KOSOVO: DEFENDING THE U.S. POSITION IN THE OSCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERN 000062 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (J.BLACK) AND EUR/AGS (Y.SAINT-ANDRE) E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2018 TAGS: PREL UNAUS UNMIK OSCE YI SZ SUBJECT: KOSOVO: DEFENDING THE U.S. POSITION IN THE OSCE REF: STATE 14284 Classified By: Acting POL Counselor Chris Buck; reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) A/POL Counselor delivered the message in reftel on February 12 to Sabrina Dallafior, Head of the MFA Office for OSCE Affairs, and to Didier Chassot, MFA Regional Coordinator for Southeastern Europe. Dallafior already was aware of the issue. She and Chassot agreed that an attempt by Serbia to invoke the OSCE's Berlin Mechanism after an anticipated declaration of independence from Kosovo would be counterproductive. Dallafior underlined that Switzerland would not support a meeting under the Berlin Mechanism. She commented that Serbia in any case likely would seek to force a discussion of Kosovo during the first regular Permanent Council meeting following a Kosovo declaration of independence. CONEWAY