CZECH SUPPORT FOR KOSOVO

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000416 SENSITIVE SIPDIS EUR/SCE FOR SSHIRATORI AND WTOMLYANOVICH, EUR/ACE FOR AGUPMAN, AND EUR/NCE FOR ATRATENSEK E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV UN UNMIK YI KPKO KV EZ EUN SUBJECT: CZECH SUPPORT FOR KOSOVO REF: A. STATE 69691 ¶B. PRAGUE 312 ¶1. (SBU) Czech MFA desk officer for Kosovo, Josef Zrzavecky, who just returned from the International Steering Group meeting in Kosovo, informed Emboff that the GOCR plans to actively engage at the July 11 European Commission-sponsored donors conference in Brussels on July 11. The Czechs plan to pledge just slightly under 1M euros (1.5M USD) for this year. They also plan to continue this assistance at a similar level next year. These funds likely will be distributed through three channels - the World Bank trust fund, the NATO security trust and through specific technical projects. In the last category, Zrzavecky cited equipment for the police force as one example of possible Czech technical assistance. -------------- World Bank and IMF Membership for Kosovo -------------- ¶2. (SBU) On the subject of engagement in advance of the World Bank's July 3 Board Meeting in support of Kosovo's likely application for membership in international financial institutions (IFIs),Zrzavecky noted that their role is relatively modest within these fora. Nonetheless, the Czechs have every intention of providing assistance to Kosovo through the World Bank, as stated above, once the trust fund is established and procedures are in place regarding the management of the fund for Kosovo (and disbursement of funds for specific projects). According to Zrzavecky, the lack of established management procedures has been of concern to a number of European member states, given that the Kosovo pledging conference is less than two weeks away. -------------- Recognition of Kosovo -------------- ¶3. (U) While Ref. A provides numerous points regarding the importance of recognition of Kosovo, the GOCR has already taken this step, as detailed in Ref. B. Graber