BELGIUM: DEMARCHE ON KOSOVO STATUS PROCESS TIMELINE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000215 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2017 TAGS: PREL UN UNMIK PGOV YI EU OPDC BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM: DEMARCHE ON KOSOVO STATUS PROCESS TIMELINE REF: STATE 5652 Classified By: POLCOUNS TED ANDREWS. REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Ambassador Korologos spoke with Belgian Foreign Minister DeGucht January 19 to urge support for UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plans and timeline for concluding the Kosovo future status process (reftel). DeGucht was receptive to our arguments and expressed support for Ahtisaari. ¶2. (C) FM DeGucht said there will be a "great deal of consultation among the EU" on Kosovo. While excluding Belgium from this category, he noted that some countries, such as Spain, believe full independence for Kosovo will have a negative internal domestic impact. DeGucht said it was difficult to comment fully without having seen the proposal, but "seminally we are going to be for Ahtisaari's plans." He indicated he had told Congressman Wexler during his January 15 visit to Brussels the OSCE does not like "dictated borders." DeGucht was, however, very positive about his support for Ahtisaari. ¶3. (C) Comment: DeGucht's support for UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari was much stronger than that offered by his "Kosovo experts." Thomas Antoine, the MFA's Director for the Balkans, said January 18 that while Belgium "supports Ahtisaari's efforts," there was concern about "forcing" a specific timeline and about what an independent Kosovo might do to regional stability. He also thought Ahtisaari should wait "a reasonable time" to present his proposal to the parties after a Serb government is in place. (Antoine did express strong support for KFOR.) ¶4. (C) DeGucht, of course, is the best gauge of Belgian support. He is fully cognizant that some European nations are concerned about what an independent Kosovo will mean, but did not put Belgium in the category of countries that want to impede a final resolution. KOROLOGOS .