SERBIA: DELIBERATIONS ON SERBIAN ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000324

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO PBTS PGOV PHUM PINR PREL SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: DELIBERATIONS ON SERBIAN ELECTIONS IN KOSOVO

REF: BELGRADE 322

BELGRADE 00000324 001.2 OF 002


Summary

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1. (SBU) Serbia's caretaker government will meet for the first
time to discuss on April 3 how to hold May 11 local and
parliamentary elections in Kosovo. No decision is expected.
Parties have not yet reached agreement on technical details but
Serbian officials generally support holding both national and
local elections in Kosovo Serb areas. The Kosovo Ministry
intends to assist the Serbian Republican Election Commission in
conducting the vote, which may involve plans for remote voting
in northern Kosovo or Serbia. The GOS will count votes in the
parliamentary elections as has in previous years. However, the
GOS plans to work with UNMIK directly to determine how to apply
the results. Kostunica's DSS has the most to gain from making
the vote itself an electoral campaign issue. End Summary.



Elections "In Coordination with UNMIK"

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2. (SBU) The GOS expects parliamentary elections will be held in
Kosovo on May 11. Assistant Kosovo Minister Ljubomir Kljakic
told DATT and poloff, March 29, that his ministry would "bridge"
between the Serbian electoral authorities and the international
community (UNMIK and KFOR). Stanko Blagojevic, an advisor in
the Kosovo Ministry, told poloff, April 2, that the April 3
meeting would likely involve "technical issues" to resolve with
the Republican Election Commission (RIK),the organization
charged with conducting the vote in Kosovo. The RIK, Blagojevic
said, was a "procedurally complicated" body that needed to make
arrangements for this vote "well in advance." Blagojevic said
these issues would include polling locations and security, and
that the Kosovo Ministry would act as a liaison with UNMIK, with
which the GOS would "closely coordinate" all election-related
matters.



Meeting Agenda

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3. (SBU) DS election manager Marko Djurisic told poloff on
April 2 that his party hoped to find a solution that would
permit both local and parliamentary elections in Kosovo, while
avoiding a fight with UNMIK. He said DS wanted to avoid having
local elections take place only in the north of Kosovo. "If
local elections are going to be held, they need to be in all the
Serb areas of Kosovo." Djruisic believed the result of the GOS
meeting on April 3 would be renewed contact with UNMIK to
discuss how to conduct the vote and what to do with the results.
Minister for Administration and Local Self Governance Milan
Markovic (DS) told the press that the GOS will discuss how to
organize voting for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and
whether both Kosovo Serbs residing in Kosovo and displaced
Kosovo Serbs would be eligible to vote.




4. (SBU) Bajram Omeragic, a Bosniak MP from the List for Sandzak
Coalition told DCM on April 2 that any government decision on
voting in Kosovo will require DS and G17 Plus support, since
they have a majority in government. He noted, however that the
manner such elections were conducted in Kosovo were a concern to
him and others in the Sandzak region, which borders northern
Kosovo.



Remote Voting

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5. (SBU) Blagojevic said that the GOS may "modify" voting

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arrangements for technical and security reasons which would
include remote voting. He said smaller Serbian villages and
enclaves may have voting locations in larger enclaves, or in
Northern Kosovo. DSS Vice President Milos Aligrudic told the
DCM on March 26 that remote voting was a possibility, perhaps
including voting in Serbia for some Kosovo Serbs.



The Results

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6. (SBU) While Serbian officials expect parliamentary results
to be applied as in previous years, the only plan on how to deal
with local election results -- if they take place -- was to
negotiate with UNMIK. Assistant Minister Kljakic said on March
29 that local councils in Kosovo should be reelected as "some
people have been sitting there too long." Blagojevic told
poloff April 2 that local elections would be important to have
"legitimate authorities" in Kosovo Serb areas, but that this
discussion would be the "greatest part" of negotiations between
Belgrade and UNMIK.



Comment

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7. (SBU) Serbian officials know local elections will be a messy
issue and are intent on going forward. The Kosovo Ministry will
insist that UNMIK negotiate on a plan to hold the vote and
accommodate the results. The DSS will make a campaign issue out
of DS and other parties' weakness if they appear to be
disenfranchising Kosovo Serbs. End Comment.
MUNTER