KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: AUGUST 10 UPDATE

UNCLAS VIENNA 002442 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: AUGUST 10 UPDATE THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. SENSITIVE STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TEXT TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU COMBINE: COMPLETE SUBJECT: KOSOVO STATUS NEGOTIATIONS: AUGUST 10 UPDATE 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) TALKS ON DECENTRALIZATION AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS TOOK PLACE IN VIENNA ON AUGUST 7 AND 8 (READOUT OF TALKS GIVEN SEPTEL). UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR KOSOVO STATUS MARTTI AHTISAARI OUTLINED HIS PLANNED TIMELINE FOR THE STATUS PROCESS OVER THE COMING MONTHS. UNOSEK'S TIMELINE FOR STATUS DOCUMENT -------------- ¶3. (SBU) AT AN AUGUST 3 OFFSITE RETREAT FOR THE UNOSEK TEAM, AHTISAARI OUTLINED HIS INTENDED TIMEFRAME FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND UNVEILING OF THE STATUS DOCUMENT. --NOW-AUGUST 31: DOCUMENT REFINED AS RESULT OF TECHNICAL MEETINGS. INITIAL DRAFTING OF THE DOCUMENT HAS BEGUN AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGHOUT AUGUST, AS PROGRESS IS MADE ON TECHNICAL ISSUES. --AUGUST 31: INITIAL DRAFT SHARED WITH CONTACT GROUP IN VIENNA. --EARLY SEPTEMBER: FEEDBACK FROM CG CONSIDERED. --MID SEPTEMBER: AHTISAARI SHARES DRAFT WITH CG FOREIGN MINISTERS IN NEW YORK. --MID-SEPTEMBER-MID OCTOBER: SHUTTLE DIPLOMACY BETWEEN PRISTINA AND BELGRADE. ADDITIONAL REVISION OF DOCUMENT AS NEEDED. --LATE OCTOBER: AHTISAARI PRESENTS FINAL DOCUMENT TO THE UNSC. --LATE NOVEMBER: NEW UNSCR TO REPLACE 1244. --END OF YEAR: CONCLUSION OF PROCESS. ¶4. (SBU) DEVELOPMENTS ALSO CONTINUED ON ISSUES OF RELIGIOUS HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY RIGHTS. --RELIGIOUS HERITAGE: UNOSEK MEMBERS PETR IVANTSOV AND DMITRY SCHLAPACHENKO VISITED BELGRADE ON AUGUST 2 IN AN EFFORT TO FURTHER UNDERSTAND THE BELGRADE DELEGATION'S PROPOSAL ON THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS HERITAGE (READOUT FORWARDED TO SCE.) --COMMUNITY RIGHTS: ON AUGUST 4, UNOSEK STAFF MEMBERS MET WITH MARC WELLER, DIRECTOR OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR MINORITY ISSUES (ECMI), WHO IS SERVING AS A CONSULTANT TO THE PROVISIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF SELF-GOVERNMENT (PISG) ON COMMUNITY RIGHTS ISSUES. WELLER PREVIEWED CERTAIN CHANGES TO THE PRISTINA PROPOSAL ON COMMUNITY RIGHTS AND OUTLINED AREAS ON WHICH PRISTINA INTENDS TO STAND FIRM. ACCORDING TO WELLER, PRISTINA STILL PREFERS THE CONCEPT OF GUARANTEED SEATS VERSUS RESERVED SEATS, THOUGH NON-ALBAIAN COMMUNITIES STILL PREFER THE RESERVED SEATS, AS IS CURRENTLY THE PRACTICE. IN ADDITION, PRISTINA CONTINUES TO PROMOTE A VITAL INTEREST MECHANISM HANDLED THROUGH A SPECIAL CHAMBER OF THE JUDICIARY RATHER THAN A DOUBLE MAJORITY FOR VITAL INTEREST ISSUES IN THE ASSEMBLY. ¶5. (SBU) DEPUTY SPECIAL ENVOY ROHAN HOSPITALIZED: ALBERT ROHAN WAS HOSPITALIZED ON AUGUST 1, FIGHTING AN UNDETERMINED INFECTION. HE IS EXPECTED TO BE OUT OF THE OFFICE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS. IN HIS ABSENCE, HIS RESPONSIBILITIES, INCLUDING CHAIRING THE AUGUST 7 AND 8 MEETINGS, HAVE FALLEN TO BERNHARD SCHLAGHECK. KILNER