HEAD RUSSIAN SPY VISITS MONTENEGRO, SAYS LOCAL MEDIA

UNCLAS PODGORICA 000200 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINR MW RS SUBJECT: HEAD RUSSIAN SPY VISITS MONTENEGRO, SAYS LOCAL MEDIA (C-RE7-00522) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (U) Summary: Sergei Lebedev, Director of the Russian Intelligence Service (SVR) is "secretly" staying in Montenegro as the guest of Montenegrin National Security Agency (NSA), according to "reliable sources" cited by the Montenegrin daily "Vijesti" on June 9. There have been no official announcements or comments regarding Lebedev's visit to Montenegro. The opposition Movement for Change (PZP) has requested an urgent Parliament session, asking for an official explanation for Lebedev's visit to Montenegro. End Summary Head Russian Spy Visits Montenegrin Holiday Resort -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) "Vijesti" writes that Lebedev, who has been the head of SVR for seven years, will be staying in a villa in a Montenegrin holiday resort near Budva for several days with special security measures in place. The daily reports that he arrived in Montenegro as a part of a visit to the region, including stops in Serbia and Republika Srpska. There have been no official statements or comments regarding Lebedev's visit. Opposition Calls for Urgent Session of Parliament -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) The opposition Movement for Change (PZP) has requested an urgent session of the Parliamentary Board for Security and Defense. PZP states that Lebedev's visit is "a scandalous and worrying threat to Montenegrin democratic institutions." PZP also referred to recent reporting by the daily "Republika" which claimed that Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen has "connections" with the SVR precursor, KGB. Rocen was previously SaM Ambassador in Moscow. ¶4. (SBU) Montenegrin handling of the Lebedev visit is just more indication of how hard old habits die in this part of the world. Secrecy and obtuseness have repeatedly created problems for the government of late, yet rather than learning from the furor created by an initial lack of transparency and spade work on SOFA and Art 98 agreement, that the Lebedev visit could pass below the radar screen was somehow still assumed. His presence in Montenegro, he arrived on June 7 and departs June 11, can be seen as an example of Montenegro's desire to carry on its age-old policies of positioning itself in order to reap benefits from all sides. BARNES