Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07SKOPJE973
2007-12-14 07:43:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Skopje
Cable title:
MACEDONIA ON KOSOVO STATUS: FOCUS ON DEMARCATION
how-toVZCZCXRO1645 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHSQ #0973 3480743 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 140743Z DEC 07 FM AMEMBASSY SKOPJE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6812 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 0125 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 SKOPJE 000973
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO YI KV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA ON KOSOVO STATUS: FOCUS ON DEMARCATION
AND NATO MEMBERSHIP
REF: A. STATE 165486
B. SKOPJE 953
NO DIVISION OF KOSOVO, EMPHASIS ON DEMARCATION AND NATO
MEMBERSHIP
UNCLAS SKOPJE 000973
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO YI KV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA ON KOSOVO STATUS: FOCUS ON DEMARCATION
AND NATO MEMBERSHIP
REF: A. STATE 165486
B. SKOPJE 953
NO DIVISION OF KOSOVO, EMPHASIS ON DEMARCATION AND NATO
MEMBERSHIP
1. (SBU) P/E Chief delivered ref A points on Kosovo status to
President Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff, Natasha Savova, and
to MFA State Counselor Vasko Grkov in separate meetings on
December 13. Savova reiterated the GOM's insistence that
there be no territorial division of Kosovo, and stressed the
need to pursue a status solution in the context of the
Ahtisaari Plan. The government would focus in the coming
weeks, she said, on ensuring demarcation of the
Kosovo-Macedonia border in accordance with the 2001
Skopje-Belgrade agreement (ref B),and on securing a NATO
invitation as a security and stability guarantee for Kosovo's
southern flank.
RECOGNITION: MIDDLE OF THE PACK
2. (SBU) The MFA's Grkov agreed with the USG approach. He
reiterated the GOM's stance that Macedonia would be neither
among the first nor the last to recognize an independent
Kosovo, but would end up somewhere in the middle of the group
of states recognizing. Macedonia would "need to maintain a
balance" between its relations with Belgrade and Pristina,
and would want to soften the impact of a Serb response to
recognition by delaying a recognition decision as long as
feasible. Savova added that, the greater the combined weight
of the U.S. and EU states recognizing a CDI, the easier it
would be for Macedonia to do the same. Grkov wondered
whether Pristina would be willing to move ahead on border
demarcation in the absence of Macedonian recognition of an
independent Kosovo.
MILOVANOVIC
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SCE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO YI KV MK
SUBJECT: MACEDONIA ON KOSOVO STATUS: FOCUS ON DEMARCATION
AND NATO MEMBERSHIP
REF: A. STATE 165486
B. SKOPJE 953
NO DIVISION OF KOSOVO, EMPHASIS ON DEMARCATION AND NATO
MEMBERSHIP
1. (SBU) P/E Chief delivered ref A points on Kosovo status to
President Crvenkovski's Chief of Staff, Natasha Savova, and
to MFA State Counselor Vasko Grkov in separate meetings on
December 13. Savova reiterated the GOM's insistence that
there be no territorial division of Kosovo, and stressed the
need to pursue a status solution in the context of the
Ahtisaari Plan. The government would focus in the coming
weeks, she said, on ensuring demarcation of the
Kosovo-Macedonia border in accordance with the 2001
Skopje-Belgrade agreement (ref B),and on securing a NATO
invitation as a security and stability guarantee for Kosovo's
southern flank.
RECOGNITION: MIDDLE OF THE PACK
2. (SBU) The MFA's Grkov agreed with the USG approach. He
reiterated the GOM's stance that Macedonia would be neither
among the first nor the last to recognize an independent
Kosovo, but would end up somewhere in the middle of the group
of states recognizing. Macedonia would "need to maintain a
balance" between its relations with Belgrade and Pristina,
and would want to soften the impact of a Serb response to
recognition by delaying a recognition decision as long as
feasible. Savova added that, the greater the combined weight
of the U.S. and EU states recognizing a CDI, the easier it
would be for Macedonia to do the same. Grkov wondered
whether Pristina would be willing to move ahead on border
demarcation in the absence of Macedonian recognition of an
independent Kosovo.
MILOVANOVIC