEKS TRAVELING TO
EUROPEAN CAPITALS AND WASHINGTON, AND IN MEETINGS WITH
NATO AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE (COE) ON KOSOVO STATUS.
DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY ALBERT ROHAN AND A UNOSEK DELEGATION
DISCUSSED DECENTRALIZATION IN VISITS TO BELGRADE AND
PRISTINA, DURING WHICH BELGRADE CLARIFIED ITS POSITION
AND SAID IT COULD ACCEPT A PRISTINA-CENTRAL GOVERNMENT
ROLE IN THE COMPETENCIES BELGRADE IDENTIFED AS "FULL
AUTONOMY" AREAS. PRISTINA AUTHORITIES WERE RELUCTANT TO
MOVE BEYOND THEIR ALREADY TABLED PROPOSALS. BOTH SIDES
AGREED TO FURTHER EXPERT-LEVEL TALKS AND TO PROVIDE
ADDITIONAL INPUT. BOTH SIDES HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR
DELEGATIONS FOR THE MAY 23 NEGOTIATION SESSION ON
PROTECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE. END SUMMARY.

AHTISAARI TRAVELS
--------------


3. (SBU) LAST WEEK, AHTISAARI VISITED SLOVENIA,
NATO/BRUSSELS, STRASBOURG FOR A "FIRESIDE CHAT" WITH
COUNCIL OF EUROPE FOREIGN MINISTERS, AND PRAGUE. THE
PREVIOUS WEEK HE WAS IN WASHINGTON AND IN NEW YORK. IN
SLOVENIA AND PRAGUE, HE REITERATED HIS EXPECTATIONS THAT
THE STATUS PROCESS WOULD RESULT IN AN INDEPENDENT KOSOVO
AND ASKED PRAGUE AND LJUBLJANA TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE
PROCESS AND HELP BELGRADE COME TO TERMS WITH REALITIES.
HE MADE CLEAR AT NATO THAT NATO HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO
PLAY DURING AND POST-STATUS, AND SUGGESTED NATO PLANNING
INCLUDE THINKING ABOUT AN INDEPENDENT KOSOVO AND THE ROLE
NATO MIGHT PLAY IN DEVELOPING A SECURITY/DEFENSE FORCE
(REFTEL).

ROHAN TRAVELS
--------------


4. (SBU) ALBERT ROHAN AND A UNOSEK DELEGATION VISITED
PRISTINA AND BELGRADE MAY 16-19 TO FOLLOW UP ON
DECENTRALIZATION. BELGRADE:

--REITERATED IT IS NOT SEEKING A SEPARATE ENTITY OR
DIVISION OF KOSOVO;

--RECOGNIZED (FOR THE FIRST TIME EXPLICITLY WITH UNOSEK)
THAT EVEN IN THE AREAS BELGRADE BELIEVES MUNICIPALITIES
SHOULD HAVE "FULL AUTONOMY" THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS AND FRAMEWORK LEGISLATION AND
THAT THE MUNICIPAL ROLE WILL BE TO IMPLEMENT;
--AGREED TO USE THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S CHARTER ON LOCAL
SELF GOVERNMENT FOR THE BASIS OF LANGUAGE RELATED TO
INTER-MUNICIPAL COOPERATION.


5. (SBU) BELGRADE DID INSIST ON ITS LENGTHY LIST OF
MUNICIPALITIES, PLACING PARTICULAR FOCUS ON OSOJANE (A
"RETURN" MUNICIPALITY WITH SCANT SERBIAN POPULATION
CURRENTLY) AND VELIKA HOCA (A SMALL COMMUNITY OF ABOUT
800-1000 SERBS AND WITH HISTORIC SERBIAN ORTHODOX
CHURCHES). BELGRADE ALSO INSISTED ON ITS PROPOSALS
RELATED TO POLICE AND JUSTICE. ROHAN MADE CLEAR THAT
BELGRADE'S LANGUAGE/PROPOSALS RELATED TO ITS ASSISTANCE
TO KOSOVO-SERB MUNICIPALITIES WENT TOO FAR, AND THAT MANY
OF BELGRADE'S PROPOSED MUNICIPALITIES SIMPLY DID NOT MEET
THE CRITERIA UNOSEK WAS FOLLOWING.

PRISTINA
--------------


6. (SBU) THE UNITY TEAM AND NEGOTIATING TEAM WERE NOT
PREPARED TO SHOW MUCH FLEXIBILITY ON INTERMUNICIPAL
RELATIONS AND ON EXPANDING ITS PROPOSALS ON NEW
MUNICIPALITIES. ROHAN AND OTHERS MADE CLEAR THAT UNOSEK
WOULD BE INSISTING ON INTERMUNICIPAL RELATIONS PROVISIONS
BASED ON THE COE CHARTER ON LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT. THE
UNOSEK TEAM ALSO ASKED PRISTINA TO CONSIDER A MORE
EXPANSIVE SET OF NEW MUNICIPALITIES THAN PRISTINA'S
INITIAL PROPOSAL, TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL CADASTRAL ZONES
IN GRACANICA, NOVO BRDO, AND RANILUG, AND NEW
MUNICIPALITIES IN PARTES AND KLOKOT. PRISTINA'S INITIAL

VIENNA 00001501 002.2 OF 002


REACTION WAS NOT POSITIVE, BUT THE KOSOVARS DID AGREE TO
MEET WITH UNOSEK EXPERTS TO REVIEW THESE PROPOSALS.
UNOSEK ALSO ASKED FOR GREATER CLARIFY OF PRISTINA'S "TWO
MUNICIPALITIES/ONE CITY" CONCEPT FOR MITROVICA, WHICH
PRISTINA HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE.


7. (SBU) ROHAN ALSO MET WITH SERB LIST FOR KOSOVO AND
METOHIJA (SLKM) LEADER OLIVER IVANOVIC, WHO SHARED WITH
UNOSEK SLKM THINKING ON NEW MUNICIPALITIES THAT WAS MUCH
CLOSER TO UNOSEK'S THINKING THAN THE PROPOSALS TABLED BY
BELGRADE.


8. (SBU) THE FOLLOWING ARE FUNCTIONAL UPDATES ON ONGOING
ISSUES:

--DECENTRALIZATION: FOLLOWING THE ROHAN TRIP, UNOSEK
WILL DRAFT A NEW PAPER ON DECENTRALIZATION THAT WILL SEEK
TO NARROW THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES. UNOSEK
HAS, OR IS RECEIVING, INPUT FROM PRISTINA AND BELGRADE OF
THEIR VIEWS OF THE SUGGESTED CHANGES AND BRACKETS IN THE
EXISTING UNOSEK PAPER. UNOSEK WILL LIKELY THEN TRAVEL
BACK TO BELGRADE AND PRISTINA TO CONSULT FURTHER.
--PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS SITES/CULTURAL HERITAGE: THE
PARTIES AND THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH (SOC) HAVE
RECEIVED AN INVITATION, DRAFT AGENDA, AND DISCUSSION
PAPER FOR THE MAY 23 MEETING (COPY E-MAILED TO EUR/SCE).
PRISTINA HAS ANNOUNCED ITS DELEGATION. ALTHOUGH THE SOC
INITIALLY INFORMED UNOSEK IT WILL BE REPRESENTED BY
METROPOLITAN AMFILOHIJE, BISHOP IRINEJ OF BACKA, AND
BISHOP TEODOSIJE OF DECANI, UNOSEK RECEIVED 5/20 A
MESSAGE FROM BELGRADE ADDING BISHOP ARTEMIJE OF RASKA AND
PRIZREN TO THE BELGRADE DELEGATION LIST. MEANWHILE,
PRISTINA HAS INFORMED UNOSEK IT IS PUTTING DRAFT LAWS ON
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND ON CULTURAL HERITAGE ON A FAST
TRACK FOR RAPID ASSEMBLY APPROVAL. UNOSEK HAS WORKED
WITH THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND PRISTINA ON BOTH LAWS AND
BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE NOW BOTH IN GOOD SHAPE. UNOSEK'S
CONCERNS ABOUT THE LAW ON CULTURAL HERITAGE HAVE BEEN
ADDRESSED BY PRISTINA ACCEPTANCE OF A UNOSEK-PROPOSED
AMENDMENT. UNOSEK UNDERSTANDS, HOWEVER, THAT THE SOC HAS
ASKED THAT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE LAW BE PUT ON A SLOWER
TRACK OUT OF FEAR THAT IT MIGHT "PREJUDGE" STATUS.
--MINORITY RIGHTS, RETURNS, MISSING PERSONS, STANDARDS:
ROHAN AND THE UNOSEK TEAM AGAIN RAISED WITH BELGRADE THE
QUESTION OF A MEETING ON MINORITY PROTECTION ISSUES.
BELGRADE REFUSED TO CONSIDER IT. MEANWHILE, PRISTINA HAS
SUGGESTED IT WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT ITS 59-PAGE PROPOSAL
FORMALLY TO UNOSEK. UNOSEK INTENDS TO CALL A MEETING
REGARDLESS OF BELGRADE'S VIEWS, BUT WILL LIKELY DO SO
ONLY AFTER IT HAS EXHAUSTED AREAS OF POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL
PROGRESS WITH BELGRADE ON DECENTRALIZATION AND CHURCH
ISSUES. MEANWHILE, PRISTINA IS ORGANIZING A SEMINAR IN
THESSALONIKI THE WEEK OF JUNE 19 REVIEW ITS PROPOSAL WITH
INTERESTED INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND SOLICIT
FEEDBACK/REFINEMENT.

--ECONOMY, PROPERTY ISSUES, EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES: EU
SPECIAL ENVOY STEFAN LEHNE REPORTED THAT HIS "TECHNICAL
MISSION" TO PRISTINA (MAY 9-11) AND BELGRADE (MAY 15-17)
SUGGESTS A POTENTIALLY DIFFICULT MAY 31 MEETING ON
ECONOMIC ISSUES. IN PARTICULAR, BELGRADE IS INSISTING
THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS FIRST DEAL WITH PROPERTY ISSUES,
INCLUDING QUESTIONS OF PRIVATIZATION, PRIOR TO ANY
DISCUSSION OF DEBT APPORTIONMENT. BOTH SIDES HAVE AGREED
TO A MAY 31 MEETING IN VIENNA. THE USG WILL ALSO BE
INVITED TO PARTICIPATE.

MCCAW