Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PRISTINA162
2007-03-02 16:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:  

KOSOVO SERB JOURNALISTS LOOK TO UNOSEK AND USG TO

Tags:  PHUM PGOV PINR PREL EAID KDEM SOCI UNMIK YI 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHPS #0162/01 0611642
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 021642Z MAR 07
FM USOFFICE PRISTINA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7101
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0933
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1067
RHFMIUU/AFSOUTH NAPLES IT
RHMFISS/CDR TF FALCON
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPGEA/CDR650THMIGP SHAPE BE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUFOANA/USNIC PRISTINA SR
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000162 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DMAYHEW

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR PREL EAID KDEM SOCI UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO SERB JOURNALISTS LOOK TO UNOSEK AND USG TO
PROTECT MINORITY MEDIA


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000162

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE
NSC FOR BRAUN
USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI
EUR/ACE FOR DMAYHEW

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PINR PREL EAID KDEM SOCI UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO SERB JOURNALISTS LOOK TO UNOSEK AND USG TO
PROTECT MINORITY MEDIA


SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. During a roundtable discussion on March 1
with COM and EU representative Torbjorn Sohlstrom, Kosovo
Serb journalists shared their concerns about the lack of
protections for Serb media in the status package, and offered
their proposal for additional guarantees. COM assured them
that the package provides Serbs with mechanisms that will
enable their elected political leaders to advocate for them
and achieve objectives like those set forth in their
proposal. She emphasized that a robust international
community presence will ensure that the status package is
fully implemented. These Serb journalists are indicative of
a noticeable, if nascent, trend among some Kosovo Serbs -- at
least those in the south -- who are willing to at least
examine the Ahtisaari document and consider its provisions,
having realized that Belgrade is more concerned about status
than about advocating for concrete provisions that will
improve their daily lives. END SUMMARY.

KOSOVO SERB JOURNALISTS OFFER THEIR OWN STATUS ANNEX


2. (SBU) On March 1, COM and EU representative Torbjorn
Sohlstrom participated in a roundtable discussion with Kosovo
Serb journalists at Radio KIM, in the Serb enclave of
Caglavica, just outside Pristina. Radio KIM journalist
Zivojin Rakocevic expressed his "deep disappointment" over
what he described as the lack of protections for an
independent Serb media in UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari's status
proposal. Zarko Joksimovic from the Journalists Association
of Kosovo and Metohija (JAKM),discussed the need for a media
annex to the status package, which would include elements
such as funding for non-Albanian language media, a second
public broadcasting station in Serbian and other non-Albanian
languages, and tax free imports of media products,
publications, and equipment. The journalists insisted that
the only way to ensure that the political will exists to
establish and implement these protections is to include them
in the package itself. (NOTE. JAKM members had earlier
approved submission of the proposed annex to UNOSEK during an
animated debate on February 28. END NOTE).

COM SAYS FUTURE ENGAGEMENT CAN ACHIEVE THEIR OBJECTIVES


3. (SBU) COM thanked the journalists for engaging actively
in the status process and for being willing to examine the
Ahtisaari document carefully. She told them that USOP has
already passed their proposal along to UNOSEK, but reminded
them that the status package itself is not meant to be a
document of governance; rather, it provides a baseline of
rights and guarantees for the Serb community, which can be
further expanded through robust use of the power-sharing
arrangements made possible by the document's provisions. She
assured them that the Ahtisaari package creates a framework
in which Kosovo Serb leaders, by participating in Kosovo
institutions, can effectively advocate on behalf of their
community to achieve specific objectives such as those laid
out in the JAKM proposal. She also told the journalists that
they will play a crucial role in the upcoming weeks and
months, ensuring that Kosovo Serbs have accurate information
upon which to base their decisions.


4. (SBU) COMMENT. Despite their overall skepticism about
the package, the fact that Kosovo Serb journalists -- and
other Serbs, particularly in southern Kosovo -- have been
willing to examine the Ahtisaari document as the point of
departure for commentary and engagement is an encouraging
sign. A delegation of Serbs from the southern village of
Silovo recently visited USOP asking that they be included in
Ahtisaari's package as part of the enlarged Serb-majority
municipality of Novo Brdo, another sign that many Serbs
recognize the importance of finding their place in the
Ahtisaari framework. We think that some of the enhanced
rights for Serb media proposed by the association of

PRISTINA 00000162 002 OF 002


journalists are worth considering, whether in the status
package itself or forthcoming legislation, if only to show
this key group of local Serb stakeholders that we are
responsive to their concerns. END COMMENT.


5. (U) Post clears this message in its entirety for release
to Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW