KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: JUNE 9 UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 001733 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU COMBINE: COMPLETE SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: JUNE 9 UPDATE VIENNA 00001733 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 DISCUSSED THE KOSOVO FINAL STATUS PROCESS AND LIKELY RESULT WITH RUSSIAN AND CHINESE OFFICIALS IN MOSCOW AND BEIJING IN LATE MAY AND EARLY JUNE. FOLLOWING A STRATEGY SESSION WITH UNOSEK PERSONNEL, HE PLANS TO CONSULT WITH THE CONTACT GROUP AND UN SECURITY COUNCIL AND THEN HOLD A FACE-TO-FACE MEETING OF TOP BELGRADE AND PRISTINA LEADERS IN MID-JULY. SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY MEETINGS ON DECENTRALIZATION, PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, AND ECONOMIC AND PROPERTY ISSUES ARE ONGOING OR PLANNED. END SUMMARY. AHTISAARI IN MOSCOW -------------- ¶3. (SBU) AHTISAARI WAS IN MOSCOW MAY 29-30 AND MET WITH FM LAVROV AND DEPUTY FM TITOV, WHO HAD JUST RETURNED FROM BELGRADE. AHTISAARI BRIEFED ON WHERE UNOSEK STANDS AND PRESSED THE RUSSIANS ON HIS VIEW THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION IS INDEPENDENCE "WITH LIMITED SOVEREIGNTY." MOSCOW AGREED ON THE NEED TO MAINTAIN UNITY IN THE CONTACT GROUP, BUT COMPLAINED ABOUT "GROSS OVERSTEPPING" OF AGREED CONTACT GROUP GUIDELINES/SIGNALS. THE RUSSIANS SUGGESTED THE SERBS ARE LOSING CONFIDENCE IN AHTISAARI AND THE PROCESS, AND MAINTAINED THAT RUSSIA IS IN "NO HURRY" TO COMPLETE THE STATUS PROCESS THIS YEAR. LAVROV ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF A NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT. AHTISAARI WAS EQUALLY FRANK THAT ALTHOUGH HE WOULD SHORTLY CALL A MEETING DEVOTED TO THE STATUS QUESTION, HE FELT THAT THERE IS NO CHANCE OF REACHING AGREEMENT ON THIS POINT AND ENCOURAGED THE RUSSIANS AGAIN TO THINK ABOUT HOW "INDEPENDENCE WITH LIMITED SOVEREIGNTY" MIGHT WORK. LAVROV ALSO DREW PARALLELS BETWEEN THE KOSOVO PROCESS AND THE FROZEN CONFLICTS. AHTISAARI IN BEIJING -------------- ¶4. (SBU) AHTISAARI WAS IN BEIJING JUNE 6, AND MET WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TANG JIAXUAN AND FM LI ZHAOXING. AHTISAARI'S GOAL WAS TO CONSULT AND INFORM THE CHINESE WHERE THE STATUS PROCESS STANDS. THE MAIN POINTS FROM THE CHINESE WERE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE UN FRAMEWORK, THE IMPORTANCE OF STANDARDS IMPLEMENTATION, THE DESIRABILITY OF OBTAINING CONSENSUS THROUGH DIRECT TALKS, AND THE LACK OF A DESIRE FOR AN IMPOSED SOLUTION. THE CHINESE AGREED WITH THE ASSERTION THAT KOSOVO IS A UNIQUE CASE THAT SHOULD NOT SERVE AS A PRECEDENT ELSEWHERE. RESPONDING TO SERBIAN LETTER -------------- ¶5. (SBU) AHTISAARI HAS SENT A LETTER TO PRESIDENT TADIC AND PM KOSTUNICA RESPONDING TO THEIR MAY 18 LETTER TO THE CONTACT GROUP RAISING CONCERNS WITH THE STATUS PROCESS AND SUGGESTING AN IMMEDIATE MOVE TO A DISCUSSION OF STATUS. THE KEY POINTS IN AHTISAARI'S REPLY INCLUDE: --A REITERATION OF INTENTION TO MOVE STATUS PROCESS FORWARD AS EXPEDITIOUSLY AS POSSIBLE; --A DESCRIPTION OF UNOSEK'S EFFORTS TO ENGAGE WITH BELGRADE AND PRISTINA ON THE RANGE OF ISSUES; --A SUGGESTION THAT FURTHER PROGRESS DEPENDS ON THE WILLINGNESS OF THE PARTIES TO ADVANCE FROM THEIR ORIGINAL PROPOSALS AND ACCEPT COMPROMISES; --A REQUEST THAT BELGRADE ADOPT ""REALISTIC AND CONSTRUCTIVE POSITIONS"; --AN EXPRESSION OF INTENT TO CALL FOR A MEETING ON STATUS AFTER AHTISAARI'S JULY CONSULTATIONS WITH THE UNSC, AND A CONFIRMATION THAT FOLLOWING THAT MEETING UNOSEK WILL CONTINUE ITS INTENSIVE WORK ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE STATUS SETTLEMENT; AND --AN EXPRESSION OF CONCERN ABOUT THE SITUATION OF SERBS IN KOSOVO WHICH NOTES THE LACK OF COOPERATION FROM THE SERBIAN SIDE IN THIS REGARD, AND A REITERATION OF PREVIOUS APPEALS FOR BELGRADE NOT TO PREVENT THE KOSOVO SERBS FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE PISG, NOTING THE PROBLEMATIC NATURE OF THE CCK SALARY DIRECTIVE, AND A REQUEST FOR BELGRADE TO VIENNA 00001733 002.2 OF 002 RETURN THE CADASTRAL RECORDS. WAY FORWARD/STATUS TALKS -------------- ¶6. (SBU) FOLLOWING A FULL-DAY REVIEW WITH UNOSEK SUBSTANTIVE STAFF, AHTISAARI HAS IDENTIFIED HIS WAY FORWARD FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. HE HOPES TO MEET SHORTLY WITH THE CONTACT GROUP BOTH AT THE BALKAN DIRECTOR AND POLITICAL DIRECTORS LEVELS. FOLLOWING THOSE MEETINGS, HE INTENDS TO HAVE CONSULTATIONS WITH THE SECURITY COUNCIL IN EARLY/MID-JULY TO INFORM THE COUNCIL OF THE STATUS OF UNOSEK'S WORK AND HIS NEXT STEPS. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS HE WILL HOST A MEETING ON STATUS IN VIENNA THAT WOULD ALLOW BOTH SIDES TO LAY OUT THEIR PROPOSALS/VISIONS OF KOSOVO'S FINAL STATUS. HE THEN PLANS TO RETURN TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL TO REPORT ON THAT MEETING. MEANWHILE, UNOSEK'S WORK ON DECENTRALIZATION, CHURCH PROTECTIONS, ECONOMICS, MINORITY PROTECTIONS, ETC., WILL CONTINUE WITH AN EYE TOWARDS DEVELOPING AN OVERALL UNOSEK PROPOSAL TO BE TABLED BY THE END OF THE SUMMER THAT TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE STATUS MEETING. FUNCTIONAL UPDATE -------------- ¶7. (SBU) THE FOLLOWING VISITS AND MEETINGS ON SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES ARE ONGOING OR PLANNED FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. --DECENTRALIZATION: AN UNOSEK EXPERT TEAM VISITED BELGRADE ON JUNE 12 TO REVIEW PROPOSED CHANGES OF UNOSEK'S PROPOSAL ON DECENTRALIZATION AND SEEK TO FURTHER REDUCE BRACKETS AND DIFFERENCES. UNOSEK PREVIOUSLY MET WITH PRISTINA REPRESENTATIVES WHO REMOVED A NUMBER OF BRACKETS IN THE UNOSEK PAPER AND PROMISED TO PROVIDE UNOSEK WITH A NEW PAPER THAT WOULD PROVIDE A "MORE GENEROUS" SET OF PROPOSALS RELATED TO NEW MUNICIPALITIES AND ON THE SUBSTANCE OF DECENTRALIZATION. --PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS SITES/CULTURAL HERITAGE: THE UNOSEK-LED TEAM TO REVIEW PROPOSED PROTECTION ZONES SURROUNDING CHURCHES WILL VISIT KOSOVO THE WEEK OF JUNE 12. THE KEY ISSUE WILL BE WHETHER BELGRADE WILL DROP ITS SUGGESTION TO INCLUDE FORMER CHURCH LANDS/RESTITUTION AS PART OF ITS CRITERIA FOR DEFINING PROTECTION ZONES. --MINORITY RIGHTS, RETURNS, MISSING PERSONS, STANDARDS: AHTISAARI HAS DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE BEST TO CALL A MEETING ON THESE ISSUES ONLY AFTER THE LATE JULY MEETING ON STATUS, GIVEN BELGRADE'S FIRM POSITION THAT THESE ISSUES ARE STATUS-RELATED AND CAN ONLY BE DISCUSSED IN THAT CONTEXT. MEANWHILE, UNOSEK HAS PREPARED A LIST OF ALL OF OUR EFFORTS TO ENGAGE THE PARTIES ON THESE ISSUES THUS FAR. --ECONOMY, PROPERTY ISSUES, EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES: THE MAY 31 MEETING ON ECONOMIC ISSUES HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. GIVEN THE DIFFERENCES THAT EMERGED IN THAT MEETING, FURTHER WORK WILL LIKELY BE CARRIED OUT THROUGH SHUTTLE MISSIONS TO BELGRADE AND PRISTINA, RATHER THAN THROUGH ADDITIONAL DIRECT TALKS AT THIS TIME. MCCAW