KOSOVO: UNMIK SEEKS SUPPORT FOR OBSERVER STATUS TO

UNCLAS PRISTINA 000502 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR IO, EUR/SCE, EB, DRL, AND INL, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KHLS UNMIK YI SUBJECT: KOSOVO: UNMIK SEEKS SUPPORT FOR OBSERVER STATUS TO THE WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION ¶1. (U) Acting DSRSG Paul Acda wrote to COM June 21 asking for United States Customs Service's support for UNMIK's request for observer status to the Brussels-based World Customs Organization. ¶2. (U) The text of Acda's direct request to WCO General Director Michel Danet follows. BEGIN TEXT: Dear Director General, I am writing in order to follow up on letters sent to you by the then Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG),Harri Holkeri, on 26 May 2004, the then Principal Deputy SRSG (PDSRSG),Charles Brayshaw, on 10 September 2004 and the then PDSRSG, Lawrence Rossin, on 11 November 2004. You were asked by all three United Nations Officials to grant UNMIK with an observer status on an ad hoc basis to enable UNMIK representatives in the form of UNMIK Customs Officials, to participate in meetings and activities of the World Customs Organisation. (WCO). We have been assured by Mr. Harrison in 2004 that an answer can be expected in "due course." We believe the WCO to be sufficiently informed about why UNMIK is convinced of the necessity of having UNMIK Customs to attend WCO meetings and having access granted to technical and training material, which your organization provides. The advantages to the whole region should UNMIK be granted the Observer Status are obvious, as all Customs Services in South Eastern Europe would be sharing WCO best practices and training. Apart from the above, I would like to highlight that UNMIK Customs should be enabled to get familiar with the work of the WCO thus being fully up to speed once it will join the WCO as a full member. I would urge you to consider this repeated request and discuss the issue of UNMIK (Customs) Observer Status in the relevant forum as soon as possible. I stand ready to meet and discuss this issue further with you any time. I copy this letter to the Liaison Offices of the Contact Group members, the Commission and the Council Secretariat in Pristina to make sure that they are informed about this matter as well. Yours sincerely, Paul Acda Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General END TEXT. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: USOP supports UNMIK's request to receive WCO observer status. The UNMIK Customs Service is a fledgling organization that UNMIK has recently transitioned from international to Kosovar management. WCO observer status would enable UNMIK Customs to better communicate with other customs services in the region and help them develop systems and policies consistent with WCO norms. This would benefit all WCO members who do business in and with the region. Moreover, the United States and Romanian Governments included UNMIK Customs in the Eighth International Export Control Conference they co-hosted in Bucharest March 6 through 8, setting an important precedent for UNMIK Customs' inclusion in the WCO. Delegations from around the world welcomed UNMIK Customs' participation in the Bucharest conference, and they made an important contribution to the discussions. Finally, granting Kosovo WCO observer status would send a positive signal to the Kosovars at a moment when they are increasingly uncertain about delays in determining their future status and fearful of abandonment by their Western allies. END COMMENT. KAIDANOW