DAS DICARLO DISCUSSES KOSOVO ISSUES WITH OSCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 USOSCE 000346

SIPDIS

C O R R E C T E D COPY (PRIMARY TAGS)

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DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/RPM, EUR/SCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2017
TAGS: PREL KV YI PGOV SR OSCE UNMIK
SUBJECT: DAS DICARLO DISCUSSES KOSOVO ISSUES WITH OSCE
SECRETARY GENERAL DE BRICHAMBAUT


SIPDIS

REF: STATE 124020

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Classified By: USOSCE DCM Kyle Scott for Reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: In an August 29 meeting in Vienna, EUR/SCE
DAS Rosemary diCarlo and OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin
de Brichambaut agreed that it would be difficult to deter
Kosovo from making a unilateral declaration of independence
if the Troika-led negotiations do not bear fruit. In the
event of a UDI, they discussed possible steps should Russia
deliver on its threat to block the renewal of the mandate of
the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMiK) at the end of this year.
Under such a scenario, de Brichambaut suggested that UN would
be the only logical entity to take on the Mission,s
institution-building and monitoring functions and that many
of OMiK,s well-trained personnel could wind up transferring
directly to UNMiK. With respect to parliamentary and
municipal elections expected in November, de Brichambaut said
that OMiK would be "squeezed" for time in helping Kosovo
authorities prepare, but that the Mission could deliver.
Noting the destabilizing effect developments in Kosovo could
have on neighboring Macedonia, de Brichambaut appealed to
diCarlo for U.S. support in keeping the OSCE,s field office
in Tetovo open for another year. End Summary.

Effect of Status Negotiations on OSCE
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2. (C) DAS diCarlo took advantage of her presence in Vienna
a day before the August 30 Troika-led negotiations on
Kosovo,s future status (ref) to touch base with SecGen Marc
Perrin de Brichambaut and to signal the USG,s desire that
the OSCE continue to play a significant role in post-status
Kosovo as part of a strong international presence. The
SecGen noted that an OSCE role in post-status Kosovo largely
depends on how the current negotiation process plays out )
he is not optimistic that Belgrade and Pristina will agree to
a compromise and believes that the chances are growing that
Kosovo will unilaterally declare independence. Russia, he
added, has signaled that it is prepared to block the renewal
of OMiK,s mandate for 2008 in the event of a UDI.
Acknowledging this possibility, diCarlo responded that it
would be very hard at this point to tell Kosovo authorities
that independence is not an option after Europe, the United
States and the UN Secretary General supported Ahtisaari,s
status proposal.

OSCE Contingency Planning for a UDI
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3. (C) While everyone hopes that an agreement will emerge
from the current Troika-led round of negotiations, de
Brichambaut said that OSCE is forging ahead with contingency
planning for a possible UDI. The organization's first
priority is planning for the safety of its personnel,
particularly those working in Mitrovica and north of the Ibar
river, in the event that a UDI precipitates violence. At the
same time, the OSCE Secretariat is actively considering how
the organization should go about shutting down its field
mission in Kosovo if a UDI declaration results in a Russian
or Serbian refusal to renew OMiK,s mandate at the end of
this year. Given likely internal EU division over a UDI, De
Brichambaut,s view is that the UN is the only logical entity
to take on the OSCE,s institution-building and monitoring
responsibilities. Rather than closing shop as envisioned in
Ahtisaari,s proposal, UNMiK would have to build back up.
UNMiK, he suggested, could simply take on many of OMiK,s
existing personnel, including its more than 600
well-qualified and seasoned local employees, who now
constitute the heart of the field mission. Such a
development could be problematic, diCarlo observed, given the
poor regard most Kosovans have for UNMiK and their
expectation that the UN would get smaller and go away rather
than expand. (Comment: diCarlo noted after the meeting that
this issue could perhaps be finessed by giving any follow-on
to the OSCE field mission a new name but not a continuation
of UNMIK.)

November Parliamentary and Municipal Elections
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4. (C) Turning to the subject of long-overdue parliamentary
and municipal elections, diCarlo acknowledged that there were
strong arguments in favor of postponing them further until
after negotiations have ended, but that the USG ultimately
had come down in favor of scheduling them for this fall as a
means of preventing Kosovo,s Unity Team from splintering.
Di Brichambaut said that he expected UN SRSG Ruecker to
officially call for the elections within the week. The field

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mission is already planning for elections with the
expectation the polls will be called for late November and
believes preparations can be made in time; still, the Mission
would have preferred to have had four full months to help the
Kosovo authorities get ready. DiCarlo agreed with de
Brichambaut prediction that, once officially underway, the
election campaign will fully pre-occupy Kosovo,s government
and political parties, stalling any further reform progress.
(UNMIK has now set November 17 for municipal and
parliamentary elections).

Keeping the OSCE,s field office in Tetovo open?
-------------- --


5. (C) In closing, de Brichambaut expressed his concern
that possible violence in Kosovo related to a final status
decision or to UDI could spillover and unbalance other parts
of the western Balkans, particularly Macedonia, which he sees
as especially &fragile8 under current circumstances. In
this respect, he asked the U.S. to re-consider our call to
close next year the OSCE,s field office in Tetovo (part of
the OSCE,s Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje).


6. (U) This cable has been cleared by DAS diCarlo.
FINLEY