KOSOVO SERBS REACT POSITIVELY TO USG-FUNDED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000323 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE NSC FOR BRAUN USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI EUR/ACE FOR DMAYHEW E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2017 TAGS: KCRM KDEM PGOV PINR PREL YI UNMIK EAID PHUM SOCI SUBJECT: KOSOVO SERBS REACT POSITIVELY TO USG-FUNDED PROJECTS IN THE NORTH REF: A. PRISTINA 91 ¶B. PRISTINA 281 (C) Classified By: COM Tina Kaidanow for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY. On April 19, COM inaugurated three USAID projects in Serb-majority northern Kosovo. These included renovations to both the Technical Sciences faculty and the technical high school in northern Mitrovica, along with the construction of a new water reservoir and water distribution system in the village of Rudare, in Zvecan municipality. COM also witnessed the signing of grant mini-agreements with three high school youth groups to fund improvements to their schools. Despite some initial reluctance to participate in such public events with USG officials at this particularly sensitive time, in the end school officials, students, villagers and even Zvecan Mayor Milovic all participated actively and praised the USG for these improvements to their communities. Milovic invited USOP and USAID staff to lunch afterwards, and used the opportunity to lobby for additional cooperation and investments in Zvecan. Although pressure from Belgrade and local hard-liners to limit ties with the international community seems to be increasing, many Serbs in the north and some pragmatic leaders realize that there are concrete benefits to be had from active engagement. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) On April 19 COM participated in inauguration ceremonies marking the completion of three separate USAID-funded projects in northern Kosovo. The first project, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM),involved the complete rehabilitation of two dilapidated corridors at the Faculty of Technical Sciences, one of ten faculties that make up the Serbian state-run parallel university in northern Mitrovica. IOM replaced the floors and bathrooms, installed new energy-efficient doors and repainted the walls and ceilings. Dean Vladimir Raicevic thanked the USG on behalf of the 1000 students, 300 teachers and 120 support staff who currently use the facility, and added that additional investments in the faculty would be most welcome. ¶3. (SBU) The second project, also implemented by IOM, involved the complete renovation of two workshops (metal welding and tire repair) at the technical high school in northern Mitrovica. IOM completely gutted and cleaned the filthy, junk-ridden workshops (which, according to school officials, had not been renovated in forty years),replaced the floors and installed new windows and more functional garage-style doors. The total USG investment in these two projects was USD 96,304. ¶4. (SBU) Grateful students gave a demonstration of their technical skills on the museum-era (1960's) equipment, while the professor mentioned to PolOff that the days when all of their graduates could immediately find jobs in the Trepca mining/industrial complex were long gone. IOM project manager Andrew Phelan told us that the facility had once been used for military training, and said that among the items they cleared out were manuals on how to effectively bomb tanks. Phelan said that he faced more reluctance from Kosovo Serb officials to participate in these inauguration events in the past three weeks than at any time during his three years working in Kosovo. ¶5. (C) Radovan Tanic, the energetic and highly regarded Director of the technical school, described the difficult circumstances under which the school operates, with over 1,400 students studying in shifts that go until almost midnight every day. He said that since 1999, Serb students from four high schools that were once located south of the Ibar river (3 in southern Mitrovica and one in Vushtrri/Vucitrn) all share space with the students in the technical school in northern Mitrovica. These include PRISTINA 00000323 002 OF 003 students from the economic high school, the general "gimnazija" high school, the school for natural sciences (mathematics and law) and the Vushtrri technical school. (NOTE: When the Serbian students moved north, the Albanian students who previously studied in the north moved south, where they continue to face similar challenges. END NOTE.) He complained that school facilities are severely taxed, saying they are in use 12-15 hours per day. Tanic mentioned that he strongly supports continued cooperation with the USG so long as his boss "does not tell him to stop," but added that, if pressured to make a choice, he would have to "protect his job and his family." ¶6. (SBU) At the technical high school, COM met jointly with leaders of the student council associations for three of the schools, who are participating in the USAID School Based Youth Councils project being implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The student leaders signed mini-grant agreements for three CRS projects proposed by the students, including the development of a specialized room with equipment for foreign language study, additional operational equipment for technical students, and the construction of a school park. Together, the three grants totaled USD 12,310. (NOTE. Although we originally planned media presence for the grant signing, the media element was removed based on a request from skittish school administrators. All the other events received widespread, positive coverage. END NOTE). ¶7. (SBU) In the hillside village of Rudare, in the northern Serb-majority municipality of Zvecan, COM cut the ribbon on a new water reservoir and rehabilitation of the water network system, implemented by Mercy Corps through USAID's Municipal Integration Support Initiative (MISI) for a total project cost of 16,760 euros. The reservoir captures fresh water at its source above the village, stores it in a large tank, and then feeds it into the newly renovated water system for transport down to the houses. According to Mercy Corps, the old network was collapsing and contaminated, and therefore unable to provide a steady supply of potable water. The villagers shared copious amounts of home-made rakija with the guests, and urged COM to consider additional projects in their village such as the renovation of the main road, which they said has been destroyed by heavy KFOR tank traffic. ¶8. (SBU) After Rudare, Zvecan mayor Dragisa Milovic invited COM, along with USOP, USAID and Mercy Corps staff, to lunch. (NOTE. This is the first time he has invited to us to such a meeting. END NOTE). He used the opportunity to thank the COM profusely for this and other past projects in his municipality, and to ask for further cooperation in the form of development assistance. He and several of his municipal advisors made a strong pitch for the construction of a sports hall in Zvecan, saying that there are no proper sports facilities in a municipality known for its athletes. They explained that expanded recreation opportunities for unemployed youth would increase stability and help keep Serbs in Kosovo. Milovic mentioned that Belgrade's Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija (CCK) recently constructed a sports hall in the neighboring Serb-majority municipality of Zubin Potok, but complained that Zvecan lacks the strong political connections that are necessary to bring such a project to his municipality. Milovic also praised the recent USAID renovation of the town hall in Zubin Potok (reftel). COM assured him that we welcome further opportunities for cooperation, and said that there will be additional funding for projects in the north. ¶9. (SBU) COMMENT. Despite prior expressions of concern from local Serb officials about the spotlight that inevitably accompanies USG participation in such high profile events, students, schoolteachers, administrators and Rudare visitors all welcomed us warmly. They were genuinely appreciative of these concrete USG contributions to improve the quality of their lives, and asked for further cooperation and projects. PRISTINA 00000323 003 OF 003 These small, community generated projects are a cost-effective means of demonstrating our support for the well-being of Kosovo Serbs in the north, in addition to the positive impact they make on the lives of the people who directly benefit from them. END COMMENT. ¶10. (U) Post clears this message in its entirety for release to UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari. KAIDANOW