CYPRUS IN FAVOR OF SERBIAN ICJ INITIATIVE ON KOSOVO

C O N F I D E N T I A L NICOSIA 000698 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE, EUR/SCE, IO/UNP E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV UNGA UN KV CY SUBJECT: CYPRUS IN FAVOR OF SERBIAN ICJ INITIATIVE ON KOSOVO REF: SECSTATE 91908 Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan Cohen, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d) ¶1. (C) PolChief on August 29 raised Reftel points to MFA Western Balkans Desk Officer Olympia Neocleous, emphasizing that Serbia's intention at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to seek an International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence would further delay normalization of relations between Kosovars and Serbs. Further, while the UNGA was authorized to request the ICJ to render an opinion on any legal issue, there were many cases in which it rejected member states' requests. ¶2. (C) Cyprus hoped the UNGA would approve Serbia's application for ICJ review, Neocleous responded. How could the international community insist that Belgrade comply with demands from international bodies such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) while at the same time restricting it from utilizing UN institutions for its own interests? Serbia's territorial integrity had been violated when Kosovo declared independence, just as Cyprus's had in 1974, when Turkish troops invaded, she continued. The GoC would continue to back Serbia's legal efforts to "right that wrong." ¶3. (C) Note: Post attempted to coordinate delivery of this message with the German, French, and Italian Embassies, and the British High Commission. Only the Brits had received anything close to formal instructions to demarche, however. Unless otherwise instructed, Post will share the results of our August 29 call on Neocleous with officials from these missions and report Septel any substantive reactions. Urbancic