MFA CONFIRMS INTENTION TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000148 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE AND EUR/NCE; PLEASE PASS TO NSC FOR ADAM STERLING E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2013 TAGS: PREL KO HU SUBJECT: MFA CONFIRMS INTENTION TO RECOGNIZE KOSOVO IN THE FIRST WAVE REF: A) STATE 13716 B) STATE 14285 Classified By: P/E COUNSELOR ERIC V. GAUDIOSI ¶1. (C) Summary: DCM delivered reftel demarches to MFA State Secretary (Political Director) Szent-Ivanyi February 12. SIPDIS Szent-Ivanyi confirmed that the GoH is prepared to recognize Kosovo within the first tranche of EU member states, estimating that it could take formal action within 10 ) 14 days of a Kosovar declaration. Szent-Ivanyi also reaffirmed Budapest's interest in joining the International Steering Group, and will instruct Hungary's OSCE Mission not to support Russian/Serbian efforts to convoke an emergency session per ref b guidance. End Summary. THE GOH TIMELINE ¶2. (C) Recently returned from Wehrkunde and meetings at NATO, State Secretary Szent-Ivanyi confirmed the GoH's intent to join the first tranche of EU member states recognizing Kosovo. He outlined the GoH's procedural steps as follows (this timeline includes a GoH assumption that the declaration will occur in the February 17 - 18 timeframe): Kosovo declares its independence; EU Political Directors will meet Sunday evening in Brussels (Szent-Ivanyi will represent Hungary); EU Foreign Ministers will announce an "Agreed Platform" on Monday. Hungary wants to be "among the most cooperative" in finalizing the EU's position, and Szent-Ivanyi hopes states including Romania will not obstruct a consensus position. Foreign Ministers would then have a "golden opportunity" to go public regarding their intention to recognize Kosovo at the post-GAERC press conference on Monday. Szent-Ivanyi indicated that Hungary would take advantage of this opportunity to "make an unequivocal statement of our intention to recognize Kosovo." The GoH would then make a formal decision to recognize Kosovo via a government act. In response to our question, Szent-Ivanyi confirmed that there is no requirement for parliamentary approval regarding diplomatic recognition. However, the GoH will want to move in tandem on the decision to establish diplomatic relations ) which will require formal approval by President Solyom. Szenti-Ivanyi confided GoH planning has been underway for some time and that the request to Solyom "will not be unexpected." All told, Szent-Ivanyi offered his personal estimate that the decisions would take 10 ) 14 days. STEERING SERBIA TOWARD EUROPE ... ¶3. (C) Turning to the International Steering Group, Szenti-Ivanyi confirmed Hungary's interest in membership, commenting that "Serbia will be mad at us about recognition ) not about participation in the Steering Group." He remarked that Hungary will remain cautious in light of the presence of the ethnic Hungarian minority in the Vojvodina, but suggested that Belgrade might welcome Hungary's presence on the Steering Group given the GoH's well-known support for Serbia's Euro-Atlantic integration. He concluded that although Hungary "has budgetary problems of our own" that will limit its ability to make financial contributions to Kosovo, the GoH would maintain its large KFOR deployment and could consider a modest plus-up to the international civilian presence if necessary. BUT BLOCKING MOSCOW IN VIENNA ¶4. (C) Concluding with discussion of potential Russian/Serbian moves in Vienna, Szent-Ivanyi immediately indicated his agreement with our desire to avoid an emergency convocation of the OSCE. He instructed his staff to pass word to the Hungarian Mission, commenting that PermRep Molnar (a former Director of the MFA's Office of Security Policy) "will know what to do." Commenting "off-the-record" that he had found Ivanov's remarks at Wehrkunde eerily reminiscent of "Germany in the 1930s," Szent-Ivanyi predicted "further Russian countermeasures" in the weeks ahead. FOLEY