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