D'ALEMA TELLS KOSTUNICA INDEPENDENCE FOR KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002243 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/25/2017 TAGS: PREL PROG SR YI KO IT SUBJECT: D'ALEMA TELLS KOSTUNICA INDEPENDENCE FOR KOSOVO MOST LIKELY OPTION Classified By: Classified by Jonathan R. Cohen, Acting Political Minist er Counselor, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) According to Raimondo De Cardona, Head of the MFA Balkans Office, FM D'Alema told Serbian PM Kostunica October 23 that Serbia should use the period before December 10 to narrow differences with Pristina over Kosovo's final status. De Cardona told Poloff October 24 that D'Alema had stated that while the international community would support any mutually-agreed solution for Kosovo's status negotiated through the Troika-facilitated process, if no agreement emerged the Ahtisaari plan would be put back on the table. He added that the Serbian government should prepare for Kosovo's eventual independence. Kostunica reiterated that Serbia could not accept independence for Kosovo. ¶2. (C) De Cardona was concerned about Kosovo Albanian reports that D'Alema had stated the Troika process had replaced the Ahtisaari proposal and that Italy would not accept a unilateral declaration of independence. De Cardona assured poloff that such reports were untrue. While Italy did not want to prejudice the Troika-facilitated talks before December 10 by stating a position on UDI, the Italian position remained in line with the rest of the Quint. SPOGLI