KOSOVO WEEKLY: MORE OF THE SAME FROM BELGRADE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 001302

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PBTS PREL PGOV KPAO KV SR
SUBJECT: KOSOVO WEEKLY: MORE OF THE SAME FROM BELGRADE

REF: BELGRADE 1298

BELGRADE 00001302 001.2 OF 002


Summary
--------------


1. (SBU) Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Kosovo Minister Slobodan
Samardzic attended Troika-led discussions in London, bringing little
new to the table or to the discussion back at home. The President
and Prime Minister announced their participation in the next round
of discussions to take place in New York, September 28. Government
officials rejected Pristina's proposed "good neighbor" agreement and
the possibility of independence for Kosovo, in the near future,
particularly by way of a unilateral declaration of independence. PM
Kostunica reiterated the Democratic Party of Serbia's position on
autonomy for Kosovo. In New York, we expect, the PM will go to
town, exploiting the symbolism of the UN -- the arbiter of Kosovo's
future. End summary.

No to Good Neighbors
--------------


2. (U) Serbian officials showed disdain in response to the
Pristina's negotiating team's "good neighbor" proposal of measures
to build civility between Serbia and Kosovo. Jeremic told reporters
in London on September 18 that the GOS did not see the future
relationship between Serbia and Kosovo as a relationship between two
independent states. Samardzic called upon the Troika to reject the
proposal because it was outside the agenda of the talks and would
undermine the negotiations. In a speech to the board of the
Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) on September 19, PM Kostunica
reiterated that the party could not allow the creation of a second
Albanian state on Serbian territory but that Serbia would offer
"full autonomy" for the Albanian majority in Kosovo. In the
Ambassador's first meeting with the PM Kostunica, September 19,
Kosovo dominated the conversation (reftel).


3. (U) FM Jeremic and Kosovo Minister Samardzic attended the
Troika-facilitated discussions on Kosovo in London September 18.
Samardzic announced on September 18 that the Serbian negotiating
team had five main topics for discussion in the Sept 28 round of
talks in New York:

- an international agreement on the status of Kosovo,
- specifics on power sharing,
- economic issues,
- Kosovo's relationship with international financial organizations
and regional initiatives, and
- the role of an international presence under UN auspices through
civilian and military bodies that would secure the implementation of
the status decision.

Europe Must Help Serbia
--------------


4. (U) Jeremic told state-owned Radio-Televizija Serbije (RTS) on
September 17 that Serbia should seek political and diplomatic
support within the EU for a compromise solution that would lead to
Kosovo status -- i.e., a long-term solution. He said Serbia had to
be active on two parallel diplomatic fronts: direct talks with
Pristina and other diplomatic activity to build support for
continuation of the negotiations until the parties reached a
compromise solution. In a speech on September 18, he warned that,
if Europe allowed Kosovo to become independent, it would be
tantamount to forcibly dividing Serbia, a move he said would hurt
Serbia's outlook on Europe.

Parallel Realities
--------------


5. (U) Minister for Kosovo Samardzic told RTS television, September
20, that Serbia would count on EU's assistance to implement the GOS
plan for autonomy for Kosovo. He said that he did not believe that
any solution would transform Kosovo Albanians into loyal Serbian
citizens and that Serbia's plan for "loose integration" would allow
Serbs and Albanians to lead "parallel lives." The international
community would have to assume responsibility for enforcing the
solution and continue to provide security, he said, because Kosovo
would remain a "hostile community" for Serbs.

A New Spin on Autonomy
--------------


6. (U) On September 20, Blic newspaper reported unnamed sources
close to the Contact Group who suggested a Hong Kong-style
arrangement for Kosovo. Laying out a state-within-a-state model,
the paper described a ten-to-twenty-year plan of quasi autonomy.

Support from Czechs on UDI Stance
--------------


7. (U) During President Tadic's September 17 visit to Prague, Czech
President Vaclav Klaus rejected the possibility of a unilateral

BELGRADE 00001302 002.2 OF 002


declaration of Kosovo's independence as irresponsible and
unconstructive and urged an agreed solution that is fair to both
sides, within the Belgrade - Pristina talks. "Serbia will not
recognize the independence of Kosovo," Tadic told a joint press
conference on September 17 in Prague and added that Serbia would
implement all legal and non-violent means to prevent such a
decision.

Comment
--------------


8. (SBU) The GOS continues to talk about compromise solutions,
putting nothing new on the table or before the public. We expect
that Samardzic will make the most of the fact that the next round of
discussions is on the tails of UNGA, insisting that the UN is the
proper body to resolve Kosovo status. End Comment.

MUNTER