KOSOVO: SERBS ACCEPT EULEX, COMMENT ON GOS POLICY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PRISTINA 000630 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL, INL, EUR/SCE NSC FOR HELGERSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KV UNMIK SUBJECT: KOSOVO: SERBS ACCEPT EULEX, COMMENT ON GOS POLICY TOWARDS KOSOVO Classified By: Ambassador Tina S. Kaidanow for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Kosovo Serbs have followed the Serbian Government's lead in accepting the deployment and presence of the EU-led rule of law mission (EULEX) in Kosovo. Initial reaction to EULEX's deployment among moderate Serb leaders has been generally positive; many have already met or intend to meet EULEX officials to establish contact. However, there remain some concerns and questions about the mission, including the meaning and implementation of the "six points." Some think EULEX will be treading a "fine line" in carrying out its mission to the satisfaction of all sides. Beyond EULEX, we are hearing from officials of the Serbian Government's Ministry for Kosovo (MOK) about reorganization along political lines inside the ministry aimed at keeping parallel Serb municipal governments in Kosovo under greater control from the government in Belgrade. At the same time, some outside the CCK decry what they consider the (continued) lack of real support for Kosovo Serbs from the Serbian Government. In our view, the successful -- at least thus far -- deployment of EULEX throughout Kosovo can help pave the way for the implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan, which would be of enormous benefit to Kosovo Serbs. The Serbian government, by its acceptance of EULEX, now has an opportunity to enable international cooperation with the Kosovo Serb community to address its genuine needs -- inasmuch as it depoliticizes its approach to Kosovo. END SUMMARY. EULEX Welcomed... ¶2. (C) When the moment of EULEX's deployment actually arrived on the morning of December 9, Kosovo Serbs accepted the new rule of law mission without significant opposition. Hardline leaders, such as northern firebrand Marko Jaksic and Bishop Artemije Radosavljevic, publicly proclaimed they would not oppose the mission. Moderate Serb leaders, such as Rada Trajkovic, director of the Serbian government health clinic in the southern enclave of Gracanica, and Randjel Nojkic, head of Serbian Telecom in Gracanica, were more positive and welcomed EULEX deployment. Many ordinary Kosovo Serbs have expressed, both publicly and privately, their hope that EULEX will make Kosovo a safer place for them to live. We met December 9 with Zoran Krcmarevic, a member of Serbian President Tadic's Democratic Party (DS),who works for the MOK in the southeastern enclave of Vrbovac (Viti/Vitina municipality). He emphasized his openness towards EULEX and expressed willingness to meet EULEX officials (Note: we heard from EULEX on December 17 that Krcmarevic had done so.). Moderate Father Sava Janjic of the Visoki Decani Serbian Orthodox monastery in western Kosovo told us December 10 that he was "relieved" that Artemije had accepted EULEX. Sava said that he and his superior, Bishop Teodosije Sibalic, have always considered EULEX a positive development for Kosovo Serbs and would meet with EULEX officials in the near future. ...But Concerns Remain ¶3. (C) On December 16, Trajkovic told the Ambassador that she is still suspicious of the true motivations of the Serbian government towards Kosovo, voicing long-held concerns about eventual partition. Both Trajkovic and Sava consider the perceived lack of coordination within the international community, and especially among EU-led bodies, a significant obstacle to the success of the EULEX mission, the stability of Kosovo, and, by extension, to the security of Kosovo Serbs. Discussing the discreet contacts she maintains with Kosovo Albanian leaders, Trajkovic noted that she understood how angry Kosovo Albanians were towards the Serbian government over the six points and why they should not be implemented as originally intended by Belgrade. (Note: The six points, recently agreed to by UNMIK and Belgrade on issues such as police, customs, and justice affairs in Serb-majority areas, were viscerally rejected by all Kosovo leaders as a derogation of Kosovo's territorial integrity and sovereignty.) PRISTINA 00000630 002 OF 003 ¶4. (C) Trajkovic said she had expressed her opinion about the six points directly to Serbian President Boris Tadic, telling him that separate legal and police systems for Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo were unworkable and "dangerous." Others also expressed their concerns. Krcmarevic, speaking in the first hours of EULEX deployment, asked us bluntly what, if anything, the six points would actually mean "on the ground." Father Sava voiced the same opinion, considering the success of EULEX dependent upon a commonly understood implementation of the points acceptable to all sides, including the Kosovo government. He said that EULEX head Yves de Kermabon will have to walk a "tightrope" between keeping Kosovo's majority Albanian community satisfied and sating what Sava sees as the Serbian government's desire to have the six points honored completely. Changes at the CCK ¶5. (C) Krcmarevic also described recent changes at the CCK. He explained that Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic, himself a DS loyalist, had recently decided to hire other DS members from Kosovo to work in the MOK/CCK system in several key areas where the DS had not been present in any official capacity. Bogdanovic's intent, according to Krcmarevic, was to "control our patriots," a reference to the Kosovo Serb parallel municipal governments, dominated by members of the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS),whose members are more nationalistic and hardline than the DS. Krcmarevic himself has been hired as a MOK representative in Viti/Vitina municipality, and said that similar offices were to be opened in Strpce, Gorazdevac (Peja/Pec),Silovo (Gjilan/Gnjilane),Velika Hoca (Rahovec/Orahovac),and Mitrovica. One main function of these offices would be to maintain contact with EULEX, western embassies, and others who avoid the parallel governments (and are likewise often avoided by them in turn). Krcmarevic described this as Bogdanovic's desire to be sure that "we (DS) are keeping in touch with our friends on the ground." Trajkovic Unhappy With Belgrade, CCK ¶6. (C) Even if Belgrade's intention is to do an end run around the more hardline Serb factions in Kosovo, the GOS's actions are not necessarily finding favor with moderate Kosovo Serbs. Rada Trajkovic expressed considerable unhappiness with the Serbian government's overall stance towards Kosovo, and said that her recent meeting with President Tadic did not yield the results she had hoped for. When the subject of the CCK changes came up, she decried the organization as ineffective, saying that it did little for the Serb community's genuine needs. She also complained that Belgrade was not really allowing Kosovo Serbs room to maneuver, concluding that the Serbian government's Kosovo policy had not really changed from that of the previous government, led by the more nationalist Vojislav Kostunica (leader of the DSS party). Trajkovic said that in her opinion, Kosovo Serbs were still "wasting time" waiting for a better situation. COMMENT ¶7. (C) The fairly trouble-free, Kosovo-wide deployment of EULEX (thus far) has been a welcome development. We are hopeful that Kosovo Serbs who are allowed to communicate and cooperate with EULEX will see this as an opportunity to improve their situation. We will work with EULEX and other international partners to address Serbs' concerns and build confidence in the mission from our side. Unfortunately, Kosovo Serbs are still prevented from officially cooperating with the International Civilian Office (ICO) and the Kosovo government. A more pragmatic, depoliticized approach from the Serbian government could allow EULEX, which is acceptable to all parties, to act as a bridge, and might help nurture the unofficial but growing contact that some Serbs have with the ICO. On the other hand, constant insistence that the six points be implemented as defined by Belgrade will only PRISTINA 00000630 003 OF 003 undermine acceptance of EULEX by Kosovo Albanians and in that way further isolate Kosovo's Serb community. ¶8. (C) (cont'd). We view the DS's attempts to place its members in positions of authority within the MOK in Kosovo as an overdue recognition of the need for "adult supervision" of the parallel structures. While many of these have been inactive, ineffective, and almost invisible, some -- particularly those in Strpce and Mitrovica -- have been troublesome and aggressive. We have urged our Kosovo-based interlocutors working for the Serbian Government to push for more constraints on these hardline bodies as a matter of mutual interest; we can only hope this effort will produce a better result. End Comment KAIDANOW