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