THE PRESIDENT ON KOSOVO STATUS: KOSOVO WEEKLY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000858

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PBTS KPAO SR MW YI
SUBJECT: THE PRESIDENT ON KOSOVO STATUS: KOSOVO WEEKLY
UPDATE (6/11-6/15)



1. (SBU) Summary: In the wake of the President's visit to
the region and direct statements on the need to move
towards independence for Kosovo, post sustained an
aggressive public campaign to reinforce the President's
comments. The Ambassador's public comments this week
countered Serbian officials' triumphalism over failure of
the Ahtisaari Plan that continued unabated after Prime
Minister Kostunica's sharp response to the President's
comments and his own meeting with Russian President Putin
in St. Petersburg. Kostunica's response to the President
sparked several days of public exchange between GOS
officials and the Ambassador. Other major Serbian figures,
including President Tadic, continue in lockstep with
Kostunica on Kosovo and are uniformly entrenching against
international recognition of Kosovo -- especially by the
USG -- without a UNSC resolution. End Summary.


Kostunica Reacts Strongly to President's Comments
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2. (U) The President's direct comments during his visit to
Europe on the need for Kosovo independence attracted
widespread attention in Belgrade and drew a strong response
from Prime Minister Kostunica. All Belgrade media
prominently reported the President's Kosovo-related
comments in Rome, Tirana and Sofia with particular
attention to his statement that the USG "will have to say -
- it's enough, Kosovo is independent."


3. (U) Kostunica, fresh from a meeting with Russian
President Putin in St. Petersburg, said that Serbs will
"never forgive" the United States if it gives their Kosovo
province to Kosovo Albanians and that Serbia was
"justifiably disgusted" by USG policy. According to
Reuters, Kostunica said "the U.S. has a right to support
certain states and peoples in accordance with its
interests, but not by making them a present of something
which doesn't belong to it."


4. (U) In even stronger language, Kostunica called the
"U.S. bombing of Serbia" -- not NATO -- "a big enough
mistake for last century and this one as well," and that
"supporting one-sided independence for Kosovo would be a
fresh mistake, a further act of unjustified violence, which
would not be forgotten by the Serbian people." "If America
wants to ignore international law," Kostunica warned,
"Serbia will reject and dismiss any form of independence
for its southern province." Finally, Kostunica said, "The
United States has to find some other way to express its
love and affection for the Albanians instead of giving them
Serbian territory as a present."


5. (U) FM Jeremic was not as pointed, but took the
opportunity to call the President's comments as having "the
aim of strengthening the U.S. negotiating position ahead of
a forthcoming Security Council debate, where his country
has a very strong standing. Our position is opposed to that
[stance], as are the positions of some other council
members, not only those with the right of veto."


6. (U) In response, the Ambassador conveyed disappointment
at the GOS' harsh rhetoric. Serbian media gave wide
coverage to the Ambassador's 6/13 statement during which he
explained that the U.S. has never used such rhetoric when
it comes to Serbia, and that the U.S. respects Serbia and
it's position on Kosovo, though the U.S. simply does not
agree with it. The Ambassador noted that despite his
disappointment with certain Serbian officials, bilateral
should not suffer as a result.


7. (U) After a public event at a local high school on 6/14
during which the Ambassador was asked several questions
about Kosovo, Education Minister (and DSS member) Zoran
Loncar, accused the Ambassador of "unusual behavior."
Loncar, mischaracterizing the situation, said it was
"outside diplomatic standards" for ambassadors of foreign
countries to address high school students with "political
speeches, particularly on issues related to Kosovo." Among
the most notable comments by the group of High School
students the Ambassador addressed was the acknowledgment
that one could be a Serbian patriot and concede that Serbia
was going to become independent.


8. (U) On 6/15, Belgrade media reported the Ambassador's
further comments to the press that there can be no other
solution apart from supervised independence for the future
status of Kosovo and that the U.S. and European partners
have made it clear that there can be no compromise on this

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issue. The Ambassador rejected reports of Russian
criticism of the recent U.S., UK, German, French, and
Italian meeting in Paris on the subject of Kosovo. He
explained that this had obviously not been a CG meeting,
since Russia did not attend, but simply a meeting of
countries working together on finding a solution for the
Kosovo status, and determining how to coordinate with
Russia on finding a solution for adopting a UNSC
resolution.


9. (U) Belgrade media also focused on U/S Burns and A/S
Fried's comments on Kosovo while in Europe. The media
reported U/S Burns as saying in Athens that the Ahtisaari
plan is the only possible solution in Kosovo and that the
USG will continue to engage UNSC members on the issue. The
press also reported that Burns said Europe and the USG
should remain united and work to convince Russia that
independence was the only way forward. Serbian news agency
Tanjug reported on 6/13 that A/S Fried reiterated that
Kosovo is a unique case that could not be applied to other
regions.


10. (U) Returning from Brussels after attending a meeting
of NATO and PfP ministers, Defense Minister Sutanovac chose
to raise Kosovo in noting that Serbia will never accept
Kosovo's independence, nor will it give up Euro-Atlantic
values. Like Kostunica, he reiterated that the Kosovo
status settlement must respect Serbia's territorial
integrity and sovereignty while allowing citizens of
Albanian nationality in Kosovo to achieve all their
justifiable demand for self-rule.


Other Diplomatic Activity
--------------


11. (U) Belgrade media noted the arrival in quick
succession of three of the Contact Group nations'
representatives to Kosovo on 6/15. B92 noted that
Ambassador Wisner, British European Affairs Director
Anthony Smith, and Italian Foreign Minister D'Alema arrived
in Pristina within a day of each other. D'Alema will have
meetings with Serbian leaders in Belgrade on 6/15.


12. (U) EU: All media reported that the EC reiterated that
the decision on the future status of Kosovo must be made at
the UNSC, and that it should be based on Ahtisaari's plan.
Addressing a news conference in Brussels, spokesperson for
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn refused, however,
to elaborate on President Bush's statement in Tirana that
Kosovo would be independent. B92 did note Rehn's comment
about Serbia's relationship with Russia, reporting his
quote that "it is important to recall that one has to be
careful that when hugging even a friendly big bear, one
wouldn't be suffocated."


13. (U) NATO: Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples
Admiral Henry Ulrich arrived in Belgrade on 6/15 for a day
of meetings with Serbian officials. Admiral Ulrich met
with the Ambassador before meetings with the PM, President,
FM, Defense Minister and CHOD Ponos. Admiral Ulrich will
release a public statement through the NATO liaison office
in Belgrade later in the day.


14. (U) Germany: Vecernje Novosti reported on 6/15 that
German FM Steinmeier said that Kosovo status would not be
resolved until July due to Putin's visit to the U.S.
Steinmeier also noted the difficulty of maintaining EU
unity on Kosovo and stressed that EU unity would suffer if
there is unilateral recognition of without a UNSC
resolution.


15. (SBU) Comment: Kostunica's direct and angry response to
the President represents a concerted shift in GOS strategy
from attacking the UN process and Ahtisaari to solely
holding "U.S. policy" accountable for the push for Kosovo
independence. Our European colleagues are spared as
Kostunica -- already revitalized from his talks with Putin
-- hopes to pare the other Contact Group members away from
their avowed commitment to a swift UNSC resolution based on
the Ahtisaari plan. Tadic, Jeremic and the rest of
coalition members should not be expected to resist this new
tack. End Comment.


POLT