SERBIA: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL WITH IVICA DACIC, FIRST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BELGRADE 000695 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC SR SUBJECT: SERBIA: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL WITH IVICA DACIC, FIRST DEPUTY PM AND MINISTER OF INTERIOR REF: A. BELGRADE 671, B. BELGRADE 533 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) In a July 14 meeting, new First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic expressed his willingness to meet with the Ambassador despite the Serbian government's Kosovo-related contact policy. Dacic said that he would not be an obstacle to ICTY cooperation. On Kosovo, he said that Serbia would cooperate with all security actors in the region to maintain peace. He pledged that attacks on foreign embassies would never again be allowed, and said that he would support efforts to resolve the Kovacevic case. Dacic explained that his duties as First Deputy Prime Minister had not yet been fully defined and that he was focused primarily on running the Ministry of Interior. Wearing his party leader hat, he confirmed that the Socialists would not form the Belgrade government with the nationalist-radical camp; he did not exclude the possibility of new municipal elections. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Ambassador paid a courtesy call on new First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic on July 14 at the Ministry of Interior (MOI). Dacic was accompanied by Chief of Police Milorad Veljovic, his government chief of staff Vlada Ilic, and his MOI chief of staff Branko Lazarevic. Bilateral Issues -------------- ¶3. (SBU) After thanking Dacic for agreeing to meet despite the government of Serbia's policy restricting contacts with countries that have recognized Kosovo, the Ambassador cautioned that a proposal by the MFA to lift the contact restrictions for European countries and not the U.S. would be ill-advised and counterproductive. Dacic responded that he found it "logical" to meet and begin work on issues of mutual concern, and agreed that it would be wrong for the new government to differentiate between the U.S. and Europe. ¶4. (SBU) Dacic assured the Ambassador that MOI's security forces will always be at the Embassy's disposal, and said that Serbia would never again allow an attack on a foreign embassy such as occurred on February 21. ¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador briefed Dacic on U.S. efforts to convince Miladin Kovacevic to return to the U.S. voluntarily to face trial in the assault of Bryan Steinhauer (Ref A),explaining that the next step would be to request formally that the GOS fulfill the commitment made by the vice consul in New York to ensure that Kovacevic appear in court. Dacic indicated that he understood the implications of the case for the bilateral relationship, would carry out any instructions to apprehend Kovacevic, and would support efforts to find a solution. ICTY Cooperation -------------- ¶6. (SBU) When asked about his approach to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY),Dacic responded that the law and Constitution leave him no choice but to support cooperation. He personally believed it would be best for the remaining indictees to surrender, although MOI would immediately act on any information provided by the intelligence services on their whereabouts or any order from the prosecutor. ¶7. (SBU) Referring to Dacic's July 13 comments on B-92 that Hague cooperation should not be a government priority, the Ambassador stressed that the U.S. government believes that the entire Serbian government, not just the intelligence services, must view Hague cooperation as a priority given that it is a key to Serbia's European future. Dacic explained that he understood the importance of the issue but preferred to refer to it as an obligation or program objective, because the Serbian public wants to hear that the government's priorities are economic development, social justice, EU integration, and anti-corruption efforts. Regardless of the terminology, Dacic said, "I will not be an obstacle to cooperation with The Hague." Kosovo -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador informed Dacic that the U.S. was urging the new government not to carry out the previous government's plan to seek a referral of the Kosovo question to the International Court of Justice at the UN General Assembly, as such a move would highlight Serbia's disagreements with its western partners and deflect attention and energy from common goals such as EU accession. Dacic noted that his Socialist Party had not helped formulate the existing BELGRADE 00000695 002 OF 002 policy on Kosovo, and promised to bear the U.S. position in mind when the government discussed the question. ¶9. (SBU) When asked how the parties involved can best avoid misunderstandings and ensure the security of all people in Kosovo, Dacic said that the best way forward would be a UNSCR approving the EULEX mission. Serbs object to the fact that EULEX is implementing the Ahtisaari Plan, he explained; it should remain status neutral like the UN. Maintaining peace in Kosovo is of the utmost importance and Serbia is ready for cooperation with all security actors in the region, Dacic said. Dacic's Role in Government -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Dacic explained that the scope of his duties as First Deputy Prime Minister for foreign policy and security had not yet been fully defined. He expects the role to be more one of coordination than implementation, saying "my job is the police -- that's enough, I don't need the BIA [intelligence service]!" (Comment: We had heard elsewhere that Dacic would seek to maximize his influence as FDPM and minimize his profile as MOI; although he is clearly downplaying the FDPM role now, his approach could change once ICTY issues are resolved and/or negotiations over Belgrade are finalized. End comment.) ¶11. (SBU) Dacic said that he expects the Serbian National Security Council (chaired by President Tadic) to handle a range of issues from personnel decisions, such as appointing a new BIA head, to ICTY cooperation; he did not foresee conflict between the work of the Council and his mandate as First Deputy Prime Minister. Belgrade Government -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Dacic confirmed that his Socialist Party (SPS) had pulled out of the agreement signed in May with the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) to form a coalition government in Belgrade (Ref B). He said that he could not predict whether the SPS would be able to conclude a coalition agreement with President Tadic's Democratic Party (DS). (Such a coalition would require minority support from Ceda Jovanovic's Liberal Democratic Party.) Dacic left open the possibility that new elections might be required, a process that could take six months. (Comment: Most other experts in Belgrade predict that the SPS will make the deal with DS rather than face new elections where the SPS could expect to take a beating. End comment.) MUNTER