(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.