Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE539
2007-07-06 13:37:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: ADRIATIC CHARTER & NEW PFP MEMBERS

Tags:  PREL PGOV NATO MK CR AL 
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VZCZCXRO5024
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSQ #0539/01 1871337
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061337Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6251
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000539 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MK CR AL
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: ADRIATIC CHARTER & NEW PFP MEMBERS
ADDRESS BALKANS SECURITY ISSUES, NATO ENLARGEMENT ON JUNE 28

REF: SKOPJE 533

SUMMARY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000539

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MK CR AL
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: ADRIATIC CHARTER & NEW PFP MEMBERS
ADDRESS BALKANS SECURITY ISSUES, NATO ENLARGEMENT ON JUNE 28

REF: SKOPJE 533

SUMMARY


1. (SBU) During an Adriatic Charter (Albania, Croatia,
Macedonia) Partnership Commission in Ohrid June 28, USNATO
Ambassador Nuland urged the A-3 aspirant countries to:
accelerate progress on NATO reforms, demonstrate and describe
their readiness for membership in demarches to other NATO
Allies, and accept that there would be no "package approach"
to membership decisions. She encouraged the three new PfP
countries (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia) to
consider contributing to NATO operations, pursuing
International Partnership Action Plans (IPAP),and sending
Military Liaison Officers to the Partnership Coordination
Cell at SHAPE.


2. (SBU) The A-3 members highlighted the considerable
progress they had made in meeting NATO standards, but
accepted that there was a lot to do and little time in which
to complete remaining reforms required for membership. The
new PfP members said they were taking steps to move toward
full PfP participation (requiring Serbia to submit a
Presentation Document and all to conclude Security
Agreements, and then moving on to NATO training and
interoperability tools) and that they hoped to join the
Adriatic Charter to enhance mutual cooperation and regional
stability. End summary.

A-3 PARTNERSHIP COMMISSION MEETS


3. (U) Macedonia chaired a meeting of the Adriatic Charter
Partnership Commission in Ohrid on June 28, in the runup to
the NATO EAPC Security Forum held in the same town on June

29. The meeting was the last A-3 event chaired by Macedonia,
which passed the reins to Croatia on July 1. Attending the
first segment of the two-part session were delegates from the
U.S. (USNATO Ambassador Nuland and Ambassador Milovanovic);
NATO Deputy SecGen Minuto Rizzo; Albania (FM Lulzim Basha);
Croatia (FM Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and MOD Berislav
Roncevic); and Macedonia (FM Milososki and MOD Elenovski).
Attending the expanded session, in addition to the A-3
delegates, were new PfP Partners Bosnia and Herzegovina (MOD
Selmo Cikotic),Montenegro (MOD Vucinic),and Serbia (D/FM

Georgevic standing in for FM Jeremic, who arrived later from
a Council of Europe session in Strasbourg).

A-3 WORKING TO MEET NATO STANDARDS


4. (SBU) NATO Deputy SecGen Minuto Rizzo noted the progress
the A-3 members have made since the charter was signed in
2003 which had, he emphasized, helped its members develop
"habits of cooperation." He urged the A-3 to take advantage
the next MAP cycle and to make "the last effort" to ensure
they were strong candidates for NATO membership at the next
NATO summit. Albanian FM Basha replied that NATO and the US
had sent strong public signals of support for the A-3
aspirants, as well as indicating clearly steps the aspirants
still had to take to strengthen their candidacies. He noted
that Albania had formed a bi-partisan committee to focus on
NATO membership-related legislation, had drafted an action
plan on NATO membership, and had formed a committee on
electoral reform to further the country's NATO candidacy.


5. (SBU) Croatian FM Grabar-Kitarovic focused on her
government's recent successes in combating corruption,
including recent arrests in a privatization-related
corruption case. She also pointed to the government's
success in boosting public support for Croatia's NATO
membership bid, with over 50 percent of the public now
consistently supporting membership. She highlighted
Croatia's contributions to ISAF operations in Afghanistan,
adding that force levels would increase from the current
deployment of 200 troops to 300 in 2008. The government also
hoped to boost military spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2010.



6. (SBU) FM Milososki outlined progress Macedonia has made in
strengthening political consensus, and noted the strong
support for Macedonia's NATO membership bid that had been
reflected in a recent parliamentary resolution on NATO. The

SKOPJE 00000539 002 OF 002


government would step up its efforts to combat corruption and
trafficking in persons, he said. Milososki acknowledged that
there still was a long road ahead for the three NATO
aspirants. MOD Elenovski noted progress the country has made
on defense reforms, and said the MOD was working to improve
the ethnic balance in the armed forces.


7. (SBU) Ambassador Nuland praised the A-3 for the progress
they have made since 2003, but urged them not to rest on
their laurels -- there was still much for them to do.
Croatia had to stay focused on boosting public support for
NATO membership, Albania was still "on the cusp" of
demonstrating democratic maturity with its Presidential
selection process under way. Macedonia had to continue
working to strengthen its democratic institutions and
demonstrate progress in addressing ethnic minority concerns.
She said a USG interagency team would visit the aspirant
countries in early November to review their progress and
would then begin formulating recommendations regarding which
of the countries were ready for membership. The U.S. was
only one of 26 Allies, however, and each A-3 country would
need to lobby other Allies for support. Ambassador Nuland
also stressed that there would be no "package approach" to
membership -- each aspirant would be judged on its own
merits.

NEW PFP COUNTRIES -- MOVING TOWARD FULL MEMBERSHIP


8. (SBU) The new PfP country delegates said that they hoped
to complete the accession process to full Partnership in the
next several weeks. They expressed their desire to join the
Adriatic Charter in order to further enhance their
cooperation and regional stability. The Serbian Deputy FM
focused on Kosovo as the nation's top priority, along with
making progress on Euro-Atlantic integration goals, enhancing
cooperation with the ICTY, lowering Serbia's unemployment
rate, and tackling crime and corruption more effectively.


9. (SBU) Ambassador Nuland noted that the Riga Summit
decision to offer PfP to the new members had been "historic,"
and urged the three countries to consider joining in NATO-led
operations. She also urged them to think about concluding
IPAPs, and about assigning Liaison Officers to SHAPE. NATO
membership criteria could be used by each country, she said,
to strengthen internal reform processes.

KOSOVO STATUS -- NEED TO BE CLEAR ABOUT THE OUTCOME


10. (SBU) Macedonian FM Milososki said that any resolution of
the Kosovo status question should contribute to stability in
the region. He added that "final status would be better than
the status quo," but warned against unilateral steps by any
party. Albanian FM Basha noted that further delays in moving
ahead on Kosovo status would have a negative impact on peace
and security in the region. The Ahtisaari plan would, he
added, "help us all face in the same direction" and ensure
that the will of the peoples in the region was carried out.


11. (SBU) The Serbian MFA representative said his country
wanted more time for continued discussions with Kosovo. NATO
and the UN should "not underestimate Serbia's ability to
compromise" and reach a solution acceptable to both sides.
Ambassador Nuland pushed back, saying that any extension of
talks had to be conditioned on the understanding that the end
result of those discussions would be supervised independence.


12. (U) This cable has been cleared by USNATO and EUR/RPM.
MILOVANOVIC