Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE294
2007-04-18 09:38:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: STAFFDEL KILLION'S MEETINGS WITH

Tags:  MK PGOV PINR PREL 
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VZCZCXRO8951
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0294/01 1080938
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180938Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5959
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3671
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000294 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE (PFEUFFER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MK PGOV PINR PREL
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: STAFFDEL KILLION'S MEETINGS WITH
GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION

SUMMARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000294

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE (PFEUFFER)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MK PGOV PINR PREL
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: STAFFDEL KILLION'S MEETINGS WITH
GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION

SUMMARY


1. (SBU) Staffdel Killion met with senior Macedonian
government (GOM) officials and with representatives of the
two major eAlbanian parties (opposition DUI and governing
DPA) during a visit to Skopje April 4. Both government and
opposition interlocutors expressed support for the Ahtisaari
plan on Kosovo status as the best -- and only -- guarantee of
peace and stability in the region. The DUI and DPA
representatives presented the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement
(FWA) as a good model for Kosovo, but disagreed on the extent
to which it actually has been implemented in Macedonia. FM
Milososki commented on Serbia's inclusion in the Partnership
for Peace (PfP) initiative as a positive incentive for
constructive behavior from Belgrade, and suggested the EU
should look for ways to match that incentive in its relations
with Serbia. Milososki cited as GOM NATO-related priorities
the need to intensify efforts to combat
trafficking-in-persons (TIP),and to overcome traditional
religious groups' opposition to a more liberal religious law
for Macedonia. Both eAlbanian parties agreed that continued
political dialogue between the GOM and the opposition was
important, and restated their parties' commitment to a
unitary, multiethnic Macedonia integrated into NATO. End
summary.


STAFFDEL's Skopje Visit
--------------



2. (SBU) Staffdel Killion, comprised of David Killion, Senior
Professional Staff Member, House Committee on Foreign Affairs
(HFAC); Douglas Anderson, Minority Professional Staff, HFAC;
Jennifer Simon, Professional Staff, Senate Foreign Relations
Committee; and Tomicah Tillemann, Professional Staff, Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, visited Skopje April 4 to meet
with high-level government and opposition figures. The
Ambassador attended the Staffdel's meeting with FM Milososki.
During their meetings the Staffdel delivered the following
points:

-- the Ahtisaari plan provides the only path forward in terms
of resolving Kosovo's future status;
-- the USG supports Macedonia's NATO aspirations, appreciates
its support for the Global War on Terror, and expects the
country to meet NATO standards in order to qualify for a

membership invitation at the next enlargement summit;
-- it is essential for the government to sustain the ongoing
political dialogue with the DUI party to demonstrate
Macedonia's political maturity and readiness to join NATO; and
-- the U.S. Congress sees as key NATO-related priorities the
fight against TIP and corruption.


Kosovo: GOM Support for Ahtisaari and a Stronger EU Role
-------------- --------------



3. (SBU) FM Milososki re-affirmed his country's support for
the Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo status and referred to
Macedonia as a good example of multiethnic tolerance in the
region. Proud of Macedonia's contributions to regional and
global security, Milososki said his country's vitality is due
to the fact that its leadership has a future-oriented vision
that does not dwell on past injustices. Referring to the
formerly contentious issue of border demarcation between
Macedonia and Kosovo, Milososki said that resolution of the
border issue could now serve as a test case for an
independent Kosovo's respect for principles of international
law. He assured the Staffdel that landowners on both sides
of the border would not lose their property or access to it
after the final border demarcation, which is expected to take
place not more than a year after the Ahtisaari plan goes into
effect. Asked about the most productive way to engage Serbia
on the Kosovo issue, Milososki said that the PfP invitation
to Serbia had been a positive step that provided an incentive
for Belgrade's constructive behavior. It was time, he said,
for the EU to take a similar, more constructive approach to
engaging Belgrade. Milososki argued that Belgrade should be
given a clear signal that "counting on a Plan B for Kosovo
status would be disastrous for Serbia," especially if such a
plan hinted at partition as an outcome.


TIP and Religious Freedom: High Level GOM Engagement

SKOPJE 00000294 002 OF 002


-------------- --------------



4. (SBU) FM Milososki said the government has made combating
TIP a high-level political priority. National NATO
Coordinator Ambassador Dimitrov elaborated further,
describing in detail recent GOM initiatives on TIP. He
highlighted the Ministry of Justice's work on legislative
amendments that will criminalize all TIP-related acts
involving minors, and outlined GOM efforts underway to devise
a unified definition of a TIP victim. He acknowledged that,
despite some progress, there were still judicial delays and
inefficiencies that hampered progress in fighting TIP and
vowed to continue work to reduce them.


5. (SBU) Milososki told the Staffdel that there currently are
formidable obstacles to passing a new, more liberal Law on
Religious Communities in Macedonia. He noted intense
lobbying against the current draft law by the Macedonian
Orthodox Church (MOC) and the Islamic Community (IC),which
he thought were trying to derail the process to prevent other
religious groups from legally registering in Macedonia. He
said that, despite some anticipated obstacles, the GOM would
try to convince a majority of MPs to support a more liberal
Law on Religion to fulfill NATO accession commitments.


FWA: Good Model for Kosovo; Problematic Implementation at
Home
-------------- --------------



6. (SBU) In separate meetings, ranking ethnic Albanian party
officials Teuta Arifi of DUI (opposition) and Besim Dogani of
DPA (governing coalition) agreed that the 2001 FWA was a
positive example for Kosovo. Dogani said the FWA represented
an effective compromise agreement between ethnic Macedonians
and Albanians. In his view, however, the FWA had not been
fully implemented during the tenure of the previous
government, which had included DUI as a coalition partner,
due to the incompetence of DUI officials. Highlighting the
constructive partnership between DPA and the ruling
eMacedonian VMRO-DPMNE, Dogani elaborated on initiatives the
GOM has undertaken recently to promote FWA implementation.


Political Dialogue: Unified Support, but Different Timeframes
-------------- --------------



7. (SBU) On the issue of continued political dialogue, DPA's
Dogani said that DUI should return to Parliament from its
current boycott, and should use its time in opposition to
build and strengthen its grassroots networks. DUI's Arifi
said that DUI's actions, including the boycott it began in
January 2007 to protest what it claimed were government
attempts to stall FWA implementation, were a result of
pressures from the party's base. Asked about the impact of
DUI's boycott at such a critical juncture for the country,
Arifi pledged DUI's responsible engagement and commitment to
Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic future. She noted, however, that
DUI believed it would be able to achieve the bulk of its
demands by June, after which the situation would revert to
normalcy.


COMMENT



8. (SBU) The Staffdel's discussions with both high-level GOM
officials and opposition leaders showed there is political
and inter-ethnic consensus in Macedonia on supporting a
Kosovo status process that leads to speedy independence in
the interests of regional stability. Despite the rhetorical
broadsides DPA and DUI lobbed at each other, it was clear
that both eAlbanian parties see their future in a unitary,
multi-ethnic Macedonia, with no room in the country or region
for notions of a greater Albania. End comment.


9. This cable was cleared by Staffdel Killion.
MILOVANOVIC