Kosovo Weekly Report (August 6 - 10, 2007)

UNCLAS BELGRADE 001130

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV SR KV
SUBJECT: Kosovo Weekly Report (August 6 - 10, 2007)


1. (u) This report covers activities related to Kosovo for the
week of August 6.


2. (sbu) Summary: This week was dominated by the Serbian
government's preparation for the visit of the mediating Troika to
Belgrade - the GoS's adoption of proposed rules for the talks, the
forming of a new negotiating team, and GoS calls for USG (but not
Moscow) impartiality. End Summary.

GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA ACTIVITIES


3. (sbu) Belgrade media reported over the weekend the six elements
of the Serbian government's proposed rules for the talks: focus on
the Kosovo status, direct talks and without a timetable, Ahtisaari's
plan not to be used as basis, the entire process under UN mandate,
and UNSC must make the relevant decisions. The proposals were sent
to the UNSYG and to the ambassadors of the CG countries.


4. (sbu) Daily Vecernje Novosti announced that Serbia's new team
will be known this week. The known members include PM Kostunica,
President Tadic, FonMin Jeremic, and Kosovo Minister Samardzic. The
daily, citing several sources, wrote that members of the opposition
parties who supported the resolution on continued negotiations
should be invited to join the team. DSS Spokesman Mladenovic stated
on August 6 that Serbia's negotiating team for Kosovo could only be
formed after the first meeting between Serbia's top officials and
the CG mediators. The modalities (form, content and manner) of the
talks should be established first before the team is formed, he
added.


5. (sbu) Belgrade media reported on August 7 that PM Kostunica said
that new negotiations with new mediators open possibilities for
reaching a compromise solution that meets the interests of Serbia
and Kosovo Albanians. He underscored that Russia and Serbia will
represent a policy based on respect for international law, and urged
many countries, members of UNSG and European states to support this
policy.


6. (sbu) FoNet reported on August 8 that Politika's Editor-in-chief
Smajlovic assessed that Belgrade would rather lose the whole of
Kosovo than divide it. She believes that there are growing hopes in
Washington that division is the second best solution.


7. (sbu) DSS Education Minister Loncar urged the U.S. on August 7 to
full restraint and impartiality in the process of resolving Kosovo's
future status and declared that the U.S. is trying to revive the
plan of Ahtisaari, which has been "definitely rejected." Troika's
Russian Representative Bocan-Harchenko told B92 on August 8 that
Russia opposes time limits for the talks, and reiterated that
Ahtisaari's plan may not serve as a base for the forthcoming talks
(Belgrade did not encourage Moscow to behave impartially, to
absolutely no one's surprise).


8. (sbu) In an article submitted to NIN magazine, Kostunica's
Advisor, Alexander Simic, stated that Ahtisaari's plan could be
concealing NATO's intention to establish its own state in Kosovo. He
noted that under the Ahtisaari plan, the commander of international
forces in an independent Kosovo, NATO-appointee, would have the
supreme power about the use of military force, and that Camp
Bondsteel (the US military base outside Urosevac in Southern Kosovo)
would serve as Kosovo's capital.

DIPLOMATIC ACTIVITIES


9. (sbu) Newly-elected Albanian President Bamir Topi said on August
7 that Kosovo would soon gain independence, with the support of "the
international factor," and that Albanian institutions gave an
unreserved support to the negotiating team of Kosovo in the process
of resolving Kosovo's future status.


10. (sbu) Belgrade media reported that before the CG meeting in
London on August 9, Troika's EU Representative Ischinger stated that
the international community and the CG Troika were offering Belgrade
and Pristina their last chance to reach a negotiated settlement. He
also said that the parties would be encouraged to suggest their own
ideas for solving the problems while the troika would act as
mediator in that dialogue. He stressed that the starting point in
the Kosovo status talks must be the actual situation on the ground
and that Kosovo has not been under Serbia's administration and
control for the past 8 years. After the CG meeting, Ischinger said
that the meeting was a good beginning of the difficult mission
ahead; adding that the success or failure of the new negotiations
will be the success or failure for Belgrade and Pristina.

SIMMONS