Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PRISTINA264
2007-04-06 16:40:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Pristina
Cable title:
KOSOVO: ANOTHER PRIORITY STANDARD FULFILLED
how-toVZCZCXRO7406 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHPS #0264 0961640 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 061640Z APR 07 FM USOFFICE PRISTINA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7227 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 1113 RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK 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 PRISTINA 000264
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ANOTHER PRIORITY STANDARD FULFILLED
REF: A. PRISTINA 56
B. PRISTINA 163
UNCLAS PRISTINA 000264
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ANOTHER PRIORITY STANDARD FULFILLED
REF: A. PRISTINA 56
B. PRISTINA 163
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 4, Kosovo's Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government approved a report requested
by Prime Minister Agim Ceku evaluating the costs to repair 23
commercial properties (18 owned by Serbs or other minorities
and 5 owned by Albanians) damaged during the March 2004
anti-Serb violence. This fully completes another of the
Contact Group's 13 Priorities for Kosovo Standards
Implementation. In our view, only the two standards related
to the Kosovo Property Agency's rental scheme and
implementation of Kosovo Property Agency decisions remain
incomplete. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) The PISG decided April 4 to set aside 41,766 euros
to compensate owners of 23 commercial properties throughout
Kosovo damaged by rioters during the March 2004 violence.
Eighteen of the properties were owned by Serbs or other
minorities, while the remaining five were owned by Albanians,
including a hotel in Suva Reka damaged by rampaging Albanians
for which the owner is set to receive 5,400 euros, one of the
largest payouts.
3. (SBU) The Charge of the British Office in Pristina agrees
with us that by identifying funds from the reserve account at
the Ministry of Economy and Finance and by issuing an
instruction for payment, the PISG has now completed the
second part of the Contact Group's priority standard dealing
with reconstruction of certain properties damaged during the
March 2004 violence. Local CG representatives agreed on
January 19 that the PISG has completed the first part of this
priority, reconstruction of Serbs houses in the village of
Svinjare in southern Mitrovica.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: We have raised the reconstruction of
these commercial properties or the compensation of their
owners for several months and welcome the government's
decision. We have reviewed the government's evaluation and
believe it represents a good estimate of the actual costs to
repair the damages to these mostly small storefront shops.
With this action, the Kosovo government has completed eleven
of the Contact Group's 13 Priorities for Standards
Implementation, including, in our estimation, the standard
dealing with prosecutions for perpetrators of the March 2004
riots (a judgment shared by CG members other than the
Russians, who continue to believe that high-level political
figures were responsible for the riots and should be
identified and prosecuted). What remains to complete the
priority standards is to expand the rental property scheme
run by the Kosovo Property Agency to all properties in which
people other than the owners reside, and to implement fully
all administrative decisions of the KPA awarding property
rights ownership. END COMMENT.
5. (SBU) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable in its
entirety for release to U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR DRL, INL, AND EUR/SCE, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR
DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK YI
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: ANOTHER PRIORITY STANDARD FULFILLED
REF: A. PRISTINA 56
B. PRISTINA 163
1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On April 4, Kosovo's Provisional
Institutions of Self-Government approved a report requested
by Prime Minister Agim Ceku evaluating the costs to repair 23
commercial properties (18 owned by Serbs or other minorities
and 5 owned by Albanians) damaged during the March 2004
anti-Serb violence. This fully completes another of the
Contact Group's 13 Priorities for Kosovo Standards
Implementation. In our view, only the two standards related
to the Kosovo Property Agency's rental scheme and
implementation of Kosovo Property Agency decisions remain
incomplete. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) The PISG decided April 4 to set aside 41,766 euros
to compensate owners of 23 commercial properties throughout
Kosovo damaged by rioters during the March 2004 violence.
Eighteen of the properties were owned by Serbs or other
minorities, while the remaining five were owned by Albanians,
including a hotel in Suva Reka damaged by rampaging Albanians
for which the owner is set to receive 5,400 euros, one of the
largest payouts.
3. (SBU) The Charge of the British Office in Pristina agrees
with us that by identifying funds from the reserve account at
the Ministry of Economy and Finance and by issuing an
instruction for payment, the PISG has now completed the
second part of the Contact Group's priority standard dealing
with reconstruction of certain properties damaged during the
March 2004 violence. Local CG representatives agreed on
January 19 that the PISG has completed the first part of this
priority, reconstruction of Serbs houses in the village of
Svinjare in southern Mitrovica.
4. (SBU) COMMENT: We have raised the reconstruction of
these commercial properties or the compensation of their
owners for several months and welcome the government's
decision. We have reviewed the government's evaluation and
believe it represents a good estimate of the actual costs to
repair the damages to these mostly small storefront shops.
With this action, the Kosovo government has completed eleven
of the Contact Group's 13 Priorities for Standards
Implementation, including, in our estimation, the standard
dealing with prosecutions for perpetrators of the March 2004
riots (a judgment shared by CG members other than the
Russians, who continue to believe that high-level political
figures were responsible for the riots and should be
identified and prosecuted). What remains to complete the
priority standards is to expand the rental property scheme
run by the Kosovo Property Agency to all properties in which
people other than the owners reside, and to implement fully
all administrative decisions of the KPA awarding property
rights ownership. END COMMENT.
5. (SBU) U.S. Office Pristina clears this cable in its
entirety for release to U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
KAIDANOW