Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08BELGRADE322
2008-04-02 08:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Belgrade
Cable title:
SERBIA: UN OFFICE BELGRADE SEEKING NEGOTIATIONS WITH
how-toVZCZCXRO0927 PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHBW #0322/01 0930845 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 020845Z APR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0124 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEPGDA/USEUCOM JIC VAIHINGEN GE RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0187
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000322
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MW PGOV PHUM PREL KV SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: UN OFFICE BELGRADE SEEKING NEGOTIATIONS WITH
GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA
BELGRADE 00000322 001.2 OF 002
Summary
-------
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000322
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MW PGOV PHUM PREL KV SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: UN OFFICE BELGRADE SEEKING NEGOTIATIONS WITH
GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA
BELGRADE 00000322 001.2 OF 002
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) The United Nations Office in Belgrade is assessing the
Government of Serbia's willingness to negotiate with the UN on
breaking the impasse on Kosovo. UNOB Head Richard Wilcox told
the Ambassador that if the GOS is willing, UNHQ would try to
negotiate a solution by the end of April, but insisted any
agreement would require buy in from both the EU and Kosovar
Albanians. Wilcox confirmed that there had been little movement
by UNMIK on either preparing for Serbia's elections in Kosovo or
investigating the March 17 violence. End Summary.
UNOB Leading Exploratory Talks
--------------
2. (SBU) In a meeting with the Ambassador on April 1, UNOB
Director Richard Wilcox said the UN wanted to start a political
dialogue with Belgrade on the situation in Kosovo. Wilcox said
the UN Secretary General had given him the "lead in exploratory
talks with the Government of Serbia." According to Wilcox, he
is to soon recommend back to UNHQ whether more formal talks with
Serbia are merited. If so, the goal, he said, was to reach a
"substantial agreement" by Orthodox Easter (April 27). Having
just concluded a meeting with Minister for Kosovo Slobodan
Samardzic and MFA Political Director Boris Stefanovic earlier in
the day, Wilcox said he thought the GOS was willing to have
further talks.
UN's Justification for Talks
--------------
3. (SBU) The UN believed reaching an agreement with Belgrade was
the only way to move forward, given the current impasse on the
EULEX mission. Wilcox said currently, it would require "a nod
from Russia" for the UNSG to agree to the full deployment of the
EULEX mission. He described EULEX Commander General Yves De
Kermabon as "shell shocked" when DPKO recently told him that the
EU should not yet deploy through all of Kosovo. Wilcox said
there may ultimately be a "UN policy change, but that the EU
should not count on this being a smooth process." Ultimately,
he said, UNSG was hoping for a solution that Russia would
"tacitly tolerate but one which it would not go to the UNSC to
protest." According to Wilcox, these UN talks with Belgrade
could lead to that solution. In addition, he said, Russia had
received "indications" that the United States was open to talks
with Serbia. He asked if Kosovo was on the agenda for the
Bush-Putin meeting on April 6, suggesting that its discussion,
or lack thereof, would send a strong signal to Serbia.
Buy In from Other Interested Parties a Must
--------------
4. (SBU) Wilcox told the Ambassador that he had stressed with
Samardzic that Serbia must recognize the changing situation in
Kosovo. Wilcox told Samardzic, that Kosovo's new constitution
(expected in mid June) will "change the political reality on the
ground." Serbia, he said, will need to take this into account,
since it will have a real impact on UNMIK, particularly how
Kosovar Albanians view UNMIK post-constitution. Samardzic
responded that Kosovo's new constitution would have no legal
consequence for Serbia, according to Wilcox. Samardzic, he
said, called for a slower pace, in which the GOS and UN would
first reach an agreement, followed by a new UNSC resolution, and
finally GOS talks with other stakeholders (EU, Kosovar
Albanians). Wilcox claimed he stressed with Samardzic that any
agreement with the UN would have "limited value" if it did not
have "buy in" from both the EU and Kosovar Albanians. Wilcox
stressed that ultimately he thought Kosovo needed to be a
BELGRADE 00000322 002.2 OF 002
European problem, with a European solution.
Issues for Discussions
--------------
5. (SBU) Wilcox believed it was in the interest of Serbian
government authorities to reach an agreement with the UN on
practical arrangements for Kosovar Serbs in six different areas:
Police, Judicial, Administrative Boundary, Customs,
Transportation, and Religious Sites. Wilcox noted that these
were the same six issues Samardzic outlined to SRSG Ruecker in
his March 16 plan, but stressed that any discussion with the GOS
would not be on the Samardzic plan, but rather only on these
points. He insisted the Samardzic plan would not be a starting
off point for negotiations. The UN was not interested in
creating new UN structures for Northern Kosovo. That, he said,
would be a "complete non-starter." Instead Wilcox wanted to
find out how the GOS could accept an EU structure in Serb areas.
No Idea if EU is On Board
--------------
6. (SBU) Wilcox said he did not know if the EU was open to the
idea of the UN holding talks with Serbia. He said after he
assessed Belgrade's receptiveness, the UN could approach the EU.
If the EU says there can be no accommodation and that the EULEX
mission must deploy specifically as outlined in the Ahtisaari
Plan, the UN would have to admit that an agreement with Belgrade
cannot be achieved. In that situation, "we just couldn't do
it," Wilcox told the Ambassador.
UNMIK Has Not Made Decision on Elections
--------------
7. (SBU) UNMIK had made no decision regarding the GOS's
intentions to hold May 11 elections in Kosovo. UNMIK was
currently working on a policy paper which would then be shared
with UNHQ, Wilcox said. He did not know if Serbia would
ultimately carry through on its intent to hold elections, and
said he did not raise it with Samardzic. He pointed out,
however that Samardzic had told him several months ago that if
elections were not held in Kosovo, the GOS had the option of
appointing new local leaders for those municipalities.
Comment
--------------
8. (SBU) Wilcox says, and apparently believes, he has been
empowered by the UN Secretary General to determine if any
accommodation with the Government of Serbia in the short term is
attainable. If this is the case, the UN seems determined to
negotiate with Belgrade in order to find a solution that is
tolerable to Russia, but that will not be rejected by the EU or
the Kosovar Albanians. Wilcox readily admits that tricky task
would require a willingness to detour from the Ahtisaari plan,
at least to an extent. If Wilcox is overestimating the mandate
given to him by the UNSG he may be offering his services in good
faith, but on shaky ground. This ground could easily crumble if
Belgrade later realizes that Wilcox was not the empowered broker
they thought, and the international community will have even
less time to find solutions to these pending issues prior to
Serbia's May 11 elections and the rollout of Kosovo's new
constitution. End Comment.
MUNTER
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MW PGOV PHUM PREL KV SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: UN OFFICE BELGRADE SEEKING NEGOTIATIONS WITH
GOVERNMENT OF SERBIA
BELGRADE 00000322 001.2 OF 002
Summary
--------------
1. (SBU) The United Nations Office in Belgrade is assessing the
Government of Serbia's willingness to negotiate with the UN on
breaking the impasse on Kosovo. UNOB Head Richard Wilcox told
the Ambassador that if the GOS is willing, UNHQ would try to
negotiate a solution by the end of April, but insisted any
agreement would require buy in from both the EU and Kosovar
Albanians. Wilcox confirmed that there had been little movement
by UNMIK on either preparing for Serbia's elections in Kosovo or
investigating the March 17 violence. End Summary.
UNOB Leading Exploratory Talks
--------------
2. (SBU) In a meeting with the Ambassador on April 1, UNOB
Director Richard Wilcox said the UN wanted to start a political
dialogue with Belgrade on the situation in Kosovo. Wilcox said
the UN Secretary General had given him the "lead in exploratory
talks with the Government of Serbia." According to Wilcox, he
is to soon recommend back to UNHQ whether more formal talks with
Serbia are merited. If so, the goal, he said, was to reach a
"substantial agreement" by Orthodox Easter (April 27). Having
just concluded a meeting with Minister for Kosovo Slobodan
Samardzic and MFA Political Director Boris Stefanovic earlier in
the day, Wilcox said he thought the GOS was willing to have
further talks.
UN's Justification for Talks
--------------
3. (SBU) The UN believed reaching an agreement with Belgrade was
the only way to move forward, given the current impasse on the
EULEX mission. Wilcox said currently, it would require "a nod
from Russia" for the UNSG to agree to the full deployment of the
EULEX mission. He described EULEX Commander General Yves De
Kermabon as "shell shocked" when DPKO recently told him that the
EU should not yet deploy through all of Kosovo. Wilcox said
there may ultimately be a "UN policy change, but that the EU
should not count on this being a smooth process." Ultimately,
he said, UNSG was hoping for a solution that Russia would
"tacitly tolerate but one which it would not go to the UNSC to
protest." According to Wilcox, these UN talks with Belgrade
could lead to that solution. In addition, he said, Russia had
received "indications" that the United States was open to talks
with Serbia. He asked if Kosovo was on the agenda for the
Bush-Putin meeting on April 6, suggesting that its discussion,
or lack thereof, would send a strong signal to Serbia.
Buy In from Other Interested Parties a Must
--------------
4. (SBU) Wilcox told the Ambassador that he had stressed with
Samardzic that Serbia must recognize the changing situation in
Kosovo. Wilcox told Samardzic, that Kosovo's new constitution
(expected in mid June) will "change the political reality on the
ground." Serbia, he said, will need to take this into account,
since it will have a real impact on UNMIK, particularly how
Kosovar Albanians view UNMIK post-constitution. Samardzic
responded that Kosovo's new constitution would have no legal
consequence for Serbia, according to Wilcox. Samardzic, he
said, called for a slower pace, in which the GOS and UN would
first reach an agreement, followed by a new UNSC resolution, and
finally GOS talks with other stakeholders (EU, Kosovar
Albanians). Wilcox claimed he stressed with Samardzic that any
agreement with the UN would have "limited value" if it did not
have "buy in" from both the EU and Kosovar Albanians. Wilcox
stressed that ultimately he thought Kosovo needed to be a
BELGRADE 00000322 002.2 OF 002
European problem, with a European solution.
Issues for Discussions
--------------
5. (SBU) Wilcox believed it was in the interest of Serbian
government authorities to reach an agreement with the UN on
practical arrangements for Kosovar Serbs in six different areas:
Police, Judicial, Administrative Boundary, Customs,
Transportation, and Religious Sites. Wilcox noted that these
were the same six issues Samardzic outlined to SRSG Ruecker in
his March 16 plan, but stressed that any discussion with the GOS
would not be on the Samardzic plan, but rather only on these
points. He insisted the Samardzic plan would not be a starting
off point for negotiations. The UN was not interested in
creating new UN structures for Northern Kosovo. That, he said,
would be a "complete non-starter." Instead Wilcox wanted to
find out how the GOS could accept an EU structure in Serb areas.
No Idea if EU is On Board
--------------
6. (SBU) Wilcox said he did not know if the EU was open to the
idea of the UN holding talks with Serbia. He said after he
assessed Belgrade's receptiveness, the UN could approach the EU.
If the EU says there can be no accommodation and that the EULEX
mission must deploy specifically as outlined in the Ahtisaari
Plan, the UN would have to admit that an agreement with Belgrade
cannot be achieved. In that situation, "we just couldn't do
it," Wilcox told the Ambassador.
UNMIK Has Not Made Decision on Elections
--------------
7. (SBU) UNMIK had made no decision regarding the GOS's
intentions to hold May 11 elections in Kosovo. UNMIK was
currently working on a policy paper which would then be shared
with UNHQ, Wilcox said. He did not know if Serbia would
ultimately carry through on its intent to hold elections, and
said he did not raise it with Samardzic. He pointed out,
however that Samardzic had told him several months ago that if
elections were not held in Kosovo, the GOS had the option of
appointing new local leaders for those municipalities.
Comment
--------------
8. (SBU) Wilcox says, and apparently believes, he has been
empowered by the UN Secretary General to determine if any
accommodation with the Government of Serbia in the short term is
attainable. If this is the case, the UN seems determined to
negotiate with Belgrade in order to find a solution that is
tolerable to Russia, but that will not be rejected by the EU or
the Kosovar Albanians. Wilcox readily admits that tricky task
would require a willingness to detour from the Ahtisaari plan,
at least to an extent. If Wilcox is overestimating the mandate
given to him by the UNSG he may be offering his services in good
faith, but on shaky ground. This ground could easily crumble if
Belgrade later realizes that Wilcox was not the empowered broker
they thought, and the international community will have even
less time to find solutions to these pending issues prior to
Serbia's May 11 elections and the rollout of Kosovo's new
constitution. End Comment.
MUNTER