Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE842
2007-10-18 16:30:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:
MACEDONIA: DAS DICARLO'S OCTOBER 10 MEETINGS WITH
how-toVZCZCXRO3245 RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR DE RUEHSQ #0842/01 2911630 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 181630Z OCT 07 FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6633 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0061 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC RUESEN/SKOPJE BETA RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RHEHNSC/WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000842
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DAS DICARLO'S OCTOBER 10 MEETINGS WITH
OPPOSITION LEADERS
REF: SKOPJE 815
Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D).
SUMMARY.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SKOPJE 000842
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DAS DICARLO'S OCTOBER 10 MEETINGS WITH
OPPOSITION LEADERS
REF: SKOPJE 815
Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D).
SUMMARY.
1. (SBU) During a meeting with DAS DiCarlo in Skopje on
October 10, opposition DUI President Ahmeti said
implementation of the May 29 Agreement was moving too slowly,
and that he would ask governing VMRO for a deadline for
concrete results from ongoing working group discussions. He
was non-committal about DUI's return to all institutions of
parliament until after an investigative committee produces a
report on the September 25 brawl between MPs. Ahmeti said
DUI would play a constructive role in strengthening stability
in Macedonia in the runup to a Kosovo status solution.
2. (C) In a separate meeting with DAS DiCarlo on the same
day, opposition SDSM President Sekerinska disagreed with the
DUI position on the May 29 Agreement's requirement for a
draft language law, characterizing the DUI version of the law
as too intrusive in its reach into state institutions. She
contended that PM Gruevski believes a membership invitation
at the 2008 NATO Summit is virtually guaranteed because of
regional stability concerns related to Kosovo, which she
suggested was undermining the political will to proceed with
tough reforms. Sekerinska also accused the government of
using non-transparent funding for elaborate PR campaigns to
put SDSM at a competitive disadvantage on the political
stage. End Summary.
MEETINGS WITH DUI AND SDSM OPPOSITION
3. (U) EUR DAS DiCarlo, accompanied by Ambassador and EconOff
(notetaker) met separately with DUI President Ahmeti and with
opposition SDSM President Sekerinska on October 10 in Skopje.
Sekerinska was accompanied by SDSM Parliamentary Coordinator
Makraduli, and DUI was accompanied by DUI VP Arifi, DUI
Presidency member Xhaferi, and Ahmeti's Chief of Staff.
MAY 29 AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION -- SPLIT OPPOSITION
4. (SBU) DAS DiCarlo told both Ahmeti and Sekerinska that
implementation of the May 29 Agreement between DUI and
governing VMRO was essential, but that DUI had to show
flexibility in pursuing a compromise outcome. Ahmeti
complained that the May 29 Agreement working groups on a
draft language law and social package for victims of the 2001
conflict were moving too slowly. As a result, DUI was going
to propose deadlines for demonstrating concrete progress in
the working groups. Ahmeti doubted whether PM Gruevski was
in fact interested in NATO and EU membership, since he was
not, in Ahmeti's view, serious about implementing the May 29
Agreement.
5. (SBU) SDSM President Sekerinska said that her party
opposed DUI's draft language law proposal which would allow
the use of Albanian for internal government functions. She
agreed, however, that SDSM could accept DUI's proposal for
the central government to interact with ethnic Albanians in
the Albanian language. She disagreed with Ahmeti about the
GOM's attitude toward NATO, but added that PM Gruevski was
convinced Macedonia would be invited to join the Alliance
because of regional security considerations related to
Kosovo.
DUI'S RETURN TO PARLIAMENTARY INSTITUTIONS
6. (SBU) Referring to the September 25 brawl in parliament
between DUI and governing coalition partner DPA (ref A),DAS
DiCarlo noted the damage that incident had done to
Macedonia's image. She asked whether DUI was reconsidering
its decision to suspend participation in plenary sessions of
parliament until a parliamentary investigative committee
completed its report on the incident, as DUI had initially
said would be the case. Ahmeti was non-committal. He said
that DUI would shoulder its share of the blame for its
involvement in the brawl, but would insist that the committee
finger the culprits responsible for attacks on two DUI MPs
that day.
INFLUENCE ON NATO PROSPECTS
SKOPJE 00000842 002 OF 002
7. (C) SDSM's Sekerinska said the September 25 events were a
symptom of "stalemate and a lack of trust" produced by an
inefficient parliament that had managed to accomplish very
little legislative business. Legislation related to NATO and
EU membership was sidetracked as a result. She doubted the
investigative committee would produce a balanced report,
noting the completely different versions of events presented
by each side.
8. (C) Sekerinska worried that the brawl and other
developments would convince some NATO observers that
Macedonia was an unpredictable, unstable Balkan country. The
Greeks would attempt to use that negative image to undermine
the country's NATO candidacy, rather than relying solely on
arguments about the name.
9. (SBU) DAS DiCarlo asked Sekerinska whether she could not
help persuade DUI to resume its work in all bodies of
parliament. Sekerinska said she had tried, but that
hard-line elements in DUI had pressured Ahmeti to hold the
line by pointing out that compromise approaches had failed to
budge VMRO from its intransigence toward DUI.
KOSOVO -- READY TO WORK FOR STABILITY
10. (C) DAS DiCarlo underscored to Ahmeti the importance of a
calm, stable environment in Macedonia in the runup to a
Kosovo status decision, and especially the need to avoid any
calls from Macedonia for referenda on changing borders (as
had been the case in the isolated border town of Tanusevci
several weeks ago.) Ahmeti agreed that DUI would do the
necessary to keep the situation calm in Macedonia. "Just
tell us what our duties will be" he told DAS DiCarlo,
pledging that the party would fulfill them.
GOM PR SPENDING PUTS SDSM AT COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE
11. (SBU) Sekerinska bemoaned the competitive disadvantage
her party was at because of non-transparent GOM spending on
PR campaigns. She suggested that such spending included
outright bribery or other methods of influencing media
outlets and shaping their messages. New legislation was
required to control and regulate the manner in which the
government could spend on self-promoting PR activities, she
said.
12. (U) DAS DiCarlo cleared this message.
MILOVANOVIC
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/19/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA: DAS DICARLO'S OCTOBER 10 MEETINGS WITH
OPPOSITION LEADERS
REF: SKOPJE 815
Classified By: P/E CHIEF SHUBLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) & (D).
SUMMARY.
1. (SBU) During a meeting with DAS DiCarlo in Skopje on
October 10, opposition DUI President Ahmeti said
implementation of the May 29 Agreement was moving too slowly,
and that he would ask governing VMRO for a deadline for
concrete results from ongoing working group discussions. He
was non-committal about DUI's return to all institutions of
parliament until after an investigative committee produces a
report on the September 25 brawl between MPs. Ahmeti said
DUI would play a constructive role in strengthening stability
in Macedonia in the runup to a Kosovo status solution.
2. (C) In a separate meeting with DAS DiCarlo on the same
day, opposition SDSM President Sekerinska disagreed with the
DUI position on the May 29 Agreement's requirement for a
draft language law, characterizing the DUI version of the law
as too intrusive in its reach into state institutions. She
contended that PM Gruevski believes a membership invitation
at the 2008 NATO Summit is virtually guaranteed because of
regional stability concerns related to Kosovo, which she
suggested was undermining the political will to proceed with
tough reforms. Sekerinska also accused the government of
using non-transparent funding for elaborate PR campaigns to
put SDSM at a competitive disadvantage on the political
stage. End Summary.
MEETINGS WITH DUI AND SDSM OPPOSITION
3. (U) EUR DAS DiCarlo, accompanied by Ambassador and EconOff
(notetaker) met separately with DUI President Ahmeti and with
opposition SDSM President Sekerinska on October 10 in Skopje.
Sekerinska was accompanied by SDSM Parliamentary Coordinator
Makraduli, and DUI was accompanied by DUI VP Arifi, DUI
Presidency member Xhaferi, and Ahmeti's Chief of Staff.
MAY 29 AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION -- SPLIT OPPOSITION
4. (SBU) DAS DiCarlo told both Ahmeti and Sekerinska that
implementation of the May 29 Agreement between DUI and
governing VMRO was essential, but that DUI had to show
flexibility in pursuing a compromise outcome. Ahmeti
complained that the May 29 Agreement working groups on a
draft language law and social package for victims of the 2001
conflict were moving too slowly. As a result, DUI was going
to propose deadlines for demonstrating concrete progress in
the working groups. Ahmeti doubted whether PM Gruevski was
in fact interested in NATO and EU membership, since he was
not, in Ahmeti's view, serious about implementing the May 29
Agreement.
5. (SBU) SDSM President Sekerinska said that her party
opposed DUI's draft language law proposal which would allow
the use of Albanian for internal government functions. She
agreed, however, that SDSM could accept DUI's proposal for
the central government to interact with ethnic Albanians in
the Albanian language. She disagreed with Ahmeti about the
GOM's attitude toward NATO, but added that PM Gruevski was
convinced Macedonia would be invited to join the Alliance
because of regional security considerations related to
Kosovo.
DUI'S RETURN TO PARLIAMENTARY INSTITUTIONS
6. (SBU) Referring to the September 25 brawl in parliament
between DUI and governing coalition partner DPA (ref A),DAS
DiCarlo noted the damage that incident had done to
Macedonia's image. She asked whether DUI was reconsidering
its decision to suspend participation in plenary sessions of
parliament until a parliamentary investigative committee
completed its report on the incident, as DUI had initially
said would be the case. Ahmeti was non-committal. He said
that DUI would shoulder its share of the blame for its
involvement in the brawl, but would insist that the committee
finger the culprits responsible for attacks on two DUI MPs
that day.
INFLUENCE ON NATO PROSPECTS
SKOPJE 00000842 002 OF 002
7. (C) SDSM's Sekerinska said the September 25 events were a
symptom of "stalemate and a lack of trust" produced by an
inefficient parliament that had managed to accomplish very
little legislative business. Legislation related to NATO and
EU membership was sidetracked as a result. She doubted the
investigative committee would produce a balanced report,
noting the completely different versions of events presented
by each side.
8. (C) Sekerinska worried that the brawl and other
developments would convince some NATO observers that
Macedonia was an unpredictable, unstable Balkan country. The
Greeks would attempt to use that negative image to undermine
the country's NATO candidacy, rather than relying solely on
arguments about the name.
9. (SBU) DAS DiCarlo asked Sekerinska whether she could not
help persuade DUI to resume its work in all bodies of
parliament. Sekerinska said she had tried, but that
hard-line elements in DUI had pressured Ahmeti to hold the
line by pointing out that compromise approaches had failed to
budge VMRO from its intransigence toward DUI.
KOSOVO -- READY TO WORK FOR STABILITY
10. (C) DAS DiCarlo underscored to Ahmeti the importance of a
calm, stable environment in Macedonia in the runup to a
Kosovo status decision, and especially the need to avoid any
calls from Macedonia for referenda on changing borders (as
had been the case in the isolated border town of Tanusevci
several weeks ago.) Ahmeti agreed that DUI would do the
necessary to keep the situation calm in Macedonia. "Just
tell us what our duties will be" he told DAS DiCarlo,
pledging that the party would fulfill them.
GOM PR SPENDING PUTS SDSM AT COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE
11. (SBU) Sekerinska bemoaned the competitive disadvantage
her party was at because of non-transparent GOM spending on
PR campaigns. She suggested that such spending included
outright bribery or other methods of influencing media
outlets and shaping their messages. New legislation was
required to control and regulate the manner in which the
government could spend on self-promoting PR activities, she
said.
12. (U) DAS DiCarlo cleared this message.
MILOVANOVIC