KOSOVO: COM INAUGURATES US KFOR/USAID PROJECT IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000749

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2017
TAGS: PGOV PINR EAID PHUM SOCI KV UNMIK
SUBJECT: KOSOVO: COM INAUGURATES US KFOR/USAID PROJECT IN
PARTES

Classified By: COM Tina S. Kaidanow for reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. At the inauguration of a joint USKFOR/USAID
community development project in the Serb enclave of Partes
(Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality),COM and other visitors
witnessed genuine appreciation from local Serbs for
USKFOR/USG efforts on their behalf. This project, the first
official building (other than a police substation) in a town
that will be the center of a future Serb-majority
municipality under the Ahtisaari Plan, demonstrated the
potential for our cooperation in many Serb enclaves.
Nonetheless, as noted by local political leader Vesna
Jovanovic, future implementation of Ahtisaari-mandated
decentralization provisions will remain a challenge, due
mostly to pressure from Belgrade. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On October 15, COM traveled to the Serb enclave of
Partes (Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality) to inaugurate a
community center and playground built by USKFOR and furnished
by USAID. When this project was being developed, the
community council had identified the need for a place for
local children to meet outside of school. The land
eventually chosen for the building is the former site of the
town's garbage dump, a fact emphasized by many locals during
the inauguration ceremony. USKFOR contributed USD 164,000
for construction and USAID furnished USD 50,000 to equip the
facility, as well as provide English language and computer
training classes. The center includes a soccer/basketball
field, a playground for younger children, and a three-room
building with a computer lab.


3. (SBU) With Serb-language media in attendance, COM and
COMUSKFOR BG Earhart addressed a lively crowd of locals,
including many school children. In comparison with several
other recent project inaugurations in Serb areas, crowd
involvement and general atmospherics were much more positive.
Serbian List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM) Kosovo Assembly
Member and Serbian Social Democratic Party member Vesna
Jovanovic, who is from Partes and worked to coordinate this
project, gave certificates of appreciation to all involved,
including USOP and USAID, emphasizing the role played by a
Kosovo Albanian construction firm (which had employed many
local Serbs). (Note: Jovanovic, along with her SLKM
colleagues, is not participating in this year's elections due
to heavy pressure from Belgrade. End Note.)


4. (C) After the event, Jovanovic spoke with us about the
state of affairs in Partes, acknowledging the community's
almost-complete dependence on USKFOR for survival. She
praised USKFOR's work with the local Serb population, noting
what she considered a real improvement in relations over the
last three years: "for example, (three years ago) the
teachers would never have released all the students to attend
this event."


5. (C) Turning to the upcoming November 17 elections, she
pointed to the many barriers faced by would-be Serb
politicians, saying "even in 2004, it was a bloody war trying
to get people to vote," and pointed to even more difficult
conditions this time. While blaming the bleak electoral
outlook on boycott pressure emanating from Belgrade and lack
of accurate information about elections and basic information
in Serb-language media about Kosovo, she also explained that
her two terms in the Kosovo Assembly had not bought her (or
anyone else) credibility among Kosovo Serbs. For example,
she reported that many Serbs have asked her "What did you do
in the Assembly? What laws were you able to change or
prevent?" (Note: Despite these feelings, Jovanovic later
gave an interview to Serb-language Radio KiM, in which she
called on Serbs to vote in the upcoming elections. End Note.)


6. (C) Jovanovic also acknowledged the negative impact of
Serb non-participation on the upcoming Ahtisaari-mandated
decentralization process. Looking ahead to the possibility
of a Serb boycott of Kosovo elections and institutions and

PRISTINA 00000749 002 OF 002


the prospect of Serb parallel elections, she asked "who will
you find to work with you (the international community) to
run these new municipalities?" Continuing to state an
opinion she has voiced in the media in recent weeks, she
called for more "maturity" in Kosovo politics, and said she
was happy to praise effective Albanian politicians in public.
She maintained hope that cooperation with the international
community would continue regardless of the outcome of the
upcoming elections or the status process. We reassured her
that it would.

COMMENT


7. (C) The enthusiasm demonstrated by Partes' Serbs towards
this USG-funded project, along with the active, positive role
played by local leaders in its execution is a welcome sign.
Native daughter Vesna Jovanovic's praise has been echoed by
other Serbs, including even hardline members of Belgrade's
Coordinating Center for Kosovo (CCK). We will continue to
look for such opportunities to work with Serb enclaves,
particularly in USKFOR's areas of responsibility.


8. (C) Jovanovic's comments on the political situation go to
the heart of the Kosovo Serb position south of the Ibar -
pressure from Belgrade and non-participation in Kosovo
institutions have resulted in a dearth of local leadership
and representation, which only reinforces pre-existing fears.
Despite these challenges, we can encourage Serbs to vote and
convince them that working with international partners
(especially the ICO) to implement the Ahtisaari Plan's
decentralization scheme is the only effective way to preserve
the Serb presence in Kosovo.
KAIDANOW