Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE786
2007-09-24 16:50:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: DEADLOCK ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL

Tags:  PGOV PREL MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2458
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0786/01 2671650
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241650Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6559
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0046
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3708
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000786 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE PAUL PFEUFFER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DEADLOCK ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL
NEARS RESOLUTION

REF: A. SKOPJE 766


B. SKOPJE 567 AND PREVIOUS

SKOPJE 00000786 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: POLOFF MNEISULER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

SUMMARY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000786

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SCE PAUL PFEUFFER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DEADLOCK ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL
NEARS RESOLUTION

REF: A. SKOPJE 766


B. SKOPJE 567 AND PREVIOUS

SKOPJE 00000786 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: POLOFF MNEISULER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).

SUMMARY


1. (C) On September 20, PM Gruevski and President
Crvenkovski met to follow up on the President's initiative to
improve cohabitation and break the deadlock on the State
Judicial Council (SJC) and the appointment of Macedonian
ambassadors. Later that day, the President, with the Prime
Minister's acquiescence, offered to the leaders of the main
parliamentary parties (coalition partner DPA, and opposition
SDSM and DUI) a compromise proposal on the SJC. The
proposal, endorsed on the spot by all but DUI, promises a way
out of an impasse that began shortly after VMRO-DPMNE came to
power in August 2006. DUI remains inclined to linking the
resolution of the SJC impasse with the implementation of the
May 29 agreement (ref B). The Ambassador strongly urged DUI
President Ahmeti against such a strategy, which would be
viewed here and abroad as DUI obstructionism. We will
continue to press DUI to help move the SJC process forward
quickly, and without preconditions. End summary.

DEADLOCK ON SJC NEARS RESOLUTION


2. (SBU) PM Gruevski and President Crvenkovski met in
Crvenkovski's office on September 20 to follow up on his
initiative to improve cohabitation and break the deadlock
over the composition of the State Judicial Council (SJC) and
the appointment of Macedonian ambassadors (reftel A). Only
hours after their tte--tte, the two joined the leaders of
the main parties in parliament (coalition partner DPA, and
opposition SDSM and DUI) to discuss the President's specific
proposal on the SJC. (NOTE: DUI's president Ahmeti was on a
pre-scheduled trip to Tirana, so the party was represented by
DUI VP Rafiz Haliti. END NOTE.)

PRIME MINISTER AND PRESIDENT SURPRISINGLY UNIFIED...


3. (SBU) Delivering on his promise "to be constructive" in
the discussions, Gruevski accepted the President's proposal
on the method for appointing the five remaining SJC members.

Gruevski's chief of staff later informed us that the Prime
Minister was satisfied with both meetings, but added that
"now everything depends on DUI," which had not come forward
to support the proposal. The President's chief of staff
assured us that the President "had done everything he could"
to move the process forward, and echoed the government's
assessment of the two meetings as "a good start."


4. (SBU) DPA President Menduh Thaqi also endorsed the
President's proposal, but DPA Secretary General and Deputy PM
Aliu --who was also present at the leaders meeting-- told us
he doubted that DUI was ready for a compromise. SDSM's
spokesman applauded the compromise on the SJC, emphasizing
that it reflected SDSM's original proposal on appointing
professional SJC members, rather than politically-connected
candidates. SDSM leaders professed "guarded optimism"
regarding a quick resolution of the SJC issue.

ALL EYES ON DUI


5. (SBU) DUI's representative at the meeting, VP Haliti,
shared with us his surprise at Gruevski's easy acceptance of
the President's proposal, which DUI MP Teuta Arifi told us
qualified as a "good opportunity for a way out of the
deadlock before the EU Commission report in November." Due
to Ahmeti's absence from the country, however, neither Haliti
nor Arifi felt they could commit DUI to a position. Arifi
had, however, indicated to us on September 18 that "the
President's proposals were acceptable to DUI," and told us on
September 21 "we can be optimists."


6. (SBU) According to Arifi, Ahmeti was supposed to discuss
the SJC proposal with the DUI leadership on September 22.
She told us late the evening of that same day, however, that
DUI MPs had been tied up in discussions on the government's
proposed amendments to the electoral code all day, and that
the party expected to reach a decision on whether to support
the President's proposal on Tuesday, September 25.

NO QUID PRO QUO


SKOPJE 00000786 002.2 OF 002



7. (C) The Ambassador called Ahmeti late September 23 to
urge DUI to reach a quick decision in support of the SJC
proposal, citing strong NATO and USG interest in seeing the
SJC issue resolved and the parties working together to reach
consensus on priority issues. A DUI "yes" on the President's
proposal, she said, would reflect positively on DUI both
domestically and internationally. We hoped for a DUI
decision by September 24, or at least a public statement by
DUI that it supported the proposal in principle and would
issue a formal decision in favor on September 25. (NOTE: In
coordination with us, EUSR Fouere had delivered similar
points to Ahmeti several hours earlier. END NOTE)


8. (C) Ahmeti initially replied that the delay in the
decision-making was due to scheduling difficulties, but then
indicated that, although DUI was interested in a "positive
outcome" on the SJC proposal, the party also wanted to see
movement on implementation of the May 29 agreement (ref B)
before it would give its full support for the proposal. He
asked for USG support for May 29 implementation, arguing that
Gruevski also had to make concessions.


9. (C) Noting that there already had been some progress on
May 29 agreement implementation, the Ambassador pushed back
and advised Ahmeti against trying to use the SJC talks as
leverage to get movement on the May 29 agreement. Such a
move would be viewed as DUI obstructionism. NATO members at
the previous week's presentation of Macedonia's NATO program
had made it clear that May 29 implementation was a priority
for Macedonia's membership prospects -- that was leverage
enough to use with the government.

POSSIBLE AGREEMENT ON AMBASSADORS


10. (SBU) In their September 20 tte--tte, Gruevski and
Crvenkovski also discussed the issue of the appointment of 10
ambassadors from Macedonia's diplomatic corps. Their
respective chiefs of staff informed us that, despite some
missteps and misunderstandings, both sides saw a way out of
the situation and a possible compromise. PM Gruevski is to
get back to the President with an answer regarding his
proposal on September 24.

COMMENT


11. (C) After months of public squabbles, the PM and the
President, joined by the leaders of the main parliamentary
parties, seem poised to overcome at least some of their
differences and push forward the solution of important
national issues, such as the SJC. Despite the undercurrents
of petty insults and media smear tactics, our conversations
with all important players in the country show that there is
cautious optimism about resolving this issue. Clearly a
calculated move, the latest flurry of activity between PM
Gruevski and the President --which came just days before the
review at NATO headquarters of Macedonia's Annual National
Program (ANP)-- is a sign that cohabitation is possible when
the parties are pragmatic and willing to work towards
compromise. The lingering suspicion and disparaging comments
from both sides should not overshadow the latest
achievements, which all major political parties have
welcomed. DUI's as yet undefined position on the SJC is the
one cloud in the otherwise positive atmosphere. We have told
DUI, and will reiterate, that withholding their approval for
the proposal gives them no/no leverage with the Prime
Minister on this. Gruevski would be perfectly happy to see
Crvenkovski's compromise SJC solution fail because DUI
overplays its hand. We will continue to push all parties,
especially DUI, to allow this SJC plan to take hold, and to
ensure the President's SJC proposal is implemented as quickly
as possible.
MILOVANOVIC