(SBU) UNOSEK: CONTINUING WORK AND OUTREACH DURING INTERIM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 003336 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NSC FOR BERT BRAUN STATE FOR EUR/SCE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM UNMIK SR YI AU COMBINE: COMPLETE SUBJECT: (SBU) UNOSEK: CONTINUING WORK AND OUTREACH DURING INTERIM PERIOD 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). ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: ON NOVEMBER 10, FOLLOWING THE SERBIAN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD IN JANUARY, UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE FUTURE STATUS PROCESS FOR KOSOVO, MARTTI AHTISAARI, ANNOUNCED THAT HIS COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL WOULD BE DELIVERED TO THE PARTIES, WITHOUT DELAY, AFTER THE SERBIAN ELECTIONS. DURING THE INTERIM PERIOD, AHTISAARI IS FILLING HIS CALENDAR, MEETING WITH EUROPEAN LEADERS TO EXPLAIN THE PROCESS TO DATE AND TO PRESS THEM ON THE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD QUICKLY AFTER THE SERB ELECTIONS. HE WILL ALSO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK TO MAKE HIS CASE WITH NEW SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE NEW SECRETARY GENERAL. MEANWHILE THE UNOSEK TEAM WILL CONTINUE DEVELOPING AND REFINING THE TEXT OF THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL, AS WELL AS WORKING MORE CLOSELY WITH THE EU-LED TRANSITION TEAM ALREADY ON THE GROUND IN PRISTINA. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (SBU) ON NOVEMBER 10, SERBIAN PRESIDENT BORIS TADIC ANNOUNCED THAT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS WOULD BE HELD ON JANUARY 21, 2007. IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS IN VIENNA, AND FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CONTACT GROUP, UN SPECIAL ENVOY MARTTI AHTISAARI ANNOUNCED THAT THE UNOSEK COMPREHENSIVE PROPOSAL FOR THE FUTURE STATUS OF KOSOVO WOULD BE DELIVERED TO THE PARTIES AFTER THE ELECTIONS. IN A STATEMENT RELEASED TO THE PRESS AFTER THE MEETING WITH THE CONTACT GROUP, UNOSEK SAID: "IN THE LIGHT OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY PRESIDENT TADIC TO HOLD SERBIAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ON 21 JANUARY 2007, AND AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE CONTACT GROUP TODAY, I HAVE DECIDED TO PRESENT MY PROPOSAL ON KOSOVO STATUS TO THE PARTIES WITHOUT DELAY AFTER THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN SERBIA." ¶4. (SBU) AHTISAARI INTENDS TO USE THESE MONTHS BEFORE PRESENTING TO THE PARTIES TO HELP SHAPE THE POLITICAL CLIMATE FOR WHAT UNOSEK BELIEVES WILL BE THE APPROACHING ENDGAME. THUS, AHTISAARI HAS DECIDED AGAINST USING THE INTERIM PERIOD TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE BELGRADE AND PRISTINA DELEGATIONS, BELIEVING THAT THE USEFULNESS OF SUCH TECHNICAL TALKS HAS BEEN FULLY EXHAUSTED. (NOTE: THE ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS MAY BE A MUCH-DELAYED VISIT TO BELGRADE AT THE TECHNICAL LEVEL TO DISCUSS CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS HERITAGE PROTECTIVE ZONES. END NOTE.) INSTEAD, AHTISAARI IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE HIS OUTREACH EFFORTS IN SPECIFIC EUROPEAN CAPITALS TO EXPLAIN THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS TO DATE AND TO PREVIEW THE LESS CONTROVERSIAL PARTS OF HIS SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL. IN THIS VEIN, HE PREVIEWED PARTS OF HIS PROPOSAL IN BRUSSELS WITH THE EU FOREIGN MINISTERS AT THE GAERC ON NOVEMBER 13 AND WILL MEET WITH THE OSCE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVES ON NOVEMBER 15. IN ADDITION, HE IS SCHEDULED TO TRAVEL TO ROME ON NOVEMBER 17 TO MEET WITH ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER ROMANO PRODI AND TO BERLIN ON DECEMBER 1 TO MEET WITH GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL. COMPLEMENTING THESE EFFORTS IN EUROPE, AHTISAARI IS ALSO CURRENTLY SCHEDULED TO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK AT THE END OF NOVEMBER WHERE HE WILL MEET WITH THE NEW INCOMING MEMBERS OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL AS WELL AS UN SECRETARY GENERAL-DESIGNATE BAN KI-MOON. ¶5. (SBU) MEANWHILE, THE UNOSEK TEAM WILL USE THE ADDITIONAL TIME TO FURTHER DEVELOP AND REFINE ITS DRAFT SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL. UNOSEK IS WORKING ON DEVELOPING A MORE DETAILED JUSTICE SECTOR ANNEX TO THE SETTLEMENT, AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL LEGISLATIVE AGENDA ANNEX, WHICH WOULD OUTLINE FOR KOSOVAR AUTHORITIES, UNMIK AND THE FUTURE INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN OFFICE (ICO) THE NECESSARY LEGISLATION WHICH WILL NEED TO BE PASSED IN ORDER FOR KOSOVO TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT THE SETTLEMENT PACKAGE AND ENSURE THAT ITS PROVISIONS ARE INTEGRATED INTO THE DOMESTIC LEGAL FRAMEWORK. IN ADDITION, UNOSEK IS STILL AWAITING ADDITIONAL CLARIFICATION FROM THE EU ON ITS ANTICIPATED ROLE, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND AUTHORITIES OF THE FUTURE EU-LED EUROPEAN SECURITY AND DEFENSE POLICY (ESDP) MISSION IN KOSOVO, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO TAKEOVER FROM THE UNMIK CIVILIAN POLICE MISSION POST SETTLEMENT. UNOSEK EXPECTS TO RECEIVE CLARIFICATION ON THIS ISSUE FROM THE EU COUNCIL ONLY AFTER MID-DECEMBER. TO THIS END, UNOSEK PLANS TO HOST SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH THE RELEVANT INTERNATIONAL INTERLOCUTORS THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER IN VIENNA TO SUFFICIENTLY REVIEW ASPECTS OF THE SETTLEMENT PROPOSAL AND TO ENSURE THAT ALL OUTSTANDING ISSUES AND CONTINGENCIES ARE SUFFICIENTLY COVERED. VIENNA 00003336 002 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) IN THE DAYS AHEAD, UNOSEK WILL ALSO CONTINUE COORDINATING MORE CLOSELY WITH THE EU-LED ICO TRANSITION TEAM WHICH IS ALREADY ON THE GROUND IN PRISTINA PREPARING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S ROLE IN KOSOVO POST STATUS AND POST-UNMIK. UNOSEK HAS ALREADY MET WITH THE TRANSITION TEAM SEVERAL TIMES IN BOTH PRISTINA AND VIENNA OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS. THIS COOPERATION IS EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS AS BOTH UNOSEK AND THE WIDER INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY PREPARE TO MAKE THE EXPECTED TRANSITION FROM UNMIK TO THE NEW INTERNATIONAL CIVILIAN PRESENCE AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE POST STATUS SETTLEMENT.