Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE815
2007-10-10 09:52:00
CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:  

MACEDONIA: TENSIONS EBB AFTER PARLIAMENTARY BRAWL,

Tags:  PGOV PREL MK 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO5338
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHSQ #0815/01 2830952
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 100952Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6599
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0056
RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
RUEHSQ/USDAO SKOPJE MK
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 3710
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000815 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE (PFEUFFER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: TENSIONS EBB AFTER PARLIAMENTARY BRAWL,
SOME PROGRESS ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL

REF: A. SKOPJE 792


B. SKOPJE 758

C. SKOPJE 786

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 000815

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/SCE (PFEUFFER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: TENSIONS EBB AFTER PARLIAMENTARY BRAWL,
SOME PROGRESS ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL

REF: A. SKOPJE 792


B. SKOPJE 758

C. SKOPJE 786

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

SUMMARY


1. (SBU) A week after the September 25 brawl in Parliament
between ethnic Albanian MPs (ref A),tensions have ebbed and
the government on October 4 succeeded in corralling the votes
of the smaller ethnic minority parties to elect four of the
remaining five members of the 15-member State Judicial
Council (SJC). The GOM's detour around the opposition
angered ethnic Albanian opposition DUI, which had also
suspended its participation in some parliamentary bodies as a
reaction to the September 25 dustup. The Ministry of
Interior (MOI) has started investigations into allegations of
police violence against journalists during actions related to
the September 25 incident. Taking a step in the right
direction, the ruling coalition struck a compromise with DUI
on the formation of an Investigative Committee in Parliament
to look into the September 25 events. Although the
near-completion of the SJC will allow that body to begin
working more effectively, the GOM approach -- forsaking
consensus-building in the interest of political expediency --
is likely to backfire the next time the government needs the
opposition's support for implementing key NATO-related
reforms, including the Police Law. End summary.

MEDIA BOYCOTT GOM AND DUI EVENTS TO PROTEST VIOLENCE


2. (SBU) To protest the police beating of a journalist in an
incident related to the September 25 brawl in parliament
between ethnic Albanian MPs from opposition DUI and governing
coalition partner DPA (ref A),the media boycotted the GOM's
September 27 press conference, which was intended to showcase
the government's economic program. Expressing his
"understanding" for the journalists' outrage, PM Gruevski
pledged to hold accountable those responsible for the
beating. The media also boycotted DUI's September 28 rally
"against violence," in response to reports that a DUI member
had slapped a TV journalist covering the September 25 brawl.

The DUI rally proceeded peacefully, and was attended by
around 1,500 DUI supporters from around the country.

MOI TAKES CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION


3. (C) To help ensure the September 28 DUI-organized rally
went off without incident, the Ambassador contacted both the
DUI leadership and Minister of Interior Jankuloska the day
before the demonstration, winning commitments from both sides
to exercise restraint and common sense. International police
observers at the rally site agreed that the planning and the
execution of the event were smooth, with the MOI using
well-trained Rapid Deployment Unit police positioned
discreetly at different locations in downtown Skopje, while
DUI's leadership managed to control the crowds of DUI
supporters.


4. (SBU) In the meantime, the MOI took immediate action
against police officers implicated in the harassment of DUI
MPs and journalists on September 26. An internal
investigation concerning the behavior of the Tetovo police
chief is underway due to reports that he issued an
unauthorized order to stop the DUI MPs while they were en
route to a party function. Additionally, the MOI's
Professional Standards Unit has launched an investigation
into the assault on the TV journalist. Criminal charges have
been filed against the Tetovo police chief for "abuse of
official position" and against two police officers for
"mistreatment while performing an official duty." If
convicted, the police officers, who have been suspended from
work, could be sentenced to between six months and five years
imprisonment.

COMPROMISE ON PARLIAMENT'S INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE


5. (C) Despite DUI's suspended participation in the
parliament's plenary sessions (but not in coordinative

SKOPJE 00000815 002 OF 002


bodies) DUI MPs took part in intensive debates among all
party whips in Parliament on October 2 on the formation of a
parliamentary committee to investigate the September 25
events. Although government and opposition parties initially
were deadlocked on the composition of the committee, they
eventually reached a compromise solution by week's end, and
the investigative committee began working on October 8. The
committee has four members of the opposition and three from
the ruling coalition; it is chaired by Stojan Andov,
president of the Liberal Party and a former Speaker of
Parliament. Upon DUI's insistence, the committee's report,
due by October 16, will be adopted by a simple majority vote.


PROGRESS ON STATE JUDICIAL COUNCIL -- PYRRHIC VICTORY?


6. (C) Using DUI's absence from Parliament, on October 3 the
ruling coalition proposed three SJC candidates, some of whom
were believed to be politically connected, to fill the
remaining five of 15 SJC seats. Shortly thereafter,
President Crvenkovski re-submitted his two candidates, both
of whom the ruling coalition had earlier deemed unacceptable.
(Note: Both of Crvenkovski's candidates are minority
representatives, and the GOM apparently fears that appointing
them to the SJC would give ethnic minorities too much power
in that body. End note).


7. (SBU) In practice, the submission of party candidates to
the SJC annulled the September 20 compromise proposal by the
President (ref C). In justifying its detour from the
compromise, the GOM argued that all parties, except for DUI,
had publicly accepted the President's proposal to break the
long-standing deadlock on the SJC composition. Following
intensive consultations with the Ambassador and EU's Special
Representative, DUI was on the verge of publicly announcing
its acceptance of the President's compromise on September 25,
when the brawl in Parliament erupted. DUI therefore never
went on the record as supporting the compromise, and the
government claimed this meant it had to find an alternate
route to completing the SJC composition.


8. (SBU) A surprise Parliament session on October 4
confirmed the three GOM SJC candidates, despite opposition
DUI's absence from Parliament and SDSM's comments that "today
marks the death of democracy." In a backroom deal on October
3, PM Gruevski had secured the support of the smaller
minority MPs (Turks, Serbs, Bosniacs, Roma),thus ensuring
the Badinter votes necessary to appoint the SJC candidates.


9. (SBU) VMRO MPs later abstained from voting for one of the
President's two candidates (an ethnic Turk),while their
coalition partners DPA left the session to protest that
candidate's alleged anti-Albanian bias. President
Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff labeled the disciplined voting
for the governing coalition's SJC candidates as "a new
provocation" by a GOM which is trying to "appoint judges by
force." A frustrated DUI leadership told us that the
situation was "becoming dangerous," and that the GOM was
trying to silence the opposition.

COMMENT


10. (C) Accomplished just a week after the parliamentary
brawl, the composition of the SJC, a key judicial reform step
required for Macedonia's Euro-Atlantic integration goals,
could have been a welcome moment of political dialogue and
compromise. Instead, government leaders concentrated on
partisan interests and political expediency, resulting in
only 14 of the 15 SJC seats being filled, a partial solution
that will nevertheless allow the SJC to function. Opposition
DUI overplayed its hand by not announcing its support for the
Crvenkovski compromise proposal, and is now fuming on the
sidelines. By failing to opt for a process that could have
completed the SJC with a broader political consensus, the
government's tactics now are likely to ensure that DUI will
push even harder to ensure full implementation of the May 29
Agreement, and will be less flexible in working with the GOM
as it begins to implement the Police Law, where Gruevski will
need DUI's cooperation at the municipal level.
MILOVANOVIC