FICO OPPOSES INDEPENDENCE FOR KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000087

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV YI KOC LO
SUBJECT: FICO OPPOSES INDEPENDENCE FOR KOSOVO

Classified By: Pol-Econ Chief Debra Hevia for reason 1.4 b
and d.


1. (C) Summary: While the SNS and SDKU 2/12 both introduced
parliamentary resolutions opposing independence for Kosovo
without the agreement of Serbia, Prime Minister Robert Fico
made his true feelings known. Harking back to the Slovak
public's opposition to NATO airstrikes in 1999, he reminded
his voters of the innocent people killed by NATO bombs, and
said independent status for Kosovo would be irresponsible.
In an indirect slap to Foreign Minister Jan Kubis, Fico vowed
to push through his viewpoint in the cabinet. Fico seems to
have been provoked into this emotional response by his
political rival Dzurinda. But some of this outburst may have
been for show. Kubis' chief of staff told us 2/12 that
Gasparovic, Fico, and Kubis met the evening of 2/9 to
coordinate policy, and that the MFA had flexibility at GAERC.
He downplayed the domestic politicking, but emphasized that
parliament should not tie Slovakia's hands in the UNSC. We
will continue engaging members of all parties in parliament
to retract or tone down the "binding" resolution idea. We
will also encourage Slovak NGOs with experience in Kosovo to
raise their voices in the debate. End summary.

Parties Demand Parliamentary Resolution on Kosovo
-------------- --------------

2. (U) The furor over potential Kosovo independence invoked
by Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's proposal continues among
Slovakia's main political parties. Foreshadowing the Prime
Minister's position, during weekend TV debates Culture
Minister Marek Madaric said "it would be a complete precedent
if we gave an ethnic minority...the right to its
independence. If Ahtisaari's proposal for the future status
of Kosovo recommends independence, Smer will reject it."
Chair of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Boris Zala
(Smer) said "Smer has claimed since the beginning that
independence for Kosovo is the worst solution. Kosovo
independence would lead towards the destabilization of all of
Europe." Opposition Christian Democrat Movement (KDH) chair
Pavol Hrusovsky echoed the sentiment, saying no solution
concerning the future status of Kosovo would be acceptable
without Serbian agreement.


3. (U) On 2/12, both Jan Slota's Slovak National Party (SNS)
and Mikulas Dzurinda's Slovak Democratic and Christian Union
(SDKU) presented draft resolutions on Kosovo in parliament.
SDKU called for a binding resolution that would limit the
ability of the foreign minister to negotiate, including in
the UNSC, for an independent Kosovo state without the
agreement and against the will of Serbia. SNS toned down the
language of its original proposal at the request of coalition
partner Smer, but it too rejected independence for Kosovo
against the will of the Serbian state.


4. (C) Former Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan of SDKU told the
Ambassador 2/9 that Dzurinda's harsh statements against
possible Kosovo independence were his own initiative, not a
demand from the party membership. He explained that
sometimes Dzurinda gets an idea in his head that is hard to
dislodge, but he also expressed his belief that there was a
way to bring Dzurinda around to a position that would more
closely mirror our own. The Ambassador is seeking a meeting
with Dzurinda to discuss this issue.

Fico Lets Loose
--------------

5. (U) Responding to a question on Kosovo at a 2/12 press
conference, Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected the idea of
Kosovo independence, and said Slovakia could only agree with
a solution which is "reparable." Taking the country back to
the emotional outcry against NATO airstrikes in 1999, he
asked why Dzurinda was complaining about Kosovo now when his
government had allowed NATO airplanes free flight over
Slovakia...knowing full well that the airplanes would not be
carrying leaflets but bombs. This resulted in 3,000 dead
civilians, women, old people, chidren, and these were just
the official numbers. He repeated this message emotionally
several times, saying Dzurinda and Kukan should be silent on
behalf of those victims.


6. (U) Fico continued that independent status for Kosovo
would be irresponsible and would lead to uncontrolled moves
in other countries. Belgrade and Pristina should negotiate
an agreement, rather than have the issue decided by
international dictate. He claimed that his opinion has not
changed; he has been saying the same thing for the last half
year (since taking office). He insisted this would be his
position in the cabinet, and he would push it through. Maybe
the international community has different views, but Fico
vowed to maintain his. Regarding the SNS declaration in
parliament, Fico merely noted that the next session is in
March so there is plenty of time to discuss the issue.

MFA Not Overly Concerned
--------------

7. (C) FM Kubis' Chief of Staff told PolEcChief late 2/12
that Gasparovic, Fico, and Kubis had a policy coordination
meeting 2/9 on Kosovo, and that Kubis had gone to GAERC with
flexibility. He said the domestic political debate was
letting off steam, but so far Fico had not issued Kubis
instructions to change the MFA's policy stance. Kubis feels
he can control the situation and persuade the government.
The danger, in his view, is the binding resolution threatened
by Dzurinda. Kubis sought the Ambassador's help 2/9 "to
prevent parliament from tying my hands at the UNSC." Kubis
plans to give an interview to leading daily Pravda on 2/13 to
"explain" the GAERC conclusions on Serbia and Kosovo to the
Slovak public. He will also speak at the Slovak Foreign
Policy Association (thinktank) on 2/13 to present an overview
of Slovak foreign policy.


8. (C) Comment: Fico seems to have been provoked yet again by
his archrival Dzurinda into sharp rhetoric which boxes him
into a corner regarding future options. Fico told the
Ambassador January 29 that Slovakia would not stand alone
against EU consensus. Although Fico's public comments seem
unretractable, the MFA seems optimistic that the domestic
debate will die down and Kubis eventually will be free to
maneuver as a responsible member of the international
community. We will intensely engage politicians in all
parliamentary parties to try to pull back the idea of a
binding parliamentary resolution. We will also encourage
NGOs with activities in Kosovo to add their voices to the
public debate.





VALLEE