U/S FRIED URGES EU TO SUPPORT KOSOVO, GEORGIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 000700 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV ETTC KNNP EFIN BO GG RS IR EUN SUBJECT: U/S FRIED URGES EU TO SUPPORT KOSOVO, GEORGIA DESPITE RUSSIAN PRESSURE BRUSSELS 00000700 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Laurence Wohlers for reason s 1.4 b and d. ¶1. (C) Summary: Acting U/S Fried urged PSC Ambassadors May 7 to resist Russian pressure and continue integrating Kosovo and Georgia into the Euro-Atlantic sphere. He criticized UNMIK's slow transition of authority to EULEX in Kosovo, and emphasized that discussions between the Serbian government and UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations Guehenno should not lead to renegotiation of the Ahtisaari plan. On Iran, he encouraged the EU to follow through on its twin track approach by implementing tougher sanctions in support of diplomacy. Fried described Russia as a "schizophrenic" partner on Iran, alternately helping and hampering Western efforts. On Belarus, Fried welcomed the opening of a new EU delegation in Minsk as well as the EU statement of solidarity with the United States in the face of Belarusian diplomatic coercion. Following the forced expulsions of U.S. diplomats and the continued imprisonment of Belarusian political opposition leaders, the Secretary will soon review policy options, which could include closing our Embassy and implementing additional sanctions against the Lukashenko regime. EU officials and Ambassadors representing member states probed U.S. intentions regarding upcoming Serbian elections, enhancing diplomatic engagement in Georgia, countering Russian influence in Iran, and speeding the pace of the UNMIK-to-EULEX transition in Kosovo. End Summary. ¶2. (C) In a coffee with more than 30 EU officials and Ambassadors from the Council's Political and Security Committee, Acting Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Daniel Fried said EU and U.S. vigilance is essential to prevent Serbia and Russia from undermining Kosovo's independence. Expressing concern about discussions between U/SYG for Peacekeeping Operations Guehenno and the Serbs, he emphasized that the Ahtisaari plan absolutely cannot be renegotiated. Fried noted that NATO will have to shoulder an unfair burden if the UNMIK-to-EULEX transition has not happened by the time Kosovo's constitution takes effect June ¶15. He said last year's troika negotiating process was important "to show that it's not possible to produce results with the Serbs," but that the U.S. won't ask Kosovo to wait patiently through a similar process again. The U.S., which will contribute to EULEX, strongly supports the mission and believes that it should be autonomous from the UN, he said. ¶3. (C) In response to a question from Belgian PSC Ambassador Dirk Wouters, Fried said he does not believe that the scope of residual UNMIK powers will depend on the outcome of May 11 Serbian elections. While he would prefer a DS victory, Fried said a victory by the radicals would not represent as significant a change in Serbian policy as many fear. Noting that Western embassies had been attacked and soldiers shot under Kostunica's government, he questioned what more the radicals could do. Fried lauded the EU's recent decision to sign an SAA with Serbia, saying the EU would otherwise have been blamed in case of a radical victory. Italian PSC Ambassador Andrea Meloni took issue with Fried's assessment, saying a victory by the radicals could call into question Serbia's relationship with Europe. Fried said he is not indifferent about the election outcome, just realistic, and believes that Serbia's future lies with Europe regardless. ¶4. (C) Turning to Georgia, Fried noted that, as in the Balkans, the country's future lies with the EU and NATO rather than Russia. Comparing Georgia's situation to that of the Baltics in the early 1990s, he said it is a clear struggle between Russia and the West. Fried expressed confidence in Georgia's desire to join the Euro-Atlantic institutions and said it must not allow Russia to provoke it militarily, economically or politically. The U.S., he said, has no doubt that Russia shot down a Georgian surveillance drone April 20 in an attempt to elicit a military response from Georgia. While Russia may not intend to annex Abkhazia, he said it was doing everything it could to bring Georga under its control. "Russia needs to know tat there is a price to be paid for bullying one of its neighbors," he said, noting that new Russian President Medvedev may be more progressive than Putin. Fried said that while Russia is an important global player in the short and medium terms because of its energy assets, it will fade in the long term due to demographic trends and structural economic weaknesses caused by overreliance on oil. BRUSSELS 00000700 002.2 OF 002 ¶5. (C) Saying that the United Nations Friends of Georgia process is not working properly (due to Russian intransigence),Fried suggested that a new diplomatic initiative should be considered to change the current diplomatic stalemate. In response to a question about the details of such an initiative from Emma Udwin, a senior advisor to External Relations Commissioner Ferraro-Waldner, Fried said it could include fleshing out the outline of a proposal from President Saakashvili, and outreach to Abkhazian leaders to explore possibilities. EUR DAS Bryza intended to pursue a dialogue on that basis during his visit to Georgia later this week. Karel Kovanda, Deputy DG at RELEX, said EU political directors would be en route to Tblisi May 7 for a meeting on Georgia. Fried said Georgia should focus on strengthening its democratic institutions and keeping its sights set on the West. "Georgia wrongly believes that Europe is going to appease Russia at Georgia's expense," he said. ¶6. (C) On Belarus, Fried noted that all but four U.S. diplomats in Minsk had been PNG'd by the government. The Secretary will soon review U.S. policy options, including closing the Embassy, which "we won't keep open at any price." He said the door is open to dialogue if Belarus releases political prisoners. Fried welcomed the EU Delegation's new presence in Minsk, saying EU influence there - especially by officials with pre-1989 experience in the region - is important. ¶7. (C) On Iran, Fried said the P5 1 ministers had reached agreement on a "refreshed set of initiatives" that they hope to offer to Iran before UNSCR 1803 expires in early June. The revised offer will be based on a 2006 package that was highlighted in a ministerial statement issued when 1803 was adopted, he said. The U.S. follows the EU-initiated two track policy, and the Secretary continues to hold out the offer of talks with Iran on any subject once it suspends, in a verifiable manner, uranium enrichment and reprocessing. Fried stressed that the EU needed to implement tougher sanctions against Iran to show that its defiance of the UNSC came at a high cost. Tougher sanctions would also help intensify burgeoning debate among Iranian policymakers on the country's nuclear options. ¶8. (U) Acting U/S Fried's staff has cleared this report. MURRAY .