CROATIANS FULLY SUPPORTIV ON AHTISAARI PLAN FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000149 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EUR, EUR/SCE BALIAN/BLACK E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV YI HR REGIONAL ISSUES SUBJECT: CROATIANS FULLY SUPPORTIV ON AHTISAARI PLAN FOR KOSOVO REF: STATE 12957 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Greg Delawie for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Drawing on reftel points, DCM February 2 briefed MFA Assistant Minister for Europe Neven Pelicaric about US views on the Ahtisaari proposal on Kosovo's final status. ¶2. (C) Pelicaric said the GOC would fully support the Contact Group position on the issue. He felt this was an excellent time for Serbia to deal with the Kosovo issue, in the interregnum between two parliaments. He noted concern that the Kosovar Albanians would begin to lose patience with the international community if the status process drags on much longer; they could destabilize the situation, which would cause negative effects beyond Kosovo and Serbia throughout the region. ¶3. (C) The GOC will continue to take a low profile on the issue, Pelicaric said, encouraging Serbian counterparts privately while refraining from conspicuous public comments. The GOC theme with Serbia has been that everything will be easier for the country in a variety of fields once it accepts the reality of Kosovo's final status. Pelicaric noted that the Croatian relationship with Serbia was one of its most important and delicate issues; maintaining good relations with Belgrade and continuing to improve the level and quality of their bilateral interactions was one of the country's highest priorities. Therefore, when the time comes to recognize Kosovo's independence, Croatia would do so without fanfare and only after EU member states had done so. ¶4. (C) Pelicaric noted that the Russian ambassador had called on him the previous day to make the point that the Kosovo process was moving too fast. He told Pelicaric that President Putin had recently made the same point to German Chancellor Merkel, who had agreed with him. ¶5. (C) Ambassador Bradtke followed up February 3 with FM Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who was also fully supportive of the Ahtisaari plan and the Contact Group's work. BRADTKE